Oscar Pistorius due to be released from prison... here is why

Oscar Pistorius is set to be released on Friday after serving ten months of his five-year sentence in prison for shooting dead his girlfriend, 29-year-old law graduate and model Reeva Steenkamp.

The former Paralympic runner shot Steenkamp dead through a closed bathroom door on Valentine's Day in 2013 has been recommended as a good candidate for corrective supervision, which is new in South Africa.

According to CNN, the parole board often considers correctional supervision because South Africa’s prisons are overcrowded and underfunded. The board has the authority to place Pistorius on correctional supervision after serving one-sixth of his sentence because he was sentenced under a specific section of the Criminal Procedure Act.

Whether he will remain free, however, is another matter. His case remains subject to a Supreme Court appeal hearing in November, when prosecutors will argue that his conviction should be scaled up to murder – and a minimum 15-year jail term.

Pistorius served the 10-months at Kgosi Mampuru II prison in Pretoria, South Africa. Upon release, he will have to wear an electronic monitoring device.

One of the issues still to be resolved, says the Mail, is where Pistorius, whose legs were amputated below the knee when he was a baby, will wear his tag. They are usually placed around the ankle.

Whether or not Pistorius will remain free is uncertain. A Supreme Court appeal hearing is set to take place in November. The prosecution will argue that Pistorius’ conviction should be increased to murder. If the conviction is elevated, the runner will be subject to at least 15 years imprisonment, according to the Library of Congress.

SOURCE: The Mail, CNN