The primary goal of the Prisons Transformation Project is to contribute to the transformation of prisons from a militaristic organisational culture to a culture of learning, growth and development, where human rights are respected and people are treated with dignity and respect; and to equip and empower management, warders and prisoners to manage conflict more effectively.

In January 1998 the Centre for Conflict Resolution (CCR) responded to requests from several departments of Pollsmoor Prison for training in conflict resolution. Pollsmoor Prison, located in the suburb of Tokai in the valley of the Constantia Berg about 25km from Cape Town, is the largest maximum security prison in the Western Cape.