1 / 65

DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES

DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES. -. PRESENTATION TO THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON CORRECTIONS. PURPOSE. THE PURPOSE OF THIS PRESENTATION IS TO BRIEF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS AND PLANS WITH REGARD TO PRISONS. OVERCROWDING.

dylan-jimenez
Download Presentation

DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES - PRESENTATION TO THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON CORRECTIONS

  2. PURPOSE • THE PURPOSE OF THIS PRESENTATION IS TO BRIEF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS AND PLANS WITH REGARD TO PRISONS

  3. OVERCROWDING • ON 28 FEBRUARY 2001, THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES • MANAGED 238 PRISONS IN 9 PROVINCES.THESE PRISONS ARE AS FOLLOWS: • 8 FOR FEMALE OFFENDERS • 13 FOR YOUTH CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES • 113 FOR MALE OFFENDERS • 99 FOR MALE AND FEMALE OFFENDERS • 5 PRISONS TEMPORARILY CLOSED FOR REPAIRS AND RENOVATIONS SOUTH AFRICAN PRISONS CAPACITY IS 102 048. HOWEVER, IT HAS 170 168 INMATES AS ON 28 FEBRUARY 2001. THIS SITUATION CONSTITUTES AN AVERAGE OVERPOPULATION RATE OF 66.75 % AND A TOTAL ACCOMMODATION CAPACITY NEED FOR 68 120 PRISONERS.

  4. OVERVIEW (Continued) The distribution of the prisoners population,as on 28 February 2001, per province

  5. INFANTS, CHILDREN AND FEMALES- CHILDREN IN CUSTODY (UNDER 18 YEARS) : 3621- INFANTS & CHILDREN (BIRTH TO 5 YEARS) : 183- FEMALE OFFENDERS : 4274

  6. STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS OVERCROWDING • To address the challenges presented by overcrowding the Department is involved in a number of inter departmental projects developed within the Crime Prevention, Justice and Safety Cluster. • Through the clustering approach the DCS has been able to formulate and embark on the following strategies to combat overcrowding in prisons: • There are multi-sectoral teams to identify blockages and devise solutions for the awaiting trial prisoners . (E.g Awaiting Trial Prisoner Projects, Court Process Project, Inmate tracking, Saturday courts)

  7. MEASURES TO ADDRESS OVERCROWDING • Interventions and actions taken to reduce the prisoner population: • Optimal utilization of Community Corrections as a sentencing / diversion option • Conversion of sentences into Correctional Supervision • Assisting prisoners to obtain money to pay their bail and fines • Ensuring that support systems are in place for all prisoners who are to be released on parole or correctional supervision • Speedy placement of prisoners with fines on Correctional Supervision

  8. MEASURES TO ADDRESS OVERCROWDING (Continued) • Ensuring that prisoners who qualify for parole are placed out as soon as possible • Increased focus on rehabilitation programmes for prisoners to prevent re-offending • Focus on training-, education- and social development programmes • Release of 8 262 awaiting trial prisoners accused of less serious offences that were granted bail of R 1 000 or less. (September 2000) • Early placement of 8 678 sentenced prisoners through the advancement of their approved parole dates.(Oct 2000)

  9. MEASURES TO ADDRESS OVERCROWDING (Continued) Expanding accommodation capacity through the Capital Works Programme • Completion of current projects - Kokstad Closed Maximum - 1 440 prisoners - Devon Pre-release Centre - 600 prisoners • New prisons with capacity for ± 6 000 beds in 2003/4 • Repair and Maintenance programmes for prisons in 2004/5 Opening of APOPS Prisons - Bloemfontein(1/7/2001) - 2 928 prisoners - Louis Trichardt (1/2/2002) - 3 024 prisoners

  10. Impact of measures taken regarding awaiting trial prisoners: Bearing in mind the high crime rate and the increasing awaiting trial prisoner population, the Department of Correctional Services will have to investigate other extreme measures to combat the problem of overcrowding in prisons

  11. ESCAPES FROM CUSTODY -

  12. RECORD OF ESCAPES : 1995 TO 2000

  13. INTERVENTION STRATEGIES:PREVENTION OF ESCAPES • National Action Plan for the prevention of escapes. • Strict disciplinary actions against negligent and corrupt officials. • Criminal prosecution of officials and any other person for aiding escapes. • Enforcement of strict compliance and adherence to all the relevant policies and procedures improving control and security in prisons. • Incentives for prisoners who report planned escapes or who raise alarm. • Stronger emphasis on the involvement of Managers at all levels.

  14. DISCIPLINARY ACTION AGAINST OFFICALS: ESCAPESJan. to Dec. 2000Number of officials charged: 333Number of dismissals: 19Number of serious/final written warnings: 60Number of written/verbal warnings: 42Not guilty: 59Cases still pending: 153

  15. COMPARATIVE ESCAPE FIGURES1999 VERSUS 2001

  16. IMPLEMENTATION OF ELECTRONIC MONITORING • The specifications document was completed. • Invitations of possible tenders were advertised on 12 January 2001. • A compulsory meeting was held on 9 February 2001 with possible bidders to clarify certain questions.

  17. Because of some information in the specification document that was not clear consequently the tender invitation lapsed. • The tender documentation was revised and forwarded to Treasury for their comment and advice. • As soon as an answer is received back from Treasury, the tender process will continue.

  18. Expected outputs • Continuously monitored probationers, parolees and awaiting trial persons. • To have more effective and efficient control over offenders in the community.

  19. ENHANCEMENT OF COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS Key Departmental objective To enhance Community Corrections Strategy: • To improve the quality of visitations to probationers and parolees by correctional officials. • To involve family or custo- dian of the offender in the visitation and rehabilitation process.

  20. To fully decentralise Community Corrections reporting offices to be accessible to all offenders. • To place low risk awaiting trial prisoners who cannot afford to pay bail in order to reduce overcrowding.

  21. To place parolees, probationers and awaiting trial persons under Community Corrections and to market the concept to the Department of Justice. • To train Community Corrections officials

  22. Expected Outputs: BY 2005 • Increased home visitations by correctional officials and professional correctional personnel in order to spend more quality time with offenders and address their individual needs.

  23. Increased number of professional correctional personnel attached to Community Corrections in order to compile pre-sentence/ evaluation reports and present programmes to offenders. • Increased number of volunteers in order to be involved in DCS activities.

  24. Increased number of correc- tional officials in order to monitor and spend more quality time with all offenders during visitation. • Reduced population of awaiting trial prisoners as well as the sentenced prisoners by 25%. • Establish tracing units to achieve 50% reduction of absconders

  25. UNIT MANAGEMENT

  26. INTRODUCTION • The concept of unit management aims at the individualised care of offenders and the identification of development and rehabilitation potential as well as the risk to the community • Multi- disciplinary teams will ensure appropriate placement, care and development of all prisoners

  27. Introduction(continue) • The DCS approved that this concept to prisoner management be implemented in all prisons as well as APOPS

  28. DEVELOPMENTS • A Functional training model and source document was developed and ten training workshops involving ± 550 officials representing the offices of the 9 Provincial Commissioners and 41 prisons, which accommodate more than 46 000 prisoners, were conducted during 2000/2001.

  29. Trainees were trained on the principles, elements and processes/ procedures associated with unit management. • They were also afforded the opportunity to, amongst others, divide their prisons into units and to develop Structured Day Programmes as well as Operational Procedure Manuals within the parameters of the concept.

  30. Because the implementation and development of unit management is a process and not an event, it is firstly being phased in 41 prisons. Following the successful implementation in those 41 identified prisons, Provincial Commissioners will expand the concept to other existing prisons in their provinces

  31. THE WAY FORWARD AS DESCRIBED IN OUTPUTS LINKED TO THE KEY DEPARTMENTAL OBJECTIVE: IMPROVEMENT OF PRISONER MANAGEMENT

  32. OUTPUTS • Implementation of Unit Management at 80% of our prisons by 2005 • Development of norms and standards pertaining to requirements for Unit Management by 2003

  33. OUTPUTS (continue) • Finalise resource document on training by 2002 • Training of staff on Unit Management: • - 20% by 2002 • - 40% by 2003 • - 60% by 2004 • - 80% by 2005

  34. OUTPUTS (continue) • Develop an appropriate security risk assessment instrument by 2003

  35. HIV/AIDSINTRODUCTIONHIV/AIDS WILL POSE A SUBSTANTIAL THREAT NOT ONLY TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC BUT ALSO TO CORRECTIONAL SERVICES. A COHERENT INTERVENTION STRATEGY IS THEREFORE REQUIRED TO EFFECTIVELY DEAL WITH THE PANDEMIC.

  36. STATISTICS:March. 1995: 596March. 1996: 698March. 1997: 924March. 1998: 1 439March. 1999: 1 946 March. 2000: 2 939March. 2001: 3 967

  37. :DEVELOPMENTSPOLICY CONSULTATION ARE BEING FINALISEDHIV/AIDS STRATEGIC SESSION IS PLANNED FOR JULY 2001ESTABLISHMENT OF FULL TIME HIV/AIDS UNITS AT HEAD OFFICE, PROVINCES AND IDENTIFIED PRISONS AS RECOMMENDED BY DOH

  38. 75% OF NURSES ARE TRAINED IN HIV/AIDSFORMALISATION OF HIV/AIDS COMMITTEES AT ALL LEVELSCOMMEMORATION OF WORLD AIDS DAY IN ALL PROVINCESPARTICIPATION IN THE DOH PROJECT, DONATION OF DIFLUCAN TABLETS BY PFIZERCOMPANY

  39. DIFLUCAN IS FOR TREATMENT OF FUNGAL CONDITIONS ASSOCIATED WITH HIV INFECTIONPRISONER PEER-LED EDUCATIONSUPPORT OF SECONDMENT OF PWAs BY DOHPROMOTION OF PARTNERSHIPAND COLLABORATION WITH GOVERNMENT AND NON-GOVERNMENT ROLE PLAYERS

  40. INTENSIFYING AWARENESS PROGRAMMESEXTEND PROGRAMMES TO ALL PRISONSDISTRIBUTION OF GUIDELINES FOR THE PREVETION AND TREATMENT OF OPPORTUNISTIC AND HIV RELATED DISEASES

  41. STRATEGIC PLAN 2005 - NEED BASED PROGRAMME PLAN WITH 100% PROFESSIONAL STAFF TRAINED IN HIV/AIDS - ENHANCEMENT OF INTER-DISCIPLINARY APPROACH AND PRISONER INVOLVMENT IN PROGRAMS - FULL PARTICIPATION OF ALL ROLE PLAYERS - PRISONER-PEER-LED EDUCATION PROGRAMS

  42. EHANCEMENT OF REHABILITATION

  43. AIM THE AIM OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICES IS TO REHABILITATE OFFENDERS IN OUR CARE, TOPREPARE THEM FOR SUCCESSFUL REINTEGRATION IN THE COMMUNITY AS PRODUCTIVE AND LAW-ABIDING CITIZENS

  44. INTRODUCTION • Constitution of the RSA (108 of 1996) enshrines the rights • of prisoners to conditions of detention that are consistent • with human dignity • Pursuant to the Constitutional imperatives and the core • functions of the department, DCS committed itself to • embrace a new paradigm and move from punitive to • rehabilitative approach • Emphasis is placed on striking a balance between safe • custody and rehabilitation as rehabilitation is a long-term • goal to crime prevention • Comprehensive strategic perspectives to support • and enhance rehabilitation were identified

More Related