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PORT FOLIO COMMITTEE BRIEFING BRANCH CORRECTIONS 25 MAY 2011. THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE 4 NEW GENERATION CORRECTIONAL CENTRES:. INTRODUCTION.
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PORT FOLIO COMMITTEE BRIEFING BRANCH CORRECTIONS 25 MAY 2011
THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE 4 NEW GENERATION CORRECTIONAL CENTRES:
INTRODUCTION • The aim of this status report is to provide the reader with a concise and up to date status of the progress made on the four new correctional centres under a PPP procurement structure. • The Department is in the process of addressing overcrowding in prisons by procuring 4 new Correctional Centres through following the Public Private Partnership model.
PROGRESS UP TO 14 FEBRUARY 2011 • The feasibility study was approved in September 2007 • The Request for Qualifications (RFQ) on the above tender was issued in Oct 2007 • Respondents submitted responses on 10 December 2007 • The RFQ evaluation process commenced on 13th May 2008 • The Commissioner appointed a team of evaluation members consisting of specially selected members from DCS, NT, DPW, TA & other specialists from government departments
PROGRESS REPORT AT 14 FEBRUARY 2011 (CONT.) • The short-listed bidders were announced on 30 September 2008 as per the Project Plan • National Treasury Approval IIA (TA RFP IIA) was received on 06 Oct 2008 • Final RFP issued to the Bidders on 01 December 2008 • Bidders submitted their bid proposals on 29 May 2009
PROGRESS REPORT AT 14 FEBRUARY 2011 (CONT.) • On assumption of duty the Minister expressed a need for a policy review, especially to determine whether the current PPP model can deliver required services without undermining the fundamental state responsibility of managing and providing public security • A Bid Specification Amendment process commenced on 5 March 2010
PROGRESS REPORT AT 14 FEBRUARY 2011 (CONT.) • The outcome of several workshops indicated that it was not feasible to materially change the current bid specifications • The Department concluded that the current bid specifications will be amended as follows:
PROGRESS REPORT AT 14 FEBRUARY 2011 (CONT.) • Private Party to adapt design and operational plan to include female offenders (including those with infants), youth offenders (18 to 25, including education facilities) and psychiatric offenders • Offender labour to be utilised • A variant bid to provide for a shortened project term of 7 to 10 years for the operational element • Facilities management and maintenance to be performed by Private Party for 25 years
PROGRESS REPORT AT 14 FEBRUARY 2011 (CONT.) • The above bid spec amendments were approved by the Minister in October 2010 • Extension of Bid Validity requested from Bidders • All Bidders granted extension of Bid validity to 30 October 2011 • Currently in the process of establishing Bid Evaluation Committees
Leeuwkop Background • Leeuwkop Juvenile Correctional Centre is currently housing approximately 850 sentenced juvenile and children offenders (834 on 26 April 2011) and was built in 1983 as a temporarily structure to accommodate all sentenced children and juveniles offenders within Gauteng. However, this structure is dilapidated and not conducive for the detention of such categories of offenders. • During the visit by the Port Folio Committee on Correctional Services on 2 August 2010, the Committee registered their concern on the conditions under which sentenced children and juveniles were detained. The Committee was of the opinion that the centre should be renovated as a matter of priority. The Committee was informed that a project to build a new Correctional Centre next to the current Leeuwkop Juvenile Correctional Centre was abandoned on account of an environmental impact study that was conducted. The envisaged 3000 bed space facility was discontinued as a result of the environmental impact study, confirming the existence of a certain specie of frog which was then regarded as endangered specie.
Leeuwkop Discussion • Currently Gauteng is having three facilities which are housing sentenced children and juvenile offenders, namely: • Boksburg Correctional Centre B: Maximum offenders • Leeuwkop Medium B Correctional Centre: Medium offenders • Emthonjeni Correctional Centre: Medium offenders • The approved capacity of the three centres is as follows: • Boksburg Correctional Centre B: 241 • Leeuwkop Medium B Correctional Centre: 723 • Emthonjeni Correctional Centre: 640 • Total 1604
Discussion (Cont) • The need of DCS: Gauteng is to centralize the detention of sentenced children and juvenile offenders in the region in one facility where services can be rendered in line with the needs of these young offenders. The essence has shifted to include that 2000 of the earmarked facility of 3000 be allocated for the detention of sentenced children and juvenile offenders (inclusive of a unit for 500 for the sentenced maximum children and juveniles) with provision be made for the following: • Skills training rooms where woodwork, metal work and bricklaying skills can be taught and practiced; • A multi purpose hall to accommodate various rehabilitation activities undertaken by the centre; and • A formal school in line with the norms of the Department of Education and Training, which should accommodate at least 75% of the offender population.
Leeuwkop Discussion (Cont) • The remaining 1000 of the envisaged 3000 correctional facility to be built will be utilized for the detention of adult maximum classified offenders. • The centralization of the sentenced children and juvenile offenders will result in the creation of capacity at Emthonjeni and Boksburg Correctional Centre B which after upgrading other categories of offenders can be accommodated in. A serious need exists for the creating of offender space for the detention of maximum classified offenders in Gauteng and this may be the opportunity to utilize the space that will become available for this purpose.
Leeuwkop Way forward • The Directorate Facilities should conduct a feasibility study to determine all considerations which will include the financial implications. • The need for the drafting of the HR-Plan for the proposed 3000 bed facility should be registered with Corporate Services. • The National Commissioner approves the Business Case for Leeuwkop Juvenile Correctional Centre in principle, which will have the following effect: • The existing old temporarily structure of Leeuwkop Juvenile Correctional Centre will be replaced with a new permanent structure with 3000 beds in the format of 2000 for sentenced children and juvenile offenders and 1000 sentenced adult maximum offenders.
REMAND DETENTION FACILITIES (RDFs) Dedicated 11 RDFs identified
REMAND DETENTION FACILITIES (RDFs) (cont.) • The Department has prepared a strategy to rollout the 11 RDFs • The procurement route needs to be determined based on Regulations of Treasury • The Potchefstroom RDF is the first project to be upgraded.
POTCHEFSTROOM RDF • Potchefstroom official bed space: 867 • 54 sentenced Females are housed • 1 ATD Female are housed • Females to be moved to Klerksdorp PPP on completion • Sentenced offenders: 157 males • Perimeter fence to be upgraded and security fence to be extended to include new buildings
OVERVIEW : REMAND DETENTION FACILITIES & SYSTEMS • A joint project between the Departments of Justice and Constitutional Development, NDPW and DCS are involved in a Project to provide video conferencing that will allow Remand Detainees to be remanded into further custody without the requirements of them being physically transported to the relevant courts. • Both the occupants of the courts and the Remand Detainees at the Correctional Centres (CCs) will be able to communicate both verbally and visually in order for remand court matters to be carried out. • Magistrates courts and DCS CCs are currently being refurbished, communication lines installed and video conferencing equipment are also being installed to enables this. The status quo is as follows on all DCS CCs.
PROGRESS : REMAND DETENTION FACILITIES & SYSTEMS Installation of video postponement equipment in 22 facilities Progress • The video postponement project involves the rollout of the solution to 22 correctional facilities and 47 courts. The project commenced in 2008. • The following facilities installation have been completed by DCS: • Pollsmoor Youth Centre, Pollsmoor Maximum, Goodwood, Allandale, Bethal, Pietermaritzburg, Ladysmith, Johannesburg, Krugersdorp, Pretoria Local, Vereeniging, Nelspruit, Kroonstad, Kimberly and Bloemfontein. They are currently not operational as DCS is reliant on DoJCD for this (i.e. telephone cables, VPN Lines in certain instances). Visits are currently being undertaken in order to ensure that the refurbishments are up to the required standards. • Note: A DCS VR Court status is only completed if tests were conducted to establish positive communication between the Magistrate Courts and the DCS VR Courts. Although it shows that IT, VPN and DVP are 100% all the sites were not tested.
PROGRESS : REMAND DETENTION FACILITIES & INFRASTRUCTURE Pretoria Local RDF was since September 2009 operational and serving the Pretoria Magistrates Court. A fired occurred at the Courts in 2010. This led to the discontinuation of the use of this technology. Although 12 Correctional Centres and the courts that they are linked to have had the refurbishments, equipment installations and Telkom communication lines installed, DOJCD is still in the process of training their own court staff on the procedures and duties of relevant staff. The implementation of live court proceedings can only begin once they have been trained. In the interim DCS has requested that DOJCD provide tentative dates on when the latter Department will be ready for live court proceedings.
PROGRESS : REMAND DETENTION FACILITIES & SYSTEMS • Mthatha is behind schedule. The appointed contractor never started with the refurbishment. A new contractor was appointed and refurbishment of the DCS VR Court is underway. • Telkom lines at Thohoyandou, Modderbee and Boksburg were stolen regularly, and Telkom does not want to replace the cables as the cost is high. Telkom suggests that we install a radio link to ensure connectivity. • Training will now take place during April to July 2011 to accommodate the trainers as well as the users. The delays in refurbishments have delayed the training.
SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT • The SLA has been signed by the National Commissioner of Correctional Services and was submitted to the NDPW on 31 March 2011 for signature. • It included the revision to limit alternative service provider to IDT following meetings with NDPW. • NDPW Legal Services are assessing the changes. THANK YOU