_ OVERCROWDING IN PRISONS

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DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES
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PRESENTATION TO THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON
CORRECTIONS
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PURPOSE

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

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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.
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OVERVIEW (Continued)
The distribution of the prisoners population,as
on 28 February 2001, per province
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INFANTS, CHILDREN AND FEMALES- CHILDREN IN
CUSTODY (UNDER 18 YEARS) 3621- INFANTS
CHILDREN (BIRTH TO 5 YEARS) 183- FEMALE
OFFENDERS 4274
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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)

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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

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• 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)

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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
  

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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
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ESCAPES FROM CUSTODY
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RECORD OF ESCAPES 1995 TO 2000
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INTERVENTION STRATEGIESPREVENTION 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.

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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
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COMPARATIVE ESCAPE FIGURES1999 VERSUS 2001
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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.

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• 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.

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Expected outputs

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

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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.

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• 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.

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• 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

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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.

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• 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.

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• 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

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UNIT MANAGEMENT
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• 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

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Introduction(continue)

• The DCS approved that this concept to
  prisoner management be implemented in all
  prisons as well as APOPS

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• 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.

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• 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.

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

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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

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

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?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.
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?STATISTICSMarch. 1995 596March.
1996 698March. 1997 924March. 1998
1 439March. 1999 1 946 March. 2000 2
939March. 2001 3 967
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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
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?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
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?DIFLUCAN IS FOR TREATMENT OF FUNGAL
CONDITIONS ASSOCIATED WITH HIV INFECTION?PRISONE
R PEER-LED EDUCATION?SUPPORT OF SECONDMENT OF
PWAs BY DOH?PROMOTION OF PARTNERSHIPAND
COLLABORATION WITH GOVERNMENT AND NON-GOVERNMENT
ROLE PLAYERS
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?INTENSIFYING AWARENESS PROGRAMMES?EXTEND
PROGRAMMES TO ALL PRISONS?DISTRIBUTION OF
GUIDELINES FOR THE PREVETION AND TREATMENT
OF OPPORTUNISTIC AND HIV RELATED DISEASES
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?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
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EHANCEMENT OF REHABILITATION
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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
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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

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STATUS REPORT ON STRATEGIC ISSUES

• National Workshop on Rehabilitation
• Development of a Rehabilitation Policy
• Creative Skills Development Policy
• Establishment of Training Centres
• National Skills Fund Department of Labour
• Intervention model (comprehensive assessment of
  the offenders
• profile to identify his/her rehabilitation needs
  and to develop a care plan)
• Combating illiteracy
• Marketing of rehabilitation programmes to
  offenders
• Restorative Justice approach to bring about
  healing
• Community participation to enhance
  rehabilitation programmes

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CONCLUSION

• The execution of the following programmes /
  projects
• Are subject to the approval of the Business Plans
  of the
• Chief Directorate Development Programmes, which
  were
• Submitted for Management Board approval and
  funding, I.e.
• Development and implement needs-based
  rehabilitation
• programmes by the year 2003
• Combating illiteracy within a prison
  environment
• Establish capacities at prisons for
  rehabilitation programmes
• Engagement of the community in the
  rehabilitation
• programmes for offenders
• Restorative Justice