Introduction to Central Services Branch

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Presentation to the Portfolio
Committee
Introduction to Central Services Branch Building
a caring correctional system that truly belongs
to all
THE AWARDING OF INMATE PRIVILEGES ACCORDING TO
INMATE CLASSIFICATION IN DCS (Date 10 June 2008)
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CONTENT

• 1. Purpose
• Status
• Background and status
• Mandate
• Classification of inmates
• Privilege System
• Objective of Privilege System
• Privilege programme
• Classification criteria
• Privilege groups
• Challenges

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PURPOSE

• To brief the Portfolio Committee on the manner in
  which DCS awards inmate privileges.

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BACKGROUND AND STATUS

• DCS had a policy on Privileges which has been
  operational since before 1994 as part of the
  policies of DCS which were referred to as Orders.
  
• The privileges were reviewed in 2000 by reducing
  privilege categories from four to three.
• The policy on Privileges is under review again
  and the B-Order has been converted into
  procedures which are on route for approval. The
  review process forms part of the alignment of DCS
  policies with
• The White Paper on Corrections and
• The recognition of several security
  classification levels utilized in DCS.
• For the purpose of this briefing, the mandate,
  the existing policy and procedures on the
  Privilege System will be presented, as well as
  some of the areas that are being reviewed.
• The policy is applicable to sentenced offenders
  only as the ATD operational policies are in the
  process of refinement and consultation as part of
  the strategy for improving the management of ATDs
  in DCS.

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MANDATES

• The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa
  (Act 108 of 1996)
• Chapter 2 (Bill of Rights)
• Section 35(2) (f) enshrines the right for
  everyone detained to communicate with and be
  visited by spouse, next of kin, chosen religious
  counsellor and medical practitioner.
• The White Paper on Corrections (February 2005)
• Chapter 4
• provides that offenders must be given
  opportunities and resources to interact with
  events in the outside world. It further holds
  that the external relations to both offenders and
  family are of such importance that disciplinary
  measures should not be used to withhold offenders
  from exercising the right to family visitation or
  contact.

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MANDATES (Cont)

• The Correctional Services Act, 1998 (Act 111 of
  1998)
• Section 41
• provides for the rendering of rehabilitation
  services aimed at preparing offenders for their
  return into society.
• United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the
  treatment of Offenders
• Rule 39 of the UN Standard Minimum Rules
  provides that
• Offenders shall be kept informed regularly of
  the more important news by the reading of
  newspapers, periodicals or special institutional
  publications, by hearing radio transmission, by
  lectures or by any similar means as authorised or
  controlled by the administration.

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CLASSIFICATION OF INMATES

• Definition of inmate classification
• The classification of inmates is an
  internationally recognized system which is
  utilized for ensuring the improvement of
  institutional security by placing the offender in
  an appropriate security classification level for
  determination of housing needs, programming needs
  and work allocation. The system involves the
  utilization of an objective structured scoring
  tool.

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Classification of Inmates

• Inmates are classified into 3 security
  classification categories which are
• Minimum
• Medium
• Maximum
• The High Risk offenders that cannot be housed in
  a normal maximum CC are placed in a High Risk
  Security Facility (Super Max)
• The placement of offenders in the 3 security
  classification categories is based on the
  utilization of an Admission Security Risk
  Classification Tool which is conducted on all new
  admissions.
• Offenders are placed on security classification
  levels based on the scores obtained. Provision
  is made for the overriding of scores by a senior
  official to avoid manipulation of the
  classification process. There are however crucial
  factors that are taken into consideration when
  overriding the scores.
• Offenders are reclassified at intervals depending
  on changes in their risk levels and general
  behaviour through the use of a Security
  Reclassification tool.

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CLASSIFICATION OF INMATES (cont)

• First Reclassification
• Offenders serving effective sentence of 20 years
  and longer including lifers will be considered
  for reclassification after serving a period of 5
  years and thereafter reclassification will be
  considered bi-annually.
• Offenders serving effective sentence of 15 years
  and less than 20 years will be considered for
  reclassification after serving a period of 3½
  years (3 years and 6 months).
• Offenders serving effective sentence of 10 years
  and less than 15 years including habitual
  criminals will be considered for reclassification
  after serving a period of 2½ years (2 years and 6
  months)
• Offenders serving effective sentence of 5 years
  and less than 10 years will be considered for
  reclassification after serving a period of 1½
  years (1 year and 6 months).
• Offenders serving an effective sentence of less
  than 5years will be considered for
  reclassification after serving a period of 1year
  (1 year)
• Subsequent Reclassification
• Maximum offenders will be considered for
  reclassification every 2 years
• Medium offenders will be considered for
  reclassification annually
• Minimum offenders will be considered for
  reclassification if and when the need arises

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PRIVILEGE SYSTEM

• Definition of Types of Privileges
• Privileges
• Refers to any goods or services, education
  and /or work programmes, which are directly
  linked to an offenders good conduct and good
  performance. This shall also include the
  additional rights accorded to an individual or
  group of sentenced offenders in their different
  classification categories within a correctional
  centre environment.
• Individual privileges
• Refers to the type of privileges allocated or
  granted to individual offenders on the basis of
  the security classification system such as
  maximum, medium and minimum. Individual
  privileges shall further be subdivided into
  groups A,B and C in order to provide for
  maintenance, retention and promotion of family
  ties with the view to facilitate re-integration
  of offenders into the community.

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PRIVILEGE SYSTEM (Def Cont)

• Group Privileges
• Refers to participation of any group of
  offenders in a particular programme or activity
  which may include musical instruments, sports or
  recreational games, radio programme/s broadcast
  from a master set, video and television and any
  other games whether indoor or outdoor,
  recreational meetings, concerts and choirs and
  other related activities such as participation in
  arts and culture.
• Amenities
• Refers to established infrastructure within
  correctional centres which shall facilitate and
  contribute to the exercise of offenders
  privileges and to serve as enablement for the
  operation of the privilege policy regime.
  Furthermore, amenities shall seek to offer
  opportunities to offenders for exercising a
  particular or specific type of privilege within
  the given group or individual classification
  context (as the operational environment shall
  dictate).

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OBJECTIVES OF THE PRIVILEGE SYSTEM

• To enable offenders to have controlled access to
  amenities in order to
• Promote and support offenders interaction with
  the family, next of kin and significant others.
• Promote social and moral responsibility of
  offenders
• Secure the interest and cooperation of offenders
  in their treatment
• Promote cooperation with officials
• Provide offenders with opportunities and
  resources to interact with the outside world.
• Ensure that the policy addresses to the issues
  affecting the treatment of foreign offenders in
  line with their special circumstances especially
  bearing in mind the need for them to keep
  contact with their significant others.

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PRIVILEGE PROGRAMME
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CLASSIFICATION CRITERIA FOR A SPECIFIC PRIVILEGE
GROUP
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CLASSIFICATION CRITERIA FOR A SPECIFIC PRIVILEGE
GROUP (Cont)
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PRIVILEGE GROUPS INDIVIDUAL PRIVILEGES
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PRIVILEGE GROUPS INDIVIDUAL PRIVILEGES Continues
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PRIVILEGE GROUPS INDIVIDUAL PRIVILEGES Continues
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PRIVILEGE GROUPS INDIVIDUAL PRIVILEGES Continues
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PRIVILEGE GROUPS INDIVIDUAL PRIVILEGES Continues
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PRIVILEGE GROUPS INDIVIDUAL PRIVILEGES Cont
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PRIVILEGE GROUPS INDIVIDUAL PRIVILEGES Continue
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PRIVILEGE GROUPS INDIVIDUAL PRIVILEGES Continues
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PRIVILEGE GROUPS INDIVIDUAL PRIVILEGES Continues
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PRIVILEGE GROUPS INDIVIDUAL PRIVILEGES Continues
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PRIVILEGE GROUPS INDIVIDUAL PRIVILEGES Cont
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PRIVILEGE GROUPS INDIVIDUAL PRIVILEGES Cont
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PRIVILEGE GROUPS INDIVIDUAL PRIVILEGES Continues
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CHALLENGES WITH REGARD TO IMPLEMENTATION OF THE
PRIVILEGE SYSTEM

• Overcrowding places serious constraints on the
  effective and appropriate implementation of the
  Privilege system. There are limitations with
  regard to amenities (space), infrastructure,
  resources and capacity.
• 2. Family visits cannot occur as envisaged in
  line with the specified time allocated as there
  are so many offenders that need to see their
  families with limited amount of visitation rooms
  and limited hours per day. Families come from
  far, most having to save money for the trip but
  often having to see the offender for a short
  period of only 10 minutes instead of 45 minutes
  depending on his/her security classification.
  This is really not in line with Batho Pele
  principles and service to the community. The
  visits need to be more planned, structured
  through a booking system.

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CHALLENGES (cont)
3. DCS needs to have more conducive facilities
for visits, for example there should be child
friendly day care centres while the adults and
the offenders are talking. 4. DCS has
acknowledged these deficiencies and has
registered a Service Delivery Improvement Plan to
enhance visitations in line with Batho Pele
principles thereby enhancing service
delivery. 5. DCS faces a challenge with regard
to telephone calls. Although this is a privilege
for offenders and officials tend to allow this
privilege to be abused. While there are
guidelines there is insufficient control in place
with offenders making more than the necessary
calls as well as officials not monitoring the
numbers that offenders are calling. This of
course poses a security risk to the ccs, its
staff and to the public at large. DCS needs to
review this system for effective control and
monitoring.
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CONCLUSION

• DCS is engaged in concerted effort to continually
  enhance its services to offenders and their
  families to ensure effective reintegration into
  society through the awarding of privileges to
  qualifying offenders according to their
  classification.
• Ngiyabonga, siyabulela, enkosi,

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THANK YOU Renewing our Pledge A National
Partnership to Correct, Rehabilitate and
Reintegrate Offenders for a safer and secure
South Africa