Minister Michael Masutha launches R10 million audio-visual system, 26 Nov

The Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Advocate Michael Masutha, will officially launch a R10 million audio-visual system, to enable victims of crime to have a say in parole hearings.

During his budget vote speech on 16 July 2014, the Minister said: “In November 2014 we expect to launch a video-conferencing system in all 53 Correctional Supervision and Parole Board (CSPB) offices in South Africa. This innovation is intended to help reduce the barriers of participation in the parole hearings like physical distance and language barriers to our efforts of centralising victims in the determination of offender parole hearings.

Although phenomenal progress was made since 2009 in mobilising victims to participate in parole hearings of the CSPB, from just 108 to 1125 cases per year, this still represents less than five percent of hearings that result in parole placements of offenders that roughly reaches 25 000. With this video conferencing capacity, built with funding from the Criminal Asset Recovery Account (CARA), victims can be informed to go to their nearest CSPB offices and be linked to the actual parole board hearings”.

The launch will also feature a demonstration of the audio visual system, capturing two Correctional Supervision and Parole Board hearings. Details of the launch are as follows:

Date: Wednesday, 26 November 2014
Venue: Department of Correctional Services Head Office, Poyntons Building, 124 WF Nkomo Street, Tshwane
Time:12h00 for 13h00

We wish to request media attending to please confirm attendance, by no later than 15h00 tomorrow (Tuesday 25 November 2014), by sending their full names, ID or passport numbers, media house, mobile number and email address to Matshidiso Mapole at Matshidiso.Mapole@dcs.gov.za or 076 478 3620.

Enquiries:          
Advocate Mthunzi Mhaga
Cell: 083 641 8141

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