L Jacobus on antiretroviral facilities at Correctional Services

14 June 2007

Correctional Services Deputy Minister Loretta Jacobus says her department
has engaged a higher gear in dealing with the HIV/AIDS pandemic in South
African correctional centres. Speaking during the Correctional Services budget
vote speech delivery at the National Council of Provinces, Ms Jacobus said the
Department of Correctional Services intensified its prevention as well as
treatment and care programmes for offenders with HIV/AIDS. She said 1 159
offenders and officials were trained as peer educators against a target of 445
to strengthen the prevention initiatives while 47 438 offenders were exposed to
various HIV/AIDS awareness activities during the 2006/07 financial year
alone.

"The Department of Correctional Services has surpassed the targets it set
for the past financial year as it reached 17 818 offenders with its 48
psychologist against the target of 15 500 offenders," Deputy Minister Jacobus
said. She added that the trend was maintained in terms of provision of
spiritual care with 164 582 sessions instead of a target of 162 500 as well as
86 571 social work sessions. Deputy Minister Jacobus said the productive
engagement of offenders in sporting, arts and cultural activities, as well as
formal education and training in production workshops and farms was
encouraging. She said during the 2007/08 financial year 102 000 offenders
participated in sport, arts and culture programmes.

"Our department is very concerned about the health and welfare of its staff
and offenders in its custody. Hence, we have decided to source the assistance
of two researchers from the Human Sciences Research Council to capture, analyse
and tabulate health information collected during our health needs assessment
campaign in order to provide the department with an overview of the current
status of health resources, programmes and services," said Ms Jacobus. She said
the reports would assist the department on proper planning and appropriate
allocation of resources in order to improve the quality of health care rendered
to our offender population.

Deputy Minister Jacobus also praised the co-operation received from the
Department of Health towards meeting the department's commitment to accelerate
the provision of antiretroviral treatment to offenders. She said eight
Correctional Centres nationally were accredited by the national Department of
Health as comprehensive prevention, care, support and treatment centres. These
are Kroonstad Medium C, Groenpunt Correctional Center, Kimberly Correctional
Centre,Johannesburg Medium C, St Albans Medium B, Qalakabusha, Pietermaritzburg
and Durban Westville. She added that many other correctional centres are under
consideration as "we strengthen our partnership with the Department of Health
to wage our offensive against the pandemic."

Enquiries:
Manelisi Wolela
Cell: 083 626 0304

Issued by: Department of Correctional Services
14 June 2007