by the Deputy Minister Ms Loretta Jacobus
23 May 2006
Madam Speaker
Ministers
Deputy Ministers
Honourable members
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentleman
It gives me great pleasure to address this House on the occasion of the
Department of Correctional Services Budget for 2006. As you all know by now,
our White Paper was approved by Cabinet in February 2005. Since that time the
Department has been gearing all its efforts to realising the objectives
articulated therein. To quote the White Paper:-
â⦠correction is much more than just crime prevention, but should be
approached in a holistic way through committing the Department to broader
societal challenges impacting on corrections, such as the level of dysfunction
within South African families, the regeneration of positive social values,
poverty alleviation and sustainable growth and development.â
However, from the Inspecting Judge to centre managers to the Portfolio
Committee, we are all agreed that the single biggest obstacle to placing
rehabilitation at the centre of our activities is the overcrowding within our
facilities.
With an offender population of one hundred and fifty eight thousand and
thirty two (158 032), we are over fifty thousand over populated. For example,
Johannesburg Medium B Correctional Facility is 344% overcrowded, i.e. the
sentenced male population is 4 293, sentenced juveniles 177, giving a total of
4 470 whereas the capacity is 1 300. The impact of overcrowding on our ability
to deliver our core functions, as articulated by our White Paper, is therefore
severely minimised.
In my contribution to this budget debate on Vote 20, I will make reference
to the following issues:
* social re-integration
* HIV and Aids
* development and care of offenders
* children and juveniles in the correctional system.
* ASGISA â The Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa
Social re-integration
Restoration and Restorative Justice are recognised as the cornerstones in
the rehabilitation of offenders. The White Paper seeks to overhaul our
Corrections Department in 20 years and beyond by transforming them from
âso-called universities of crime, into effective rehabilitation centresâ.
It is common knowledge that South Africa has among the highest incarceration
rates in the world with the criminal justice system more likely to send
offenders for a jail term. Of the 114 000 sentenced offenders, 51 522 are
people serving terms of between 0 and 6 months, most of whom can hardly afford
a bail of less than R1 000.00, while even among the awaiting trial detainees
over 10 000 cannot afford a bail of the same amount or less.
We strongly believe that the challenges facing community corrections and the
whole system of correctional supervision lie at the core of the current lack of
confidence in the system within the judiciary and members of the
public.
A new policy framework for ensuring an about turn of the social
re-integration function of the department is being developed with major
restructuring of the system to centralize a principled participation of various
role-players including family, communities, Non Government Organisation(NGO),
Faith Based Organisations (FBO) community-based organisations (CBO) and our
partners in the criminal justice system.
The programme seeks to build partner and public confidence in the system,
optimising participation of all sectors in a manner that is consistent with
restoration of harmed human relation, strengthening of familial relations while
improving management of rehabilitation programmes outside of correctional
centres. The new programme will improve the implementation of diversion
programmes, non-custodial sanctions for offenders that pose limited danger to
the society, as well as the role of the society in prevention of crime and in
correction of offending behaviour.
I am pleased to inform you that the new financial yearâs budget allocation
for social reintegration will increase by 9.15% (from R313.3 million in 2005 to
R342 million in 2006) thus reflecting a key shift in our strategic
priorities.
2. HIV and Aids
In its drive to improve the care services provided to all persons in the
custody of Correctional Services, we are obliged to provide primary health care
services to all offenders. This year we are in the process of conducting a
health needs assessment based on government priority areas as well as an
HIV/Aids prevalence survey. This would assist us in introducing a holistic
approach to addressing the impact and effects of HIV & AIDS in correctional
centres and amongst our own members. This is a voluntary process which seeks to
find an effective intervention mechanism to hamper the negative impact of the
disease amongst the offender population and our members.
The Department is adhering to implementation of the Comprehensive Treatment
and Care Plan of the National Department of Health, which includes the
provision of antiretroviral therapy to offenders who qualify for this
treatment. Offenders who do qualify for antiretroviral therapy are referred to
the nearest accredited public health care facility to start the treatment
process. However, the DCS is also engaged with the Department of Health, to
assess identified Correctional Centres in all 6 of our regions, which can be
accredited to provide antiretroviral therapy. Due to the fact that these
Correctional Centres must adhere to the stipulations of the Department of
Health and appropriate training for DCS staff must be completed, the
accreditation and rollout is proceeding rather slowly.
The Department was successful in having the first Correctional Centre
accredited at the beginning of this year for the provision of antiretroviral
therapy. Grootvlei Correctional Centre, in the Free State region has been
accredited by the National Department of Health and we applaud them for having
met the Department of Health standards as a site for ARV treatment. These will
shortly be followed by Qalakabusha and Pietermaritzburg (in KZN). The
partnerships forged between the Provincial Department of Health and the
Regional Office in the Free State has contributed to the successful completion
of this accreditation process. Grootvlei will indeed be utilized as an example
of best practice and blue print for the accreditation of additional
Correctional Centres throughout the country.
We are however mindful of the effects that the delays have on the lives of
those affected and strides are being made to expedite this process. In the
interim, attempts are always made to transport inmates to the nearest ARV sites
to receive such medication.
Finalisation of the HIV prevalence survey
The Department is currently undertaking a survey of the prevalence of HIV
infection amongst staff and offenders. An external service provider, Limuâvune
Consulting, has been appointed to undertake the survey. A sample has already
been drawn using random sampling techniques in the Gauteng region. The sample
is 10% each of the personnel population and the sentenced offender population.
The Department has sought ethical approval from the Human Science Research
Council (HSRC) for the survey. This, we hope, will be granted shortly. The HSRC
was very complimentary that a state department would actually seek ethical
approval for research activities. This, the DCS must be commended for.
Depending on the outcome of the participation in Gauteng, the survey will be
rolled out to our centres across country.
Participation in the survey is voluntary and confidentiality is guaranteed.
It is expected that the final report of the survey will be available in October
2006. The findings will assist the DCS to reallocate resources and to
reprioritise programmes and policies in terms of addressing HIV and AIDs in our
facilities.
Development and care
Our emphasis on educational and social interventions for offenders is a key
component in transforming the DCS from a punitive to a rehabilitation
institution. We are pleased that the budget allocation for development and care
has increased by 29.3% for the current financial year (from R939.3 million in
2005 to R1,2 billion in 2006).
Central to delivery on our mandate is provision of humane and secure custody
to offenders in an environment that is conducive for rehabilitation of
offenders whom we regard as one of the vulnerable sectors of our society.
As earlier indicated, our interventions in terms of development and care for
offenders, is premised on the need to build socially responsible characters
from smashed personalities.
To realise this mammoth task, the department is finalizing a new policy for
the introduction of compulsory rehabilitation programmes, which were designed
and accredited in the last financial year. The programmes to be included are
:-
* sexual offenders programme
* anger management
* HIV & AIDS awareness
* pre-release programme to prepare offenders for social re-integration.
However, to implement these objectives, the DCS has made the improvement of
human resource capacity, development and management a key priority. In this
regard it is however, sad to note that the DCS finds it extremely difficult to
attract professionals to the Department as the conditions of service do not
compare favourably with other Government departments. The recruitment and
retention of teachers, social workers, and health care professionals is of
grave concern. We will continue to lobby our colleagues in Treasury and DPSA to
address the salary imbalances and incentives. And as a Department, we are
constantly seeking to improve the conditions of service, especially with regard
to security, for our members. However, in the short-term, the DCS must look at
alternative strategies to beef up human resources within the department, e.g.
we may need to encourage and call on retired members of communities from these
various disciplines to come forward to assist the DCS in its development, care
and rehabilitation programmes.
Children and juveniles in the correctional system
Honourable members, as we approach the Child Protection Week, it is prudent
that I remind you about our Constitutional stipulation that prohibits the
admission of children into correctional facilities except as a last resort. I
refer you to Chapter 2: Bill of Rights, Section 28:-
âEvery child has the right not to be detained except as a measure of last
resort, in which case, in addition to the rights a child enjoys under sections
12 and 35, the child may be detained only for the shortest appropriate period
of time, and has the right to be
* kept separately from detained persons over the age of 18 years, and
* treated in a manner, and kept in conditions, that take account of the child's
age.â
In his State of the Nation address, the President promised to âreduce the
number of children in custodyâ. We concur with President Mbeki that children do
not belong in custody. Consequently, we have instructed all regions to conduct
an audit of children in our correctional centres with the intention of engaging
our partners in the JCPS cluster and social development in seeking alternative
accommodation for these young people who found themselves in conflict with the
law.
We have identified several places of safety for young offenders with the
Department of Social Development. We have designed intervention programmes for
the development, care and correction of offending behaviour and their
reintegration to society.
Challenges we face however are:
* Our programmes only cover sentenced offenders, therefore awaiting-trial
youth do not benefit from these.
* The correctional system environment is never ideal for the rehabilitation
needs of children, hence alternative youth centres must be identified and
invested in.
* Ideally the child should be placed within a loving and supportive family to
ensure effective rehabilitation and social integration, but unfortunately most
youth who fall foul of the law are from dysfunctional families in the first
place.
I am pleased to inform you that our most recent allocations for this
financial year have seen a marked shift in line with the Departmentâs Strategic
Plan expressing this change of emphasis towards rehabilitation. This reflects a
key shift to align our strategic objectives with that of the White Paper.
These increased budgetary allocations should be seen as the Department
taking clear and focussed steps towards making our White Paper a reality.
Intensifying contribution to accelerating shared growth (AsgiSA):
During this financial year, the Department will enhance its partnership with
SETAs, government departments and community organisations to expand
learnerships for parolees and computer literacy among sentenced offenders as
part of our contribution to the skills revolution as espoused by AsgiSA.
The Departmentâs contribution to poverty alleviation will seek to culminate
in agricultural schemes in partnerships with communities within close proximity
to our correctional centres. Where these schemes are already in operation the
products emanating the schemes, will benefit the most disadvantaged
communities.
To complement our community outreach projects in terms of Poverty
Alleviation, we have undertaken to engage our offenders in the maintenance of
services at local government level and also in communities where critical
services are required as part of the community service projects.
Other services which will be spearheaded by the offenders themselves include
motivational talks to communities, particularly targeting the youth sector.
These community service projects will be conducted through the Presidentâs
Award Programme.
In order to supplement the healthcare delivery programmes, the department
will utilise external community care givers and community health workers to
render primary healthcare services to our centres within the context of
advancing the ASGISA objectives. The Department will budget for the necessary
stipends for the payment of these healthcare workers.
Madame Speaker, the Department is in the process of effectively utilising
external service providers for the training of offender volunteers who render
Correctional Centre Based Care to inmates, this will also include the training
of spiritual workers (learnerships) in pastoral skills, e.g. counselling, group
work and individual pastoral skills, so as to contribute to the empowerment of
pastors not only to be utilized in prison ministry, but also in the
communities.
In the area of assisting in the development of youth capacity in needy
communities, the department has already granted 300 graduates an opportunity to
do their learnership in Social Work, Youth Development, Geriatrics, Disability
Issues and Child Care within our correctional centres.
This will assist in terms of ensuring that young graduates are able to
accumulate the necessary experience and expertise that is so much required in
the job market, thus, paving the way for them to be employable after the
completion of their learnership programmes.
Madame Speaker, as I deliver this Budget Vote, I am proud to announce that a
total of 48 psychologists (26 departmental psychologists and 22 psychologists)
are already doing compulsory community service in the department. These are
specialist areas that are very scarce to attract to the Department and we are
doing all we can to ensure that we attract more specialists in order to enhance
our rehabilitation programmes, including offering high incentives which however
will remain market-related.
To the broader society the main challenge is restoration of cohesion at both
the family and community levels of society. The White Paper positions the
family as the primary level and community institutions as the secondary level
at which correction and rehabilitation must necessarily take place. The degree
of dysfunction at these levels has to be addressed if the rate of new
convictions is to decrease, or, for that matter, if we are to bring down the
rate of repeat offending.
The Department of Correctional Services strives to assist both offenders and
victims in the restoration of themselves, families and community life in
general. At this point I want to pay a special tribute to our many partners who
include faith-based organisations, ex-offenders, the regional Parole Boards,
the recently launched Parole Review Board, and specialist NGOs like Khulisa,
Nicro, the Presidentâs Awards Programme, provincial departments of Education,
Health, Sports, Arts and Culture, Local Government and the many individuals who
just offer their time, energy and resources to assist the DCS in executing its
mandate on corrections, rehabilitation and re-integration of offenders.
Conclusion
I believe that much is possible if we are prepared to confront the realities,
cut our sails according to the wind, and accept that forgiveness is not divine
but it means restoring a sense of security to both the individual and the
community at large.
Since taking office in February I have been supported and welcomed most
warmly by the Minister and many colleagues within the correctional services
family. I would like to take this opportunity to offer all my colleagues, my
office staff and my partner my heartfelt thanks and appreciation for their
co-operation and guidance in this very challenging and difficult portfolio.
Special thanks also go to the Portfolio Committee lead by Hon. Mr Bloem for
their vigilance and oversight on matters affecting Correctional Services.
Continue keeping us on our toes!
Last but nor least, let me also add my voice to that of the Minister and
others who have thanked the Department, very ably lead by Commissioner Mti, his
management team and all staff within the DCS for striving very hard to make the
White Paper a living document and trying to bring out the thread that runs
through it â that of Corrections, Rehabilitation, Social Reintegration and
indeed â new beginnings!
Issued by: Department of Correctional Services
23 May 2006
