The Acting National Commissioner of Correctional Services, Mr Zach Modise, has welcomed the North Gauteng High Court’s dismissal with costs of the urgent application by offender Christopher Becker for his return from Kokstad Correctional Centre and his immediate placement on parole.
Welcoming the court decision Mr Modise said: “Correctional Services will always ensure the effective implementation of the parole policy and regulations as stipulated in the Correctional Services Act without fear or favour.” He said “the department’s goal of contributing to a just peaceful and safe South Africa through humane incarceration, rehabilitation and social reintegration will always be paramount, and nothing will be allowed to compromise that mission.”
Acting National Commissioner Modise said: “the department believes that it has done everything in accordance with the law governing the administration of corrections in South Africa, and will not allow deviant behaviour to go uncorrected as that could compromise public trust and confidence, not only in the country’s correctional system but in the criminal justice system as a whole.”
Offender Christopher Becker failed to secure his return from the country’s super maximum correctional centre – Kokstad - to Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Centre in Pretoria and his immediate placement on parole, which was revoked by the Correctional Supervision and Parole Board of Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Centre.
Also dismissed by the North Gauteng High Court today was an application by offender Henry Okah for his return from Kokstad super maximum correctional center to Kgosi Mapuru II Maximum Correctional Centre. He also pleaded for the setting aside of the internal disciplinary committee findings and sanctions that resulted in his down grading and placement in Kokstad Correctional Centre.
The Department of Correctional Services’ submission argued against the urgency, the failure of the applicants to exhaust internal remedies and the absence of a cogent reason for requiring the declaration of actions taken by the department invalid.
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