Budget Vote speech by the Deputy Minister of Correctional Services, Ms Loretta Jacobus MP, NCOP

Chairperson of the NCOP
Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP
Cabinet colleagues
Chairpersons and members of the select committee
Members of Parliament
Distinguished guests
The Commissioner of Correctional Services, your Executive Management Committee and the rest of the staff
Ladies and gentlemen

With your indulgence, I would like to step further back and recall what we said, in 2004, as representatives of our people, we said "For too long our country contained within it and represented much that is ugly and repulsive in human society." It was a place in which to be born black was to inherit a lifelong curse. It was a place in which to be born white was to carry a permanent burden of fear and hidden rage. "It was a place in which to live in some places was to invite others to prey on you or to condemn oneself to prey on others, guaranteed neighbours who could not but fall victim to alcohol and drug stupors that would dull the pain of living, who knew that their lives would not be normal without murder in their midst, and rape and brutal personal wars without a cause".

I stand here today almost on the eve of our national commemoration of the 1976 Student's revolution/uprising that ushered a new era in the struggle for the democratisation of our country- a day from now. Today amongst us in this august House are leaders and cadres of that revolution who, though their political activism and resistance to Apartheid education, defined a new path that helped shape the current democratic education system. I must in the same vein allude to the fact that when we look back we see many reasons for celebration in Correctional Services against an environment that sometimes militates against the attainment of our goals. I should also acknowledge that we have standing challenges some of which are brought about by the mere fact that we are managing people who have wronged the society. Chairperson, I can confidently proclaim that under the leadership of Minister Balfour we are on course to meet this nation's expectations.

Chairperson I wish to use this platform and opportunity to salute the gallant men and women of the 1976 youth generation - the brave youth that later swelled the ranks of the African National Congress (ANC)'s revolutionary army, uMkhonto We Sizwe.

Development and care

We would have failed to move towards the attainment of the National Democratic Revolution and aspirations of our people as encapsulated in the Freedom Charter if we did not as government divert whatever minimal resources we have, to ensuring a just and peaceful society in which all our citizens shall leave without fear. Chairperson, underpinning the whole programme is the Offender Rehabilitation Path which we are committed to implement with much greater vigour this year. Key to this is the Offender Rehabilitation Path (ORP), so that we completely move away from penal system of retribution and punishment. In keeping with that direction we have finalised a model for giving practical meaning to the new policy direction - the Offender Rehabilitation Path. The nine phase programme seeks to re-engineer our offender management approach to be needs based and informed by an offender's life cycle as each stage demands different interventions by the Department and other players in government and society.

The offender rehabilitation path does not only assist the offender to adapt to the corrections environment, but it also brings together the agents that will give meaning to the six service delivery areas the department has identified in relation to offenders, namely: security, facility, correction, development, well-being and social reintegration. Interventions in these service delivery areas are based on thorough assessments in terms of security, risks and needs of offenders.

Chairperson and honourable members, the department 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. The same applies to spiritual care sessions with 164 582, sessions taken place against a target 162 500, 86 571 social work sessions took place as well as AIDS awareness sessions with 1 159 offenders and officials trained as master trainers as apposed to the targeted 445 for the pas financial year. We are also encouraged by productive engagement of offenders with activities like sport, arts and cultural activities, formal education and skills training in production workshops and farms. During the past financial year, 102 000 offenders participated in sport, arts and culture programmes. We will however continue to strive to improve numbers of beneficiary offenders to all our programmes.

Our department is very much 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. This information will 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.

The department committed itself to accelerate the facilitation of access for offenders to antiretroviral treatment by identifying Correctional Centres that meet the minimum criteria for accreditation as Comprehensive Prevention, Care, Support and Treatment Centres. During the reporting period eight Correctional Centres were accredited by the national Department of Health as Comprehensive Prevention, Care, Support and Treatment Centres. These are Kroonstad Medium C, Groenpunt Correctional Centre, Kimberly Correctional Centre, Johannesburg Medium C, St Albans Medium B, Qalakabusha, Pietermaritzburg and Durban Westville. Many others are under consideration as we strengthen our partnership with the Department of Health to wage our offensive against the pandemic.

During the period of October to December 2006, a total number of 1600 offenders were receiving antiretroviral treatment, either at the nearest public health institution or department's accredited sites. With regard to the HIV/AIDS prevention programme, 1159 offenders and officials were trained as peer educators to strengthen the prevention initiatives. A total of 47438 offenders were exposed to various HIV/AIDS awareness activities.

Rehabilitation and Social Reintegration

One major challenge the faces us and any correctional system in the world is to ensure that as many offenders as possible are productively engaged in programmes aimed at not just keeping them busy, but those that will help turn them into law abiding and socially responsible individuals. In that regard it gives me great pleasure to report to this house that we have fulfilled an undertaking we made last year of finalising a policy on compulsory rehabilitation programme for all offenders. We also trust that all key players and partners will join hands including offender families in a true spirit of Operation Masibambisane to ensure that we succeed in these programmes.

Chairperson, let me also outline that Correctional Services is contributing in the war declared by the President on poverty and under development. Last year we approved our poverty alleviation policy to give impetus to the social responsibility programmes we were already implementing. It is with a sense of pride that I report to this house that in the 2006-7 financial year, we re-affirmed many unemployed youths, women and children who are victims and survivors of abuse or neglect. We adopted many orphanages, poor schools and crèches. We also assisted many victims of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, rural poor, child headed households and the elderly through many interventions we have made. These include food donations, soup kitchens, food production assistance with development of food gardens, life and business skills development, furniture and clothes, blankets and birthday/Christmas parties for terminally ill, children and the elderly.

We also assisted in community infrastructure development initiatives as we have done in the Athlone House of Strength - a one stop centre for women and children victims and survivors of abuse in Mbekweni, Paarl, the Baptist Church building in Gugulethu and also low-cost houses in Mbekweni. We would appeal to Members of this House in particular those of the Select Committees to visit these beneficiaries to demonstrate our collective resolve to fight poverty with all our energies. My office can provide details of the projects assisted. We will intensify these initiatives as we rollout our new poverty alleviation policy, because Correctional Services can ill afford to wait passively at the end of the criminal justice system and to cry foul when scores are sent for incarceration for preventable crimes. We believe that the criminal justice system is a cycle through which offenders go and we occupy a critical position of facilitating social re-integration that requires us to strengthen our outreach to the communities we are serving.

Together Corrections, Care and Development programmes aimed at offenders will be contributing in shaping and implementing and in both programmes significant progress was made in the developing various policies and procedures that are aligned to the White Paper on Corrections. The implementation of the compulsory programmes as well as the revision of current programmes and the possible implementation of new programmes is a phased-in process which will commence in this financial year, starting within the Centres of Excellence and to be expanded to all Correctional Centres.

Honourable members, I still want to re-emphasize the fact that the constitutional stipulation prohibits the admission of children into Correctional Facilities except as the last resort. Chapter 2, section 28 of the Bill of Rights is clear on this constitutional imperative. Every child has the right not to be detained except as the measure of last resort and has the right to be:
1. kept separately from detained persons over the age of 18 years and
2. be treated in a manner and be kept in conditions that take into account the child's age.

Twice in the State of Nation Address, the President of the country alluded to the urgent need to reduce the number of children in custody. The Department of Correctional Services is vigilant in monitoring and managing the reduction in numbers of children in our facilities. To this effect the department has developed a template providing detailed information about each and every child within the Department of Correctional Services to stakeholders like Department of Justice (DoJ), South African Police Service (SAPS), Department of Eductaion (DoE), National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and Department of Social Services (DSD) in order to fastrack the removal of children to secure care facilities and diverting them to alternative sentencing options. To date there are 1 149 children in our facilities as compared to 1 336 at the onset of the previous financial year (2006/07).

The Department of Correctional Services has in addition undertaken a baseline audit on its facilities, services and programmes to address the needs of vulnerable groups including children. Subsequently an integrated action plan has been developed by the Department to address the needs of these vulnerable groups. The implementation of this action plan will commence in this financial year.

Corrections

On that occasion in 2004 we said in part, "It was a place in which to live in other neighbourhoods was to enjoy safety and security because to be safe was to be protected by high walls, electrified fences, guard dogs, police patrols and military regiments ready to defend those who were our masters, with guns and tanks and aircraft that would rain death on those who would disturb the peace of the masters. Our concern chairperson is the emerging worrying trends of not just aggressive and violent offenders but the increase of offenders incarcerated for sexual offences that has gone up from 4,12% over the last six years to 15,06% of the total offender population, particularly in the Limpopo, North West and Mpumalanga region where the rate is much higher.

Indeed this changing profile of our offenders does not only indicate the safety and security challenges of the vulnerable women and children in our communities, but also the safety of our officials which we regard as sacrosanct. I would have failed in my duty, if I do not pronounce on this platform how proud we are of our correctional officials who are the engine behind these social development interventions. On behalf of the Minister, the Commissioner, the Executive Management Committee and the rest of the personnel, I wish to state that your endeavours did not go unnoticed. We salute and encourage you to soldier on and make your mark in building a better life for all South Africans.

Judicial Inspectorate of Prisons

The Judicial Inspectorate of Prisons under the leadership of Judge Nathan Erasmus has, in consultation with various role-players including the Department of Correctional Services, in a short period of time initiated a number of strategic changes to the work of the Judicial Inspectorate. The changes are aimed at expanding the focus of the Inspectorate beyond overcrowding of facilities. Chairperson, allow me to respectfully remind the members of the house that the establishment of the Judicial Inspectorate of Prisons forms part of this government's ongoing transformation process which is aimed at transforming the old inherited prison services, to a Department of Correctional Services which is focused on and equipped to ensure that inmates in our country are detained under humane conditions, treated with human dignity and rehabilitated so that they can when released from custody again occupy their rightful place in society.

The changes implemented by Judge Erasmus will greatly enhance the Inspectorates' ability to build on these results thus ensuring effective oversight for the community by the community. The Minister, the department and I will continue to support the work that is being performed by Judge Erasmus and his team.

Conclusion

I can say without fear of contradiction that, we are firmly on course in building an ideal correctional system that cares for both victims and perpetrators of crime. Let me conclude by calling upon all of us to join a national partnership to correct, rehabilitate and reintegrate offenders for a safer and more secure South Africa. I do believe that correctional services can indeed be a place of new beginnings in this age of hope. I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate the newly appointed Commissioner of Correctional Services Mr Petersen. He is inheriting a very able team that we have the confidence in steering us in where we want to go. I am convince under your stewardship we will continue on the path that we have started to tread since 2004 in building a correctional service that is inline with our White Paper. Our future will be determined by the actions we take today.

I thank you

Issued by: Department Correctional Services
14 June 2007