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Date : 08/10/2003
Source: Ministry of Correctional Services
Title: Skosana: Young Presidents' Organisation


ADDRESS BY THE MINISTER OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES, MR BEN M SKOSANA MP AT THE YOUNG PRESIDENTS' ORGANISATION, Pretoria, Wednesday, 8 October 2003

Programme Director
Deputy Minister of Correctional Services Mr Pieter Saaiman
Commissioner Linda Mti
Chairperson of the Young Presidents' Organisation, Mr Bernard Seeff
Regional Commissioner for Gauteng, Mr Zach Modise
Members of Africa's Gateway Chapter for the Young Presidents' Organisation
Management and Staff of Correctional Services
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen

We derive great pleasure in acknowledging everybody's presence here today to share in our enthusiasm about promoting very close liaison with our stakeholders and especially with members of Africa's Gateway Chapter of the Young Presidents' Organisation.

The fact that this is your second visit to our facilities is a positive indication of the potential for mutual co-operation and assistance, which can only benefit the ideal of corrections.

It is equally gratifying to note that today's occasion takes place during October which has been designated "Productivity Month" to exalt all South Africans to swing into action and work together to improve the lives of each and everyone of us. We must endeavour to raise our levels of commitment to helping our fellow citizens and it is only with greater productivity that there will be enough for all.

We must view productivity not only in the material sense but also in the more intangible but necessary sense of compassion, empathy, love, caring and humanity. The exuberance of all these virtues forms a firm foundation for a successful nation.

In his State of the Nation Address earlier this year, President Thabo Mbeki indicated that the government will continue to increase its capacity to respond to the needs of our people. As a result we believe that your presence here today is an indication of your desire to observe this calling.

As members of the business community we hope and believe that you will make a substantial contribution to the upliftment of the living conditions of all South Africans but especially those who come from previously disadvantaged communities, and who incidentally constitute the majority of our inmates.

It is no coincidence therefore that the vast majority of offenders in the correctional system come from these previously disempowered racial groups whom apartheid considered to be of little value in the skilled labour market. It is not uncommon to hear people complaining generally about inadequate policing as being the main cause of the escalating crime situation in the country. However, anybody who ignores or refuses to acknowledge the existing widespread socio-economic disparities in South Africa as being the main cause of the crime situation in the country is living in a fool's paradise. Indeed, the legacy of apartheid remains the greatest threat to the safety and security of our communities.

We must be cognisant of the fact that our prison population is a microcosm of the South African society, so that whatever you see in our prisons is a direct reflection of the larger population outside.

It is our hope and belief therefore that whatever efforts you are engaged in to contribute towards uplifting the standard of living of the population, these will equally be extended to our prison population as well.

The concept of working with the private sector has long been operational within the Department of Correctional Services and what we need to do is to work with a variety of other partners in as many areas of development as possible.

Using private financing and management for new prison infrastructure has culminated in the construction of the Mangaung and Kutama-Sinthumule Maximum Security Prisons under our Asset Procurement and Operating Partnerships System (APOPS).

APOPS is a Public-Private Partnership initiative involving a contract between the public and private sectors, in which the private sector designs, builds, finances, operates and maintains a prison and is paid by government to render these services.

The private sector is expected to raise the threshold of quality of services because it must be capable of competitively delivering these services to the government. This competitive relationship is expected to enhance the performance of the public sector by creating an active competition between the Department of Correctional Services and the private operators.

Another area in which co-operation could be developed and strengthened is in the reintegration of ex-offenders. Every one of us has the responsibility for the maintenance and protection of a just, peaceful and safe society in our Country by upholding the law and justice. Correction is not just the responsibility of the Department of Correctional Services but also a shared responsibility of all social institutions and individuals as well as a range of government departments. As part of a visionary strategy in the medium to long term, the role of all societal institutions is crucial if we are to turn the tide against crime in this country.

Our desire to ensure the successful reintegration of offenders into society is driven by our desire to bring about a safe and secure South Africa and ensuring that everyone enjoys the fruits of the freedom we achieved almost ten years ago.

We recently announced the release and placement on parole of certain categories of sentenced prisoners by advancing their parole dates by a maximum of ten months to reduce overcrowding in our prisons.

These are low-risk prisoners who do not pose any danger to society and they exclude prisoners who have been convicted of committing serious crimes such as murder, rape, aggravated robbery and so on. So far 6 691 prisoners have benefited from this arrangement.

Those who have been released and placed on parole need our sympathy and assistance to enable them to abide by their parole conditions. This is a testing time for them and they cannot be left to their own devices, as they need our guidance and understanding. The fact that they have been given a second chance to be responsible members of society is no guarantee that they will fit like a glove.

The period of separation from normality has taken its toll and society's assistance is essential in ensuring a relatively smooth reintegration into the community in general but specifically and more importantly, into the family.

The current policy in the department is to rehabilitate offenders so that they return to society on completion of their sentences as law-abiding and productive citizens, while in the past the trend was simply to remove the offender from society and lock him up for the duration of his sentence. The concentration was on the punitive and incapacitative aspects of criminal corrections.

We realised however that in order to enable ex-offenders to take responsibility for their lives and reconcile with their families and the community, they must be equipped with positive self-empowerment and the belief in self-worth.

The provision of rehabilitation programmes in our prisons is primarily meant to address this need and to give ex-offenders an opportunity to return to society as law-abiding citizens. What we often forget are the many intricate problems, which face prisoners going back to society.

Among the many barriers faced by offenders are the fear and distrust with which they are generally received by the public. Conversely many offenders view their criminal background as an insurmountable obstacle that permanently excludes them from full membership in their communities.

The weight of the stigma that both the offender and community attach to a criminal record makes it difficult for them to recognise and reap the mutual benefits of successful reintegration.

Our rehabilitation programmes will have amounted to nothing if ex-offenders continue to be ostracised and rejected by society because of their past. Criminality is an acquired trait and it is not something a person is born with, which is why we shall continue to encourage a change of the offending behaviour.

Those who have gone through our rehabilitation programmes have acquired skills, which have been accredited by external service providers to assist them to earn an income upon their release. However if they continue to be rejected they can only find themselves back in prison.

The importance of the participation of the private sector in programmes, which will benefit ex-offenders, cannot be over-emphasised. Your contribution in breaking the cycle of crime is most needed in the reintegration of offenders by giving them a chance to exercise their skills and feel that they are a useful and productive part of society. My challenge to you is to facilitate the employment of ex-offenders and come back and report your degree of happiness or disappointment with their performance.

As an organisation with international connections we shall entrust you with the responsibility to be our ambassadors and distribute the story of our efforts to set up a new agenda and to re-write the story of corrections.

We owe much of this new agenda of corrections to various countries and governments of the world. Since our paradigm shift which saw the adoption of rehabilitation as our core business, we have visited a number of countries around the globe. From this, we learned a lot of valuable lessons and our approach to modern corrections improved tremendously.

We learned from international best correctional practices and adapted them to our unique South African reality.

We are of the opinion that corrections have a significant role to play in stability, security and social transformation. Hence at the beginning of July we convened a meeting in Johannesburg of Ministers responsible for corrections in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states. Ten countries attended. It was for the first time that they all met to discuss corrections. At the end of the meeting the Johannesburg Declaration, which, in our view, heralds a new beginning for corrections in the region, was adopted.

The Declaration notes that prisons are about crime fighting, reducing recidivism, and building a safer society. The Ministers committed SADC to pioneer new strategic thinking in the running of prisons as centres of new beginnings. Critical areas of regional co-operation were identified including technical co-operation, human resource development, exchange of security information, penal reform, and the implementation of minimum standards in line with African Declarations and International instruments relevant to corrections.

We are working for the creation of a common philosophy on correction, rehabilitation, and reintegration of offenders. As SADC Ministers, we hope that the success of a multi-lateral corrections and justice platform may have a positive influence on other correctional services across our continent. The ultimate aim is to create a similar component within the African Union.

The Ministers recognised that the future of Africa will be determined by New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) and they agreed to explore how corrections can benefit from and popularise the programme. They acknowledged that the prisoners we are rehabilitating are being prepared for a NEPAD-driven continent and that NEPAD must now inform our correctional and rehabilitation programmes.

In conclusion I wish to express my confidence that as the correction services family, working together with our partners in government, business and in society, we will prevail over all challenges facing us.

Our hope is founded on a shared commitment to make a difference in positioning corrections as an important joint government and community programme to heal the wounds of crime, promote security and to eliminate recidivism and criminality.

My gratitude goes to all who made today's occasion the success it has turned out to be. I hope it will continue to signal and reflect our desire to work together in harmony with the private sector and make a meaningful contribution to bringing about a better life for all.

God bless Correctional Services, God bless South Africa. God bless you all.

I thank you
Issued by: Ministry of Correctional Services, 8 October 2003
Source: Department of Correctional Services (http://www.dcs.gov.za)

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