The following Members of the Portfolio Committee on Correctional

Services visited the BrandvleiYouth Centre and the Drakenstein Medium B

Juvenile Detention Centre:

Mr. D Bloem (Chairperson)

Ms. LS Chikunga

Mr. MS Moatshe

Mr S Mahote

Mr C Morkel

Mr LJ Tolo

Mr E Xolo

The objectives of the visits were to concentrate on the following issues:

The Portfolio Committee received a briefing by the management of each of

the prisons, visited the prison facilities and spoke to some of the offenders.

In addition, inmates of the Drakenstein Medium B Juvenile Detention

Centre put on a show for the Members, which included a choir, gumboot

dancing, and a short play on HIV/AIDS. In addition, an inmate read a poem

and another played a piece on the recorder.

The following are the findings of the Portfolio Committee on Correctional

Services for Brandvlei Youth Centre.

The prison was built to accommodate 288 offenders but currently

accomodates 503 offenders. The prison is almost 150% overcrowded. The

prison consists of 4 sections which include:

14 year olds).

The prison only accommodates male sentenced offenders. Most offenders

are sentenced to 2 to 8 years for crimes such as housebreaking and robbery.

36 offenders. There are 2 toilets and 2 showers per cell which are

inadequate for this amount of offenders.

such as Pollsmoor in order to alleviate overcrowding in those prisons.

The prison management is currently holding discussions on how to

alleviate their overcrowding problem by, for example, releasing

offenders at their first parole hearing if they are deemed ready for

release.

the ratio of staff to inmates is 1:70. This is classified as a ‘‘bad’’ day.

Normal days occur only approximately twice a week and the ratio of

staff to inmates on these days is 1:45.

The staff establishment has not grown from the initial 73 posts which were

made available when the prison was opened in 1996 and catered for only

288 offenders. The prison has only one female staff member in a

management position who occupies an assistant director post.

The prison has:

The prison is currently operating at 46% establishment on weekends and

lower levels are given the opportunity to work during the weekends to

augment poor salaries.

relies on the regional and national office for appointments.

Educational programmes available at the prison include formal education

classes on Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET), National Intermediate

Certificate (NIC) courses and Correspondence Courses. External

partnership agreements are in place for the provision of ABET and NIC

courses with the Western Cape Department of Education and the national

Department of Education.

There are 9 classrooms available for academic classes. Between January

and June 2004 a total of 273 offenders participated in educational

programmes and courses. These included:

through correspondence.

were at work on the day of the visit. The other 10 were on family

responsibility leave or away on training. When there are no teachers

the juveniles cannot attend classes.

that not all juveniles can attend classes even if they wish to do so.

Approximately half of the offenders do not attend formal classes.

science students and computers.

Training and recreation

The prison has a radio project run by four of the inmates which broadcasts

to the inmates in their cells. This project was funded by the University of

Cape Town, KFM radio and foreign donations. Skills training is also

provided in welding, woodwork, pottery, leatherwork, cane work and

agriculture. Offenders participate in a variety of sports such as rugby,

soccer and athletics. Offenders are also involved in a choir and drama

groups. The prison has a library which is well utilised. There are 5

classrooms available for practical classes.

A total of 110 offenders are involved in skills training each quarter. While

offenders serving less then a 1-year sentence are not involved in formal

education courses they are allowed to participate in skills training

programmes. Offenders involved in internal skills training courses provided

by the Department of Correctional Services do not receive

certificates, as the Department of Correctional Services is not accredited to

do so. The Department of Correctional Services is investigating ways of

bypassing this accreditation problem by linking with NGOs in the

provision of training.

The most prevalent diseases amongst offenders are TB and HIV/AIDS. One

nurse cater for all ill offenders. A doctor visits the facility once a week and

spends only one hour at the juvenile facility. Three HIV cases have been

identified amongst offenders. There are 9 active TB cases. Kholesa,

Worcester Aids Action Committee and the University of Stellenbosch

present HIV/AIDS courses to offenders. A total of 30 offenders have

received certificates as a result of this course as peer educators on

HIV/AIDS.

The two social workers at the prison provide a variety of needs-based

programmes for offenders including life skills, alcohol, drug, aggression

and sexual awareness programmes for sexual offenders. During the first

half of 2004, 284 offenders participated in group work sessions, 131

assessments were completed and 245 individual interventions conducted.

Brandvlei has also established a peer intervention called ‘Peersacompany’

which is a group of 10 offenders who facilitate supportive discussions with

new admissions under the supervision of a social worker. During the first 6

months of 2004, this group held 8 sessions with 136 offenders. The group

also addresses children with behavioural problems from outside the prison

on the dangers of getting involved in crime. Gang activity is not a serious

problem in Brandvlei largely as a result of intervention by this group.

Spiritual care services are provided by 8 religious care workers.

A to the Youth Centre. There are sub-kitchens where the food is kept

once it is transferred.

which is contrary to Departmental policy.

2.2. Recommendations

The Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services makes the following

recommendations:

possibility of renovating the unused building in the Brandvlei prison

complex to house additional offenders. This structure, which was

closed in 1997, can house 600 offenders.

personnel at Brandvlei Youth Centre, particularly for managerial

positions.

the Youth Centre.

install more sanitary facilities for offenders.

Offenders.

The following are the findings of the Portfolio Committee on Correctional

Services for the Drakenstein Medium B Juvenile Detention Centre.

The Drakenstein Medium B Juvenile Detention Centre is situated within

the Drakenstein Prison complex. There are three prisons in the prison

complex:

juveniles.

There are a total of 2007 inmates in the prison complex which includes

juveniles and adults.

There are a total of 658 offenders at the Juvenile Detention Centre. The

prison only caters for male sentenced prisoners. The prisoners are divided

into medium security and maximum security categories. A total of 327

offenders are in the medium section of the prison and a total of 331 are in

the maximum section. There are only 33 children under the age of 18 years

in the prison of which 23 are in the medium section and 10 are in the

maximum section. The bulk of inmates are juveniles between the ages of 18

and 20 years. There are a total of 437 juveniles in this age group of which

277 are in the medium section and 160 in the maximum section. While the

prison is meant to cater only for offenders under the age of 21 years there

are 188 adult offenders (21 years and over) at the prison. Of these 27 are in

the medium section and 161 are in the maximum section. Children,

juveniles and adults are separated from each other, either in different

sections or in separate cells.

All ‘difficult’ juveniles are brought to Drakenstein Juvenile Detention

Centre, as it is the only juvenile centre in the area with a maximum facility.

Key problems:

Once they reach the age of 21 years they are supposed to be

transferred to an adult prison. However, due to overcrowding

problems in most of the adult prisons, these adults cannot be

transferred and thus remain at the Juvenile Detention Centre until a

space becomes available for them at an adult facility. The key

concerns in this regard are twofold. Firstly the Juvenile Detention

Centre is supposed to cater only for juveniles under the age of 21 years

and it is therefore problematic that these juveniles remain in contact

with adult offenders at the facility. Secondly, the issue is complicated

by the fact that at the juvenile facility inmates are given a variety of

opportunities for rehabilitation, which may not be available at adult

prisons. This means that the benefits, such as Rehabilitation, of the

Juvenile Detention Centre are diminished as soon as they enter the

adult prison. The lack of rehabilitative resources at adult centres

(including opportunities for education) are compounded by exposure

to other problems including gangs and drugs.

problems occur between juveniles and adult prisoners, the Department

of Correctional Services is accountable as the centre is meant to

cater only for children and juveniles.

The staff establishment of Juvenile Detention Centre consists of 126 posts

of which 119 are currently filled. Only 14 members of staff are female. To

serve the needs of the 658 offenders there are:

The remaining posts are all for functional staff.

staff members as they cannot move alone around the institution.

timeously filling available posts.

concern of the prison management. However, the prison is not in

control of appointments which are done at regional and national level.

46% establishment for two weekends after which they would receive

feedback. The prison implemented this as required but has not

received feedback from the national Head Office. The management of

the prison acknowledged that most staff want to work overtime to

supplement poor salaries. If weekend overtime falls away then

salaries must be improved and additional staff hired. However, there

have been no clear guidelines from the national Head Office in this

regard.

Educational Facilities

When Drakenstein was built, it was constructed without making any

classrooms available. Three storerooms have been modified into classrooms

but these can only cater for a total of 70 learners at one time. There

is a computer centre, which has 12 computers for training purposes.

A total of 199 offenders are currently participating in formal education

classes or have participated in these classes between January and June

2004. The majority of these, a total of 130, participate in ABET (literacy)

training. A total of 36 are undergoing basic computer training. The

remainder, a total of 33 offenders are doing formal schooling (NIC).

teachers is studying full time at Stellenbosch and is thus unavailable

for teaching. The current teacher pupil ratio is therefore 1 teacher to

every 114 offenders. According to Department of Correctional

Service norms the ratio of pupils to staff should vary from 1:10 to

1:20. There are thus clearly insufficient educators to ensure that all

offenders receive adequate education opportunities throughout the

day.

classroom facilities. As mentioned above, the classrooms can only

cater for 70 students at a time out of a total offender population of 658

offenders.

Drakenstein is a production and agricultural prison and thus training is

provided in a number of areas including:

Atotal of 107 offenders participate in these three informal training areas. In

addition, 29 offenders participate in hand skills and formal trade training in

the areas of cloth and garment making (presented by the Department of

Labour), cabinet making, brick laying, carpentry and painting.

the workshops are used mostly the adult prisoners from the other two

prisons. The prison management hopes to create space within the

workshops for the training of juvenile prisoners.

There are currently 3 social workers who cater for the needs of all 658

offenders. Social workers provide both individual and groups sessions in a

variety of areas including life skills, alcohol, drugs, pre-release preparation,

marriage and family care, sexual offenders, trauma and aggression.

A number of external service providers assist by providing services in a

variety of areas including life skills focusing on self-awareness and values,

career counseling, job preparedness and business skills, caring for the body

and substance abuse. In addition, offenders also participate in prison

community projects such as arts and crafts (facilitated by one of the

inmates). Drakenstein is also hoping to establish a prison radio such as the

one that operates in Brandvlei.

There is 1 psychologist who serves the whole of Drakenstein prison

(including the adult facilities) and thus caters for a total of 2007 offenders.

There are also 20 religious care workers who cater for the religious needs

of inmates.

Out of the three funded post for nurses only one post is currently filled. A

nursing assistant assists the nurse. A doctor visits the Juvenile Detention

Centre once a week. Three cases of HIV have been identified at the Juvenile

Detention Centre.

proposed ratio should be 1:100. Vacant posts need to be funded and

filled.

been filled due mainly to administrative delays.

(for example, they do not belong to the region) for receipt of

anti-retroviral treatment. In addition, a doctor must sanction the

prescription of anti-retroviral treatment and monitor and test the

patient continuously. The lack of a full time doctor for Drakenstein

means that offenders with HIV have problems in receiving treatment.

In addition, the Department of Correctional Services does not have a

workable policy specifically on the receipt of anti-retroviral treatment

by prisoners. This lack of national policy direction means that there is

no uniformity in the regions and negotiations with the Department of

Health occur on a regional rather than a national basis.

The Drakenstein prison complex is an agricultural and production prison.

All state Departments are meant to come to the Department of Correctional

Service’s workshops for products but in practices only a few Departments

make use of the products from these workshops. The Drakenstein prison

complex would like to establish its own shoe factory which would be cost

effective, as shoes are currently supplied from the workshop in Witbank.

All agricultural production at the prison is running at a profit in addition to

sustaining the needs of the prison environment as well as providing

vegetables, chicken, eggs, milk and pork to other prisons in the southern

Cape and parts of the Boland. All revenue from sales goes back to Treasury.

The agricultural production would be improved by the addition of fridges

and other technologies. Drakenstein prison complex would like to establish

a bakery as well as a fish farm.

3.2. Recommendations

adult prisoners at juvenile facilities, specifically the problem of

juveniles serving long sentences which cannot be completed in a

juvenile institution. When addressing this problem, the Department

should be mindful of the needs of juvenile inmates. This problem is

clearly a complex one and the Department must look at measures to

ensure that the benefits of imprisonment in a juvenile facility are

retained when juveniles turn 21 years of age and must be transferred

to adult facilities.

personnel at the Drakenstein Juvenile Detention Centre, particularly

in managerial positions.

posts. Salaries for professional posts such as nurses and

psychologists, for example, are not competitive and thus delays mean

that when there are interested applicants they may lose interest if the

processing of their applications takes too long.

Communication between the Department of Correctional Services

Head Office and the prisons seem problematic particularly with regard

to overtime and the migration to a 7-day week. The Department needs

to address this problem urgently especially in the light of dissatisfaction

that it is causing amongst members.

education opportunities to offenders. Less then half of the offenders at

Drakenstein Juvenile Detention Centre participate in formal education

programmes largely due to the shortage of classroom space and

teachers.

opportunity to participate in formal training courses in order to

acquire skills for when they leave prison. The existing workshop

facilities should be utilised for juvenile inmates in a manner which

ensures that they do not come into contact with adult offenders.

agreement with the Department of Health on the dispensing of

anti-retrovirals for prisoner who have HIV/AIDS. This policy must

take into account the particular problems within a correctional

context. It should not be the responsibility of the Areas to negotiate

this on an individual basis.

is a problem which must be urgently addressed by all role-players

including the Department of Correctional Services, religious groups

and other community support structures. Members of Parliament

should also play a role in ensuring that their constituencies understand

the importance of supporting released offenders, especially juveniles

in order to improve their chances of staying out of prison.

state Departments urged to make use of the products from the

facilities. Training of inmates in productive skills as artisans equips

them with important skills for utilisation after release from prison.

Report to be considered.