The purpose of this document is to:

• Identify the key aspects of the Budget Vote for the Department of Correctional Services for 2005/06 and the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF).
• Contextualise the Correctional Services Vote within the broader framework of the Budget as a whole, with specific focus on the Justice and Protection Services sector.
• Highlight the relationship between the priorities identified in the Strategic Plan of the Department of Correctional Services and the Correctional Services budget for 2005/06.
• Identify the relationship between the priorities identified in the President’s State of the Nation Address of 11 February 2005 and the Correctional Services budget for 2005/06.

The Department of Correctional Services will receive R9, 234 billion for the 2005/06 financial year. This amounts to 2.21% of the total budget. Last year (2004/05) it received R8, 457 billion which amounted to 2.28% of the total budget. Its percentage allocation of the budget has thus remained stable.

The Department of Correctional Services received 14% of the total allocation for the Justice and Protection Services cluster, which includes the departments of Correctional Services, Defence, Justice and Constitutional Development, Safety and Security and the Independent Complaints Directorate. It received 14.43% of the total Justice and Protection Services cluster allocation in 2004/05 and thus has remained stable in terms of its percentage of this cluster allocation.

The Government’s total commitment to improving the Justice and Protection cluster is reflected in the large allocation to this cluster. In 2005/06, this cluster receives a total of R65, 272 billion which reflects 15.6% of the total Budget.

The 2005 Vote, with measurable objectives, is divided as follows:

• Administration: No stated measurable objective.
• Security: Prevent incarcerated persons from participating in criminal activities and escapes, by providing an environment that ensures the safety of all persons under the Department’s care as well as the safety of the public.
• Corrections: Address the specific rehabilitation needs of all persons who have been sentenced to community correctional supervision or remanded in a correctional centre or paroled, through regular assessment and the provision of needs-based correctional programmes that contribute to a reduction in the recidivism (re-offending) rate.
• Care: Ensure the personal well-being of incarcerated persons by providing various needs-based services, aligned with internationally accepted conventions.
• Development: Develop employable and productive citizens, through providing incarcerated offenders with needs-based educational, skills and other development related programmes in order to facilitate social reintegration back into communities.
• After-Care: Facilitate the social acceptance and effective reintegration of offenders, to assist them to adhere to correctional and parole supervision conditions.
• Facilities: Support the Department in its core functions of security and corrections development and care, by providing well-maintained facilities in line with internationally accepted standards.

The following table illustrates that the budget for the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) for 2005/06 has increased by 9% in nominal terms and by 4.68% in real terms in comparison to 2004/05.

Additional allocations of R200 million for 2005/06, R333 million for 2006/07 and R866 million fro 2007/08 are made available to the DCS for:

• The appointment of approximately 7 000 additional personnel.
• Implementation of aspects of the White Paper on Corrections.
• Additional infrastructure requirements, including the start up and operational costs of the four new correctional centres in 2006/07 which will increase bed spaces by 12 000 by the end of March 2008.
• Implementation of a 7-day working week in 2007/08.
• Meet the costs of providing three meals a day to offenders.

The allocation per programmes shows a decrease for the Administration programme of 8%. All other programmes have received an increase. The highest increase is to the Security programme that received an increase of 19% in comparison to 2004/05. The Care and After-Care programmes also received significant increases in comparison to the previous year’s allocation.

According to the Estimates of National Expenditure, the following key policy developments guide strategy for the medium term:

• White Paper on Corrections: The focus of the White Paper on Corrections on rehabilitation guides the strategy of the Department over the medium to long term. Delivery of services according to the principles of the White Paper is a priority. A total of 36 Centres of Excellence have been identified countrywide to pilot implementation of the White Paper in 2005/06.
• Seven-day working week: The replacement of the overtime system with a seven-day working week will be phased in, and will commence in 2005/06.
• Correctional supervision and parole boards: The amended sections of the Act related to these boards were promulgated in October 2004. Fifty-two boards have been established thus far, and another 9 will be established over the next three years. Post for chairpersons of the boards should all be filled by March 2005.
• Overcrowding: Overcrowding continues to hamper the ability of the Department to provide adequate infrastructure, development and care to offenders. In August 2004, there were 49 798 awaiting trial detainees (ATDs) and 136 841 sentenced offenders in DCS prisons. The ATD population decreased slightly due to interdepartmental justice sector cluster efforts. Four new correctional centres will be built in the medium term and are due to be completed by April 2007. These will provide an additional 12 000 bed spaces.
• HIV/AIDS: The DCS has begun implementing it’s HIV and AIDS policies, and it’s programmes have been boosted by donor funding. Approval has been granted for a survey to determine HIV prevalence amongst offenders.
• Nutritional Services: The Correctional Services Act requires that the DCS provide 3 nutritionally balanced meals a day to offenders at stipulated intervals. This must be done notwithstanding infrastructural and personnel constraints. In 2004/05 as an interim measure, 7 management areas contracted out provision of nutritional services to a private company.

According to the State of the Nation Address the following priorities have been identified for 2005/06 and the medium term:

• To rapidly reduce the number of children both in police cells and in prisons. The focus will be on cells and prisons in Kwazulu- Natal, the Western Cape and Gauteng provinces.
• To complete 4 new prisons by April 2007.
• To introduce rehabilitation as ‘a new ethos in the treatment of offenders in order to reduce recidivism’.

According to the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement, key spending areas over the 2005 MTEF for the Department of Correctional Services include:

• Delivering services in terms of the principles of the White Paper on Corrections.

The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) stated that the MTBPS does not address their needs and that the focus in the MTBPS on empowering the sister Departments of Safety and Security and Justice and Constitutional Affairs may have negative effects on the Department of Correctional Services.

Key requirements identified for the medium term included:

• Implementation of the new White Paper, which fundamentally changes the strategic direction of the Department to focus on rehabilitation and correction of offenders.
• Shift from a 5-day establishment to a 7-day establishment. In order to phase out weekend overtime payments, the DCS will move from a 5-day to a 7-day establishment. This will necessitate an additional 9 000 personnel and the DCS plans to employ an additional 3 200 personnel per annum over a 3 year period. R401 million per annum is needed to fund the additional staff.
• The DCS needs to implement the nutritional services in order to comply with the requirements of the Correctional Services Act with regard to the nutritional requirements for offenders.
• DCS will be building more prisons in order to expand offender accommodation.

This programme decreased by 8% in comparison to 2004/05. The main reason for the decrease is due to the fact that correctional services staff are now required to pay two thirds of their medical aid contributions to Medkor which was previously wholly subsided by the Department.

• Staff within the DCS are concerned that their take home pay has now been reduced due to the fact that they now pay two thirds of the contribution. They also raised concerns around the quality and extent of the medical aid cover. What steps has DCS taken to communicate changes around the medical aid to the members on the ground? What steps has the DCS taken to resolve problems around the quality of the medical aid scheme?
• There has been talk about the need to equalise salaries of the police and of correctional services officials. What are developments in terms of improving the salaries of correctional officials?
• The SAPS has in this year’s budget received additional funds to implement a pay progression scheme for members based on performance. What measures have been taken by DCS with regard to pay progression within the Department? Many members have complained that once they enter the DCS their salaries and position remains static.
• In a similar vein, what progress has been made to finalise the promotion policy within the DCS, the lack thereof which has been identified as the most serious reasons for demotivation amongst staff members.
• What progress will be made in 2005/06 to permanently fill the large number of acting posts within the Department? What is the budget allocation in this regard?

This programme gets the most substantial increase of all programmes in 2005/06. This 19% increase is due to:

• An increase in the projected number of offenders incarcerated in prisons for 2005/06 in comparison to the previous year.
• The appointment of more personnel to implement the 7-day working week and phase out the current overtime system. The number of personnel in this programme will increase from 19 090 in 2004/05 to 21 167 in 2005/06.
• In 2007/08 an additional allocation of R255 million has been allocated to DCS to hire additional personnel for transition to the 7-day week.

• What is the total allocation in 2005/06 for movement to the 7-day week? When will the 7-day week be completely phased in? How will the phasing in process work in practice? For example, will the current policy of payment for 3 days overtime and the fourth day paid in the form of a leave day continue?
• What will be the effect of the move to the 7-day week on member’s salaries? Are there any plans to improve salaries in the short to medium term?
• Was the target of less than a total of 176 escapes for 2004/05 met? What are the details of the national and regional escape prevention plans?
• Were the target of less than 48 unnatural deaths caused by violence and fewer than 2 261 assaults achieved for 2004/05. What measures are in place to ensure that targets are met?
• What is the budget allocation for the inmate tracking system for 2005/06? Please provide a breakdown of costs for each centre in which it will be piloted i.e. Durban Westville Medium A Correctional Centre from November 2004, Johannesburg Medium A Correctional Centre in March 2005, Pollsmoor and St Albans during 2005/06?

• Implementation of the White Paper on Corrections (including risk assessment and profiling of offenders), which includes allocations of R80 million for 2006/07 and R170 million for 2007/08.
• Start up costs for the four new prisons are catered for in an allocation of R140 million for 2007/08.

• What allocation has been made in the budget for implementation of the White Paper in 2005/06?
• What are the costs of piloting the White Paper at identified Centres of Excellence for 2005/06?
• What are the budget implications for the assessment and profiling of all new admissions, which will begin in April 2005, and the assessment of 20% of existing offenders during the current financial year and how does the 2005/06 budget reflect this task? What are the personnel requirements to do this task? What problems does the Department face in this regard? How will these problems be overcome?
• What is the allocation for 2005/06 for the parole boards? What still needs to be done to ensure that they are fully implemented and what are the due dates in this regard?
• Have the posts for chairpersons of the parole boards all been filled?

This programme increases by 16% for 2005/06. The main reasons for the increase are due to:

• Introduction of the three meals per day for offenders to ensure compliance with the Correctional Services Act. An additional allocation of R40 million, R50 million and R70 million has been provided over the MTEF to appoint additional personnel and finance the introduction of three meals. The number of personnel in the Care programme will increase from 1 626 in 2004/05 to 2 026 in 2005/06.

• Additional allocations to health care for the treatment of HIV and AIDS and to take over health services previously done by the Department of Health.

• It is stated that a prevalence study will be undertaken to determine the extent of HIV and AIDs in prison. When will this study begin, who will do the research and what are the associated costs?
• The DCS has reported that positions for doctors in each of the regions have been advertised. Have these positions been filled and if not, what have been the barriers to filling these posts?
• The shortage of nurses in DCS has been identified as a problem in the prisons, especially due to increasing numbers of offenders with HIV/AIDS. What steps is the DCS taking to address this problem?
• The shortage of psychologists has been a problem for numerous years. What steps is DCS taking to address this problem?
• There is a shortage of social workers in prisons, with some prison functioning without any social workers at all. What steps is the DCS taking to address this problem, especially in terms of the focus on rehabilitation?
• While the ENE states that the national guidelines and protocol for providing antiretroviral treatment has been implemented in all centres, it is the Committee’s observation that there are still prisons which struggle to provide treatment to offenders for a number of reasons including distance between provincial hospitals and the prisons, lack of medical staff at the prisons to provide continuous monitoring of patients in terms of treatment etc. What steps has DCS taken to address these problems? How are problems being addressed in conjunction with the Department of Health?
• What are the resource requirements needed to implement three meals per day for offenders, i.e. in terms of personnel and money? Will the Department continue to outsource the provision of meals? In which regions does outsourcing continue and what are the costs of this outsourcing? When will outsourcing be phased out or is it seen as a long-term measure? The target of 2005/06 is to ensure that all inmates receive three meals per day in line with requirements. How will the DCS ensure that this target is met?

The allocation for Development increases slightly from the revised estimate for 2004/05 but decreases in relation to the adjusted appropriation for last year. According to the ENE, this programme increased in earlier years to implement programmes focusing on offender development including education and training, sports and recreation, but will slow down over the MTEF.

• The number of offenders participating in educational programmes has dropped in the last few years. What steps has DCS taken to ensure that the target for 2005/06 will be met? The target states that for 2005/06, 26 700 offenders will participate in educational programmes. Only 18 000 participated in programmes in 2003/04, and it is envisaged that a similar number participated in 2004/05 . This target thus seem unlikely to be met during 2005/06.
• It is envisaged that the targets for participation in education and training programmes will increase by 5% in each year. However, the current proportion of offenders that participate in these programmes is very small and a 5% increase will not change this situation in the near future. What are the constraints in providing education and training to more offenders, and what steps have been taken to overcome these constraints?
• What is the status of the evaluation of whether to make schooling compulsory for juveniles?
• What measures have been taken to reduce staff vacancies in the provision of educational and training programmes?

The programme increases by 12% for this financial year and by 7.2% over the medium term. The increases are to deal with rising number of probationers and parolees, which is projected to increase from 77 900 last year to 93 400 in 2007/08. The ENE states that the number of correctional officials in the After-Care programme will remain static at 1 856 for this financial year.

• The Committee has identified a number of shortages in community correction offices, including the high caseload of community correctional officials and shortages of vehicles. According to the Department there are 1 116 vacancies amongst community correction officials. The ENE states that no new members will be hired for 2005/06. What does this mean in terms of identified vacancies? How many of these vacancies are budgeted for to be filled in 2005/06 and over the medium term. What is the identified shortage of vehicles nationally? Is the budget increase sufficient to increase personnel and vehicles for these offices?
• When will the dedicated absconder training units be established? Have these been budgeted for in the 2005/06 budget and if so what is the budget allocation?

The budget for Facilities programme increased by a marginal 4% for this financial year.

• Four new prisons in Leeukop, Klerksdorp, Kimberly and Nigel will be built and completed by 2007/08. An amount of R97, 588 million has been allocated in the 2005/06 budget for each of the new prisons for this financial year. What do these amounts cover and what will be the total costs of the prisons?
• The tendering process was apparently completed in January 2005. Who received the tenders for these four new prisons? Are these prison going to be built and managed as public-private partnerships, or will they be fully state built and owned.
• Additional allocations are identified in the 2006/07 budgets and the 2007/08 budgets for new prisons in Port Shepstone, Northern Cape, East London and Allendale. Will these also be new generation prisons? When will the tender processes begin for these new prisons, and what is the envisaged capacity of these prisons?
• How are decisions made regarding where to establish new prisons around the country?
• Where is the site of the DCS head office?

• Estimates of National Expenditure 2005.
• Department of Correctional Services: Strategic Plan for 2004/5 – 2006/7.
• Budget Review; 2005.
• State of the Nation Address: 11 February 2005.
• Medium Term Budget Policy Statement: October 2004.