REPORT
OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON CORRECTIONAL SERVICES ON 2007/8 BUDGET VOTE 19
AND THE 2007/8-2011/12 STRATEGIC PLAN OF THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES.
The Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services having
considered Budget Vote 19 of the Department of Correctional Services for
2007/08, reports as follows:
The Committee has
examined the Budget Vote of the Department of Correctional Services (Vote 19)
for the 2007/08 financial year and the forward estimates for 2008/09 and
2009/10 included in the Estimates of National Expenditure (ENE) 2007, as well
as the Department’s Strategic Plan 2007/08 - 2011/12, and reports as follows:
1.
Introduction
The Portfolio Committee on
Correctional Services received the following input on the Budget and the
Strategic Plan of the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) for 2007/8:
·
Briefing by the DCS on progress made on issues
mentioned in the report of the Auditor –General on
·
Presentation by the DCS on the 2007/8 Budget
allocation and the Strategic Plan for 2007/8 – 2011/12 on
·
Input from the public and civil society in the
form of Public Hearings held on
·
The following role-players presented comments on
the budget before the Committee:
o
Public Service Association (PSA)
o
Khulisa
o
Civil Society Prison Reform Initiative (CSPRI)
o
National Institute for Crime Prevention and the
Rehabilitation of Offenders (NICRO).
o
Police and Prisons Civil Rights
2.
Overview of the 2007/8 Budget and the 2007/8-2011/12
Strategic Plan of the Department of Correctional Services.
The key
strategic objectives for funding for 2007/8 and the MTEF include Information
Technology, Security, Management of Remand Detainees project, Implementation of
the 7day establishment, the Integrated Human Resource Strategy, Corporate
projects and HR development, New Generation centres and Development and Care
programmes.
An amount of
R 800 million has been surrendered to Treasury and of this amount, R 603
million was from unspent funds for compensation of employees due to delays in
filling of vacancies and R 197 million was due to delays in finalising the
feasibility studies.
An amount of
R 2.8 billion has been rescheduled into the DCS’ baseline allocation of an
amount of R 6.2 billion that was taken out of its baseline. The rest of this
amount has been reallocated to other Departments in the Justice Crime
Prevention and Security Cluster.
As at
Programme Allocations:
The
following table illustrates the proportion of the total DCS budget for each
programme and whether the programmes increased or decreased in 2007/08 in
comparison to the previous year.
Programme
|
2006/07 (R’000) |
2007/08 (R’000) |
Nominal increase/ decrease |
Percent of total budget
per programme for 2007/08 |
Administration
|
2 573 946 |
2 771 323 |
7.7% |
25.8% |
|
Security |
3 062 928 |
3 244 797 |
5.9% |
30.2% |
|
Corrections |
766 914 |
1 236 791 |
61.3% |
11.5% |
|
Care |
1 180 755 |
1 339 290 |
13.4% |
12.5% |
|
Development |
394 343 |
403 917 |
2.4% |
3.8% |
|
Social Reintegration |
323 894 |
336 118 |
3.8% |
3.1% |
|
Facilities |
1 528 732 |
1 410 095 |
-7.8% |
13.1% |
Security
and Administration remain the largest two programmes in the budget. However, the Corrections subprogramme which
provides for the development of tailored sentence plans for offenders, receives
by far the largest increase in the 2007/08 budget of 61%. This programme has grown increasingly from
2005/06 where it was allocated 6,5% of the DCS budget, to 2006/07 where it was
allocated 8% of the budget to 2007/08 where it now accounts for 11, 5% of the
DCS budget.
The
Care Programme receives the second largest increase of 13, 4%. in the 2007/08
budget. The percentage allocation for this budget has also increased over the
last few years from 9, 5% of the budget in 2005/06 to 12, 5% in the 2007/08
financial year.
The only
programme to receive a nominal decrease, was the Facilities programme. This is
due to the fact that Treasury declined to allocate funds for the new prisons
until such time the feasibility studies are complete, available and
scrutinised.
The
Development programme increased slightly with 2.4 %, which is significantly
small, since the President identified the implementation of the White Paper as
a priority.
3. Briefing by the DCS on progress made on issues raised in the
Report of the Auditor –General,
The DCS has
developed a Compliance Improvement Plan and Risk Management to deal with audit
challenges. Progress on audit qualifications are monitored through monthly
reports by the affected directorates. DCS stated that it has made significant
progress and that the objective is to reduce and eventually eliminate recurring
qualifications while acting proactively to prevent new qualifications. Progress
has been made in addressing disclosure of Private Prisons, medical expenditure,
BAS/PERSAL, alignment with policies, asset management and fleet management
inter alia. Some qualifications cannot be solved immediately, but will take
some time.
The final
overall expenditure of the DCS at
The process
of ensuring and monitoring seamless alignment of ENE, Strategic Plan,
performance agreements, operational plans, quarterly reports, annual reports
and Mid Term Review has already started.
The delivery
on priorities will systematically be included into operational plans and all
performance reporting from April 2007. Managers will be held responsible for
poor or non- compliance.
The DCS gave
a clear indication in terms of the progress of project performance in the DCS
e.g. 1100 children have already been moved out of correctional centres,
implementation of the recommendations of the Jali Commission report is under
way, the construction of the Kimberly prison has started, but feasibility
studies are still awaited for Nigel and Klerksdorp and a viability study for
Leeuwkop. When the DCS revised its projections in September 2006, they realised
that there will be an amount of R 197 million that will not be spent before the
end of March 2007 and indicated to Treasury that this amount should be taken
back.
The staff
compliment has grown from 33 000 in 2003 to 40 100 by December 2006, but the
full staff compliment for the 7- day establishment will only be realised by
April 2008. The strategy on recruitment and retention of scarce skills has been
finalised and this will address the attrition rate (1500 per annum) in the DCS.
Professionals are currently being employed under the Correctional Services Act,
but will be employed under the Public Service Act.
The
presentation also detailed a synopsis of all new recruits employed by the DCS in
terms of race, gender and province, a recommendation made by this Committee in
many of its oversight reports.
Vetting of
officials has already started in the DCS with the assistance of National
Intelligence Agency (NIA) and is prioritised for staff at senior management
level, supply chain management as well as classified maximum centres.
Five
Correctional Centres have now been accredited sites for the roll out of anti -retrovirals.
A preliminary report on the HIV/Syphilis prevalence survey is expected at the
end of February 2007.
4.
Presentation by the Department of Correctional Services on
the 2007/8 – 2011/12 Strategic Plan and the 2007/8 Budget of the Department –
Development of the Strategic Plan:
The
Executive Management Committee (EMC) evaluated the strategic plan and
performance evaluation in August 2006 and realised that there is a need to have
a phased approach to priorities, that there is a need to focus on enhancing the
role of operational management, to strategically focus to create enabling
conditions for delivery on the White Paper. The DCS needs to overcome its
obstacles, to realise matters like rehabilitation, security, overcrowding and
scarce skills.
The
development of the strategic plan included the development of a 5-year plan and
starts from the Mid- Year Review. A 1-year business plan which focuses on 1-year
of the strategic plan has also been developed, a mandate of National Treasury.
The Strategic Plan is aligned with the Estimates of National Expenditure and
the priorities for the Justice Cluster are also included in the Strategic Plan.
2006/07 Highlights of the DCS:
A critical
feature of delivery in the DCS is the improvement of security. During this
year, biometric systems have been rolled out and implemented at centres. The
HIV/Syphilis prevalence survey has been re- launched and finalised. Corrections
week, which focus on strengthening of partnerships, has also been launched
during this year. The DCS has started to implement the recommendations of the
Jali Commission report and will ensure that all the recommendations are
implemented.
Priorities for 2007/8-08/09:
The DCS will
expedite procurement of the new correctional centres. To implement the Offender
Rehabilitation Path (ORP), the DCS needs to build its institutional capacity
and ensure that it is rolled out specifically at the Centres of Excellence. The
Awaiting Trial Detention Project is a priority since January 2006 and the DCS
needs to deliver remand detention programmes and monitor the effect on the
Criminal Justice system. The implementation of the Compliance Improvement Plan
and its challenges is another priority for the DCS to monitor compliance with
internal control and policies. The DCS is also aiming to implement the
Integrated Human Resources Strategy.
2007 State-of-the-Nation-Address
In realising
the objectives of the S-O-N-A, the DCS needs to ensure the effective
institutional structures and systems for delivery of the White Paper on
Corrections: manage the Awaiting Trial Detainees Project; contribute to the
improvement of the JCPS (Justice, Crime Prevention and Security) cluster and
build new correctional centres.
2007/08-2011/12 Strategic Plan:
The
priorities of the programmes of the DCS are cross - cutting and critical strategies
into the Strategic Plan include:
The
harnessing of an Organisational Culture, the management of the Awaiting Trial
Detention project, the development of a framework to monitor the improvement of
delivery on priority projects within the DCS and the coordination of management
operations in DCS. All key projects of the DCS are reflected in the Strategic
Plan.
Administration:
As part of
the compliance improvement plan, the DCS will involve managers in monitoring
compliance with internal controls and procedures at both operational and
support levels. The DCS aims to improve its relationship and support with
statutory bodies such as Parliament. The processing of the Correctional
Services Amendment Bill will also be finalised. The alignment between elements
such as the Estimates of National Expenditure, the Strategic Plan, Operational
plans, Quarterly reports and annual reports will be finalised. The development
of the Service Delivery Improvement Plan must be finalised and implemented.
Security:
To ensure
the safety and security of inmates, officials, service providers and the
public, the DCS will vet all officials, implement refresher training courses
for the emergency support teams as well as specialised training programmes for
security personnel. Escapes and assaults will be reduced by 10% and unnatural
deaths to 5%, compared to 2006/7. Security equipment will be completed and
installed at approximately 60 correctional centres.
Corrections:
The DCS aims
to reduce overcrowding of sentenced offenders which is also a priority of the
Justice Cluster. Training on the Offender Rehabilitation Path has already taken
place, but capacity at correctional centres and scarce skills remains a
challenge. The DCS are also facilitating the removal of awaiting trial and
sentenced children from correctional centres to appropriate centres.
Care:
The
Strategic Plan emphasizes the need for the development and implementation of a
needs- based rehabilitation approach for special categories of offenders as
defined in the White Paper. The DCS also aims to implement Comprehensive Health
Care Services.
Development:
The DCS will
maintain and expand the national agricultural and production workshop system
for poverty alleviation as well as implement comprehensive recreational and
skills development programmes for offenders.
Social Reintegration:
The DCS aims
to promote alternative sentencing to the judiciary, pilot and implement
classification tools for probationers and parolees and enhance operation
Masibambisane, which aims to reach out to communities and local government.
Facilities:
The
Strategic Plan includes a 5-year facilities plan including new centres,
upgrading and renovations. A viability study must be completed for the new
correctional centre at Leeuwkop and a feasibility study will be implemented for
a new Head Office.
Challenges:
The increase
in participation of offenders in programmes remains a challenge because of the
shortage of scarce skills personnel and overcrowding. The provision of three balanced
meals, the implementation of Unit Management is very challenging and dependent
on job refinement and the 7-day establishment. The collusion of official with
escapes and the subsequent violent nature of escapes is another challenge for
the DCS.
The 2007/8 Estimates of National Expenditure:
The division
of the budget was based on zero base as well as the incremental base as
prescribed by the MTEF (Medium Term Expenditure Framework). The key cost
drivers of the DCS are staff totals, offenders, including awaiting trial
detainee totals, probationers and parolees as well as the strategic
achievements of the White Paper.
2627 employees
would be appointed during 2007 to realise the 7-day establishment of 8311 by
2008. The DCS will have a total of 45 674 employees in 2007/8, including the 7%
vacancy rate. 525 junior management posts will be filled to enhance supervisory
capacity. 464 employees will be appointed for the five biggest correctional
centres i.e. Grootvlei,
National
Treasury guidelines dictate the salary adjustments and notch increases of
employees. A 1% notch increase for staff has been provided for and during
2007/8 salaries will be adjusted to 6%; during 2008/9 salaries will be adjusted
to 5% as well as in 2009/10. 2022 employees will be promoted from level 5-6 and
629 employees from level 6-7.
Accommodation,
leases and municipal services budget was devolved from the DPW (Department of
Public Works), but the totals still need to be verified by the DCS as the
function is still carried by the DPW.
The DCS
estimated that it will have an offender population of 158,500 during 2007/8;
159 800 during 2008/9; 161 100 during 2009/10.
5.
Public Hearings
on the 2006/7 Budget and Strategic Plan of the
DCS.
The Committee held Public Hearings
on the Budget on
Presentation by PSA:
The PSA
stated that there was a lot of friction between the Unions and the DCS, because
of a widespread statement about official accommodation of DCS. It was stated
that employees would be allowed to use official accommodation only for a
maximum of three years. The PSA further indicated that it is important for all
Directorates in the DCS to comply to agreements, formal and informal, reached
between Unions and the DCS.
The PSA is
of the opinion that management structures of the DCS should communicate, engage
and interact with Unions on a regular basis to avoid friction and to resolve
problems before it becomes disputes.
The public
perception of the DCS needs to change and a positive and a clear message should
be sent to DCS employees to this effect.
The PSA
welcomes the appointment of a new National Commissioner to take the DCS forward
and to build on the principles agreed upon in the “
Presentation by Khulisa:
Khulisa is
of the opinion that the budget allocated to the DCS, a very diverse and
extensive department, over the past five years, is not sufficient. Khulisa
stated that issues such as Inmate Management, Change of Mindset, Initiatives
and Activities, Unit Management, Facilities and Post- release programmes will
require a lot of funding in terms of the targets indicated in its Strategic
Plan.
Khulisa
recommended, in the light of the number of planned social work sessions for
offenders, more social worker posts and /or auxiliary social worker posts need
to be created. Khulisa is also of the view that the budget for Development
needs to increase, because without additional resources, the effectiveness of
rehabilitation and social reintegration programmes will be insignificant. More
attention needs to be given to the programme of Social Reintegration as
reintegration and rehabilitation is aimed at reducing recidivism.
Presentation by CSPRI:
CSPRI
commended the DCS on a number of significant achievements namely; the decrease
in the number of unnatural deaths in prison, the reduction in the number of
escapes from prisons, the offender management information systems as well as
the continued facilities renovation and upgrading under the difficult
circumstances.
CSPRI raised
a number of concerns with regard to the Strategic Plan for 2007/8-2011/12
especially the continuous adjustment of objectives and activities from year to
year and this complexes monitoring and performance assessment. Adjustments
should be made to improve outputs to reach the targets set. It is recommended
that that there should be consistency in the methodology used in terms of
indicators, targets and activities to improve monitoring.
The CSPRI
found the miniscule increase in the budget for Development and Social
Reintegration very baffling, taking into consideration that the DCS core
function is that of rehabilitation. Furthermore, the Community Corrections
programme needs to be overhauled to ensure that the Judiciary make use of this
sentencing option. It is very apparent that the Judiciary has lost all
confidence in community supervision.
The DCS’
projections in terms of prison population for 2009/10 was estimated at 161 100,
but recent research predicted that the prison population will be more or less
179 000 by 2010. Whilst the DCS’ projections are not defined, it must be borne
in mind that the Departments of Justice and Safety & Security have received
a significant increase in their budgets and that this will increase the
effectiveness of the Criminal Justice Cluster and have a major impact on
prisoner numbers.
CSPRI has
also recommended that a broader discussion is needed in terms of privatised
services in the DCS. This issue has raised many concerns, in particular by the
Portfolio Committee.
It is
recommended that the prison construction programme be closely monitored and
whether it would be the best solution to build new generation centres that will
house 3000 offenders or whether it would be more feasible to have smaller
decentralised units closer to communities.
The focal
points of the Budget Vote, as reflected by the requested allocations, struggle
to find a balance between the Act, addressing the human rights situation in the
prison system and the strategic aspirations of the White Paper.
Presentation by NICRO:
NICRO
considers the DCS as key partner in giving effect to breaking the cycle of
crime and violence, however far more resources need to be allocated to the
programme of Social Reintegration. NICRO has redesigned its Social
Reintegration programme in order to expand its services to both prisoners and
released prisoners.
It is
recommended that all awaiting trial prisoners should be assessed in order to
fast track their cases, especially those incarcerated for minor offences. Adult
diversion can be used to fast track cases and in turn reduce the awaiting trial
population.
NICRO
believes that the challenge is to gainfully employ prisoners upon release from
prison. NICRO has a model which will ensure the continuation of this process,
but resources remain a challenge. The DCS should design a different model for
the payment for labour done whilst in prison and part of these funds should go
to the family and part of it be saved for the prisoner in preparation for
release. NICRO recommends that Offender Reintegration should be placed on the
National Programme of Government. The issue of family reunification and
reconstructive services should be incorporated within the Social Reintegration
programme.
Presentation by POPCRU:
POPCRU is of
the opinion that the structure of the DCS is top-heavy and this does not
translate to the meaningful programmes that the DCS needs to implement. Because
of the top – heavy structure, many functions of the DCS has been duplicated.
More personnel should be deployed to correctional centres where the actual work
is being done and to ensure that the DCS delivers on its mandate.
Sufficient
funds should be invested in the field of training of staff members so that the
DCS can have officials who will act within the ethos of the Department.
The budget
should also make provision to tackle the issue of transformation in the DCS as
outlined in the White Paper on Transformation of the Public Service. POPCRU
commended the DCS for its strides in Affirmative Action, but the challenge of
capacity building needs to be addressed to enhance service delivery.
POPCRU
recommended that the DCS should not channel funds meant for the building of new
prisons to other unplanned projects and the DCS should budget sufficiently for
this project. POPCRU further stressed that the DCS should not volunteer the funds
allocated for the building and management of new prisons to private
institutions, since this already consumes too much of the DCS’ budget.
6. The following are key issues of concern
raised by the Committee on the Strategic Plan and Budget of the DCS, and the
departmental responses thereto:
Administration: The Committee wanted to know
whether the DCS has the right number of staff in terms of vetting and if yes,
whether the DCS is satisfied with the number of staff in its employ.
It is critical for the DCS to employ the right kind of staff. The
vetting processes have started and have been completed for the last intake of
new recruits. The DCS will now have to deal with the backlog of staff that has
not been vetted and this function will be supported by the Human Resources
Division of the DCS.
The average vacancy level in the DCS is 7%. Vacancies on the production
level is 6%, Junior & Middle management is between 23 -25%, senior
management is 10% and vacancies in scarce skills is 58%.
With regard
to the implementation of the recommendations of the Jali Commission, the
Committee wanted to know what number of staff has been charged either
criminally or internally.
The DCS has already started with its internal procedures against
officials implicated in the Jali recommendations and those staff that needed to
be criminally charged has been forwarded to the SAPS.
Compliance
by Management has been raised on a number of occasions and the Committee wanted
to know how the DCS will monitor compliance.
The DCS stated that it will be vigilant when it comes to compliance.
Supervisors on all spheres should identify those staff members who do not
comply with procedures. All staff needs to be trained, evaluated and monitored
on their duties.
Development: The Committee noted that the DCS
wants to ensure that all educational, recreational, sports and agricultural
programmes are implemented, but was concerned whether the DCS will reach this
objective with the high shortage of skilled staff such as educationists and
artisans.
The DCS indicated that it is competing with other Departments when
employing professionals as well as the private sector, but that the DCS has a
recruitment and retention strategy in place. The DCS are now reaching out to universities
to attract students to do their internships at Correctional centres.
The DCS are also managing the high staff turnover and thus far haven’t
met the normal three- month period for filling vacant positions.
The 7-day establishment, where working on a Saturday constitutes a day
off and working on a Sunday constitutes overtime, also has an effect on the
daily staff establishment at centres. Often there is not enough staff to
monitor developmental activities.
The
Committee wanted to know what programmes the DCS is offering with regard to
Arts and Culture.
The DCS has a directorate that deals with Arts and Culture in the DCS.
Facilities: The Committee indicated that the
Johannesburg Correctional Centre is literally bursting at its seams and wanted to
ascertain whether prisons will be built to provide more bed spaces for prisons
such as the
The DCS
should provide the Committee with clear timeframes of the building process for
the new prisons and should also brief the Committee with the feasibility
studies for the new prisons.
A concern
was raised with regard to the tender processes of the new prisons. It was
stated that staff of the DCS should not become involved with the tendering
process, because with the previous two Private Prisons, staff of the DCS became
Directors of those facilities. The DCS should ensure that this scenario does
not recur.
It was
proposed that old facilities, such as
The DCS stated that the Transactional Advisor will complete the
feasibility studies at the end of March. Once the DCS has the feasibility studies,
the DCS, DPW and Treasury will decide which route to follow when building new
prisons. The DCS further stated that during the previous tender processes for
the private prisons, there was nothing in place to prevent staff to join these
Private prisons, but that a clause to this effect will be put in place for the
new Correctional centres.
Security: A question was raised with regard to
the vetting of staff and in the light of the recent escape of an offender from
CMax facility, the Committee wanted to know whether officials working at CMax
facility have been vetted.
The
Committee requested statistics with regard to the number of staff who collude
with security breaches.
The DCS
should provide the Committee with the number of prisons where CCTV cameras and
biometric access control has been installed as this a very critical feature of
security.
Another
concern was raised with regard to the Inmate Tracking system at Durban
Westville prison. The DCS has spent R 7million on this system, but it was not
fully functional at Durban Westville. The Committee sought clarity in this
regard.
Corrections: The DCS should provide more clarity
on the project for probationers and parolees.
The DCS has developed Probationer and parolee classification tools for
assessment. Offenders needed to be profiled in terms of risk and needs and the
classification tools are now ready for implementation.
Strategic Plan: The Committee noted various concerns
with the Strategic Plan of the DCS. It was stated that the DCS targets shifts
and that it seems difficult for the DCS to realise its key strategic
priorities.
The DCS said it reviews the strategic plan each year and noted the
concern raised.
Estimates of National Expenditure: The
Committee noted that the DCS has underspent during the previous financial year
and noted that only R2.8 billion of the R6.2billion underspent, has been
rescheduled into the DCS’ baseline. The
Committee wanted to know how this affects the allocation of the DCS and what
areas were affected. The Committee wanted to know why funds were surrendered to
Treasury and whether this is a problem of not spending?
The DCS stated that underspending is directly linked to spending trends
of the DCS. When the DCS did its projections, they realise that it would not be
possible to spend all the funds allocated before the end of the financial year
and therefore surrendered those funds to Treasury.
When the
Committee does oversight in correctional centres around the country, the issue
of promotions was raised very prominently. The Committee wanted to know whether
long serving members of the DCS will also benefit from the promotions. The DCS
should also provide the criteria for awarding performance bonuses to staff. The
Committee stated that the DCS should ensure that all matters relating to
promotions, overtime, performance bonuses be communicated to staff at all
levels. The Committee questioned performance bonuses awarded to staff and asked
whether the DCS has a specific plan to award these bonuses and if all staff has
written contracts of employment.
The DCS stated that interim promotions were instituted during 2006/7 and
2007/8 will be the final stage of these promotions, where staff on levels 5 are
promoted to level 6. This process is however not automatic, but there are
criteria for these promotions. Awarding performance bonuses to staff is the
discretion of the DCS and an employee must perform exceptionally well or beyond
their duties to be awarded a bonus.
The
Committee wanted clarity on the amounts afforded to staff for labour gratuity
and whether those figures were audited.
The
Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services makes the following
recommendations:
·
The Department of Correctional
Services should report to the Committee after their mid- term review process on
the extent to which they are managing to reach their targets set for 2007/08,
and identifying those targets which they intend to revise.
·
In terms of the specific focus areas
for 2007, the Department should report on a regular basis during the 2007/08
financial year on:
o
Steps taken to create an enabling
environment for rehabilitation.
o
Steps taken to improve communication
both internally and externally with regard to the strategic direction of the
Department.
o
Progress with implementation of the
Integrated Human Resource Strategy.
o
Steps taken to improve partnerships.
·
The Department of Correctional
Services must report to the Committee on the Auditor -Generals’ Report and
issues of compliance with internal controls and policies, on a monthly
basis. This must be in the form of a
written report to the Committee, submitted on the 1st day of each
month beginning April 2007, outlining the following issues:
o
Progress in addressing each of the
areas of qualification and of matters of emphasis outlined in the 2005/06
Auditor General Report.
o
Identification of the current
stumbling blocks in addressing each of the areas.
o
Steps taken by the DCS to overcome
these stumbling blocks.
o
Amendments to the time frames
stipulated in the original report submitted to the Portfolio Committee on this
issue.
Programme 1: Administration
The
Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services supports the allocation to the
Administration Programme. However, the
Committee recommends that:
·
The Department must report to the
Committee at least once during the 2007/08 financial year on the Job Refinement
and Enhancement Project which is identified as a priority area identified for
2007 and 2008.
·
The Department must report to the
Committee on the outcome of the disciplinary cases related to the Jali
Commission Report as soon as these are finalised. In addition, the Department
has promised to provide a written report of the current status of the 106
investigations. This should be provided
to the Portfolio Committee by
·
The Department must report on
progress with the development of a retention strategy for scarce skills, and
progress in filling vacancies with regard to both scarce skills and junior and
middle management.
·
The Committee will interrogate
discrepancies in the models used to predict growth in the prison population and
the projected offender figures provided by the Department and those provided by
other research organisations.
Programme 2: Security
The
Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services supports the allocation to the
Security Programme. However, the
Committee recommends that:
·
The Department must report on
progress in implementing the new vetting framework at least once during the
2007/08 financial year.
·
The Department must provide a report
to the Committee on escape incidents during 2006/07 as well as the status of
investigations against members involved in colluding with escapes, by the end
of 2007/08.
Programme 3: Corrections
The
Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services supports the allocation to the
Corrections Programme. However, the
Committee recommends that:
·
The Department must report to the
Committee on a regular basis during the 2007/08 financial year on the priority
areas identified for 2007 and 2008 which include:
o
Phased implementation of the
Offender Rehabilitation Path.
o
Status of the Management of the
Awaiting Trial Detainee
Project.
·
The Department must report on
progress in the implementation of the four new programmes.
·
The Department must report on
progress in facilitating the removal of both awaiting trial and sentenced
children from correctional facilities.
Programme 4: Care
The
Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services supports the allocation to the
Programme. However, the Committee
recommends that:
·
The Department should report to the
Committee on the results of the HIV and AIDS and Syphilis Survey by
Programme 5: Development
The
Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services supports the allocation to the
Development Programme. However, the
Committee recommends that:
·
The Department recognises the
importance of skills development and education programmes on preventing
recidivism and thus recommends that funding for this programme is prioritised
in the MTEF.
·
The Committee interrogates in more
detail the employment models used by correctional systems in other countries.
Programme 6: Social Reintegration
The
Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services supports the allocation to the
Social Reintegration Programme. However,
the Committee recommends that:
·
The Department recognises the vital
role that effective social reintegration programmes play in reducing
recidivism, and the importance of ensuring effective correctional supervision
programmes to encourage the courts to use alternative sentencing measures and
thus recommends that funding for this programme is prioritised in the MTEF.
·
The Department must report to the
Committee on a regular basis during the 2007/08 financial year on Phased
implementation of the Social Reintegration Action Plan which is identified as a
priority area identified for 2007 and 2008.
Programme 7: Facilities
The
Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services supports the allocation to the
Facilities Programme, including the decrease of funds for the construction of
new prisons pending the ability of the DCS to prove that it can spend these
funds effectively. However, the
Committee recommends that:
·
The Department must report to the
Committee on a regular basis during the 2007/08 financial year on progress with
the construction of the new prisons.
This should include:
o
Informing the Committee when the
feasibility reports are available.
o
Presenting the results of the
reports to the Committee, including an analysis of the pros and cons of the
various procurement models which may be used to procure these centres.
o
Informing the Committee on
negotiations with National Treasury to retrieve funds for these centres.
o
Providing clear and detailed cost
estimates and time frame schedules (delineating dates for each stage of the
prison construction process) for each prison which will be built, including the
Kimberly prison that is currently under construction.
o
Timeously informing the Committee of
serious problems when they arise, which may result in the missing of deadlines
which have been stipulated to the Committee.
·
The Department must report on
progress with regard to the construction of the new Head Office.
·
The Department must report to the
Committee on the outcome of negotiations with the Department of Public Works
with regard to maintenance and the use of own resources.
8. Conclusion