Department of Justice, Correctional Services and Safety and Security: briefing on budget votes

Meeting report

SECURITY AND JUSTICE SELECT COMMITTEE
4 May 1998
BUDGET VOTES: BRIEFINGS BY DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, CORRECTIONAL SERVICES AND SAFETY AND SECURITY

Documents handed out:
Minister Omar's address to NCOP on 5 May 1998 (see appendix)
Expanatory Budget Memos for the three departments

MINUTES
Safety and Security
Commissioner Voosman gave a brief breakdown of the Safety and Security budget, as outlined in their brochure, as well as future statistics and projects: discipline measures for staff, grievance procedures for members and for public, and financial models for decentralised police services.

Questions of the committee: A member raised the issue of the Department’s inability to properly budget before the allocation vote at the provincial and local levels. Commissioner Voosman replied that in the provincial and local levels there was a lack of financial management skills and as a result, they had to rely on rudimentary bottom-up budgeting, which was obviously not efficient. However, decentralisation of power from the national to provincial and local, should release and provide these skills to regional commanders.

The issue of the redistribution of resources, such as vehicles, computers and other technical equipment, was raised. The commissioner replied that the Department had provided in its budget for a new fleet of cars and computers in line with their decentralised model

Correctional Services
Commissioner Cook gave a breakdown of the Correctional Services Department’s budget.
Questions of the committee: One member asked for information regarding prisoners going to private clinics. The Commissioner replied that doctors did send prisoners to private clinics in order to lessen the burden on public hospitals; the clinic will attend to the individual immediately without the security or bed space problems that the public hospitals face. The position that inmates should not receive better care than law-abiding citizens who must use public hospitals was argued. The Commissioner responded that plans are underway to secure safe wards in hospitals which would hopefully reduce the cost of manpower to guard the prisoner.

A member asked about the budget allocation for religious workers. Commissioner Sithole answered that employing religious workers is a necessary cost as it drastically helps in the rehabilitation process. As to the problem of drug trading within the prison, Commissioner Sithole answered that the Department was dealing with offenders, especially the staff. Motivation was provided by means of a reward programme which acknowledges those who do good work despite the difficulties of over-crowding and little remuneration.

The Department discussed the processes of renovating prisons and the building of a super max prison in Queenstown. The Department is also working on implementing a satellite tracking device for those offenders who could be rehabilitated outside of prison. The hope is that by using such a device, the Department will be relieved of some of its 40 000 prisoners (up from 17 000 last year).

Justice
Deputy Director-General Geyana fielded the questions of the committee regarding the budget of the Justice Department. Mr. Geyana referred to Justice Dullah Omar's keynote address to the NCOP on 5 May 1998 (available shortly) to answer the following queries: the cost and progress of restructuring, particularly the building of new courts and the training of judicial officers; the procedures for the public to set out grievances about judicial officers and whether judicial officers had any understanding of the new bail system. A report was requested explaining the hierarchical structure of the Department and the interaction between the different levels of authority. There was also a request to give a progress report concerning the affirmative action program.