Question NW375 to the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
17 March 2023 - NW375
Msimanga, Mr MJ to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
Considering that according to the new Eastern and Southern Africa Commission on Drugs (ESACD), parts of Southern Africa are facing a serious and multi-faceted drug problem which has not been met with a commensurate response, and noting that in line with the ESACD’s intent to move towards a harm-reduction and human rights policy approach to those who struggle with substance abuse, will he furnish Prof C T Msimang with (a) an estimate of the total number of inmates in South African prisons who are detained on drug-offence charges and (b) the relevant details on how his department intends to implement the approaches introduced by the ESACD in the rehabilitation programmes of inmates incarcerated for drug offences?
Reply:
a) The total number of inmates in South African prisons who are detained on drug-related charges are as follows:
|
REGION |
REMAND |
SENTENCED |
TOTAL |
|
EC |
145 |
210 |
355 |
|
FSNC |
63 |
84 |
147 |
|
GP |
632 |
261 |
893 |
|
KZN |
346 |
126 |
472 |
|
LMN |
116 |
206 |
322 |
|
WC |
783 |
699 |
1 482 |
|
GRAND TOTAL |
2 085 |
1 586 |
3 671 |
(b) Correctional Programmes aim to empower offenders with relevant information, to raise awareness about relevant issues on the topic of the specific Correctional Programme and assist offenders to gain insight into the negative effects of substance abuse and to develop life skills to cope inside the Correctional Facility and in their communities upon release.
The Substance Abuse Correctional Programme is in place for offenders who have drug related offences or have a need to undergo the programme. The target group is all sentenced offenders (serving sentences of longer than 24 months) with substance related offences and problems, based on the needs and risks identified in the offender’s Correctional Sentence Plan.
The main outcomes of the programme are to equip offenders with knowledge of the signs and symptoms of substance addiction and create a better understanding of himself/herself. Other outcomes are to equip offenders with information on how to restore the broken relationships due to substance abuse. The development of coping skills in relation to substance abuse and the addiction process are also outcomes of the programme.
END