Question NW2651 to the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
09 December 2016 - NW2651
Selfe, Mr J to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
(1)Whether he is aware of the incident that allegedly took place on 1 April 2016 at the Barberton Maximum Security Prison in Mpumalanga, where one inmate, with prison registration number (details furnished), allegedly assaulted a Mozambican citizen, with prison registration number (details furnished), with a razor blade inside the prison kitchen; if not, why not; if so, (2) has any investigation been undertaken in this regard; if not, (a) why not and (b) by what date will an investigation be launched; if so, what are the (i) full relevant details and (ii) outcomes of the specified investigation; (3) what interventions and/or support services is his department rendering to (a) assist the victim, (b) prevent the occurrence of similar incidents in the future and (c) appropriately deal with the alleged perpetrator?
Reply:
(1) Yes, Management is aware of the incident that took place on 01 April 2016 between inmates (perpetrator details furnished) and (victim details furnished)
(2) Yes, a departmental investigation was instituted.
(2)(a) N/A
(2)(b) The Investigation was concluded on 28 April 2016.
(2)(i) The nature of injury according to medical register G336 entry (2016/04/01) ref (50/16) inmate (victim details furnished) suffered deep laceration on his forehead to the nose.
(2)(ii) It was evident that inmate (perpetrator details furnished) has committed a disciplinary infringement as stated by Correctional Services Act, Act 111 of 1998, as amended and Section 23(1)(h) by committing an assault on a fellow inmate. The investigation recommendation was that disciplinary action be taken against the perpetrator.
(3)(a) The victim was taken to maximum correctional centre hospital for medical treatment and he was assisted to open a criminal case against the perpetrator.
(3)(b) The perpetrator is currently undergoing psychiatric sessions for unacceptable behaviour. Further interventions will follow after the recommendations by the Psychologist and the Case Officers. The search for unauthorized items has also been intensified, supervisors are promoting the maintenance of security awareness at centre level and Management functionaries must inculcate security awareness in all officials by means of a scheduled programme (daily/weekly/monthly) in order to ensure that every official realizes the importance of his/her role in ensuring the safe custody of prisoners. Lastly, identified tendencies/frequencies must be approached in a spirit of participative management.
(3)(c) The Case Management Committee degraded the privileges of the perpetrator from B category to C category with applicable restrictions of amenities.