Question NW3251 to the Minister of Justice and Correctional Service

Reply:

The Branch Incarceration and Corrections contributes to the strategy through the provision of Correctional Programmes to sentenced offenders with Correctional Sentence Plans (CSPs) in line with section 38 of the Correctional Service Act 111 of 1998. Correctional Programmes are needs based and have been developed specifically to deal with identified offending behaviour and are aimed at bringing about behavioural changes; acceptance of positive values and morals; increased knowledge on certain topics; the acquisition of life skills and ultimate improved mental and physical health.

There are thirteen (13) endorsed Correctional Programmes:

• New Beginnings Orientation
• Anger Management (Anger In Anger Out)
• Cross Roads (sourced)
• Restorative Justice Orientation
• Preparatory Programme on Sexual Offences
• Substance Abuse (Stop to Start)
• Behaviour Modification Programme on Gangsterism
• Economic Crime Programme (fraud related)
• Economic Crime Programme (theft related)
• Programme on Murder and related offences (Changing Lanes)
• Programme on Robbery and related offences (Change is possible)
• Correctional Programme for Female Offenders
• Pre-Release

Correctional programmes are facilitated by CIOs on an interim basis due to absence of a permanent financed structure.

The department is in the process of improving participation of offenders in skills development programmes and formal education by amongst others, implementing the following:

• Improve the current recruitment drive to appoint more skills development practitioners at operational level and to also expedite the finalisation of Occupational Specific Dispensation (OSD) for educators in order to attract more educators.
• Enhance partnership with external stakeholders in order to augment the limited DCS resources (i.e. shortage of educators, shortage of training equipment’s and learning material, increase training opportunities) for the training and development of offenders. There is improvement in the rendering of training interventions as a result of established external partnerships with the following; National Skills Fund, UNISA, Safety and Security Sector Education and Training (SASSETA), Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) as well as Technical, Vocational, Education and Training (TVET) Colleges.

The Department is rendering Spiritual Care programmes and services on a daily basis through maximization of the space, e.g. sharing school areas and dining halls and use open areas for the spiritual empowerment of offenders.