Question NW1752 to the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
01 August 2018 - NW1752
Breytenbach, Adv G to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
What number of (a) parole applications for inmates serving (i) life sentences and (ii) other sentences became due for consideration in each year since 1 January 2004, (b) the specified applications for parole that became due were considered by parole boards in each case in each specified year, (c) the specified parole applications considered by the parole boards were sent to the Minister of Justice in each specified year and (d) the specified parole applications sent to the Minister of Justice were granted in each year?
Reply:
(a)(i): The statistics of 01 January 2004 are not readily available because there was no system in place to record information. Manual count will have to take place and this will take time. For the purpose of this question (a)(i) our statistics will commence from 2011. A hand system was implemented to manage the offenders sentenced to Life imprisonment as the Admission and Release System (A&R System) of the Department was not configured to provide necessary information to manage caseloads.
|
Offenders sentenced to life imprisonment due for consideration: |
|
|
Qualifying Year |
Total expected |
|
2006 |
93 |
|
2007 |
108 |
|
2008 |
82 |
|
2009 |
78 |
|
2010 |
115 |
|
2011 |
617 |
|
2012 |
661 |
|
2013 |
856 |
|
2014 |
932 |
|
2015 |
930 |
|
2016 |
566 |
|
Total |
5038 |
(a)(ii): The Admission and Release System (A&R System) of the Department was not configured to provide information on determinate sentences however, the Department of Correctional Services is developing and piloting an Integrated Inmate Management System (IIMS) that will replace the A & R System. This will, among others, enable the DCS to manage the admission and release of offenders in an integrated manner.
(b): The following statistics of offenders sentenced to life imprisonment were manually kept by the Department.
|
Applications considered by Parole Boards |
|
|
2011 |
420 |
|
2012 |
104 |
|
2013 |
172 |
|
2014 |
285 |
|
2015 |
252 |
|
2016 |
419 |
|
2017 |
1391 |
|
2018 |
915 |
|
Total |
3958 |
(c): Offenders sentenced to life imprisonment considered by the Parole Boards and forwarded for Minister’s attention:
|
Applications considered by Parole Board and forwarded to Minister:
|
|
|
2011 |
397 |
|
2012 |
68 |
|
2013 |
164 |
|
2014 |
243 |
|
2015 |
202 |
|
2016 |
162 |
|
2017 |
1336 |
|
2018 |
817 |
|
Total |
3389 |
(d): The below statistics indicate that since this Administration came into office there has been a sharp increase in both the number of profiles considered and the number of inmates released on parole. We attribute this success to various interventions that we put in place to ensure that as many as possible offenders who qualify to be considered are indeed considered.
|
Parole granted by Minister to offenders sentenced to life imprisonment: |
|
|
2011 |
130 |
|
2012 |
35 |
|
2013 |
43 |
|
2014 |
81 |
|
2015 |
157 |
|
2016 |
99 |
|
2017 |
256 |
|
2018 |
120 |
|
Total |
921 |