Upon entering the second parliamentary term of the democratic system, the DCS held a week long strategy workshop last November. The workshop focussed on enhancing service delivery through an emphasis on the core business in response to the nation's needs, capacity building amongst the management team, and improving the relationship and partnership in the Criminal Justice Cluster and the nation at large. Broad strategies were developed to deal with mass escapes, corruption, dilapidated structures, and overcrowded prisons.

One of our first goals was to combat the hitherto escalating rate of prison escapes. Following the astronomical figure of 1244 escapees in 1996, the Department identified the fight against escapes as a priority. This emanates from the national mandate of the DCS which is the safe custody and rehabilitation of prisoners. Escapes undermine this mandate. Measures were then put in place and in 1997 the figure dropped slightly to 989. A decision was then taken to half that figure.

The following year ended with 498. Following the major jailbreaks at Empangeni and Pietermaritzburg last year, the Minister organised a series of provincial workshops in which this issue was re-visited. The workshops concluded that despite the persisting structural and other logistical problems, the human factor was at the centre. Lack of discipline and dishonesty were eroding the fabric of the Department. Last year ended with 458 escapees recorded.

However, the Department is determined to cut down the 1999 escape figure drastically in the year 2000. This is an irrevocable undertaking based on our determination to reach a zero escape tolerance rate.

The already visible outputs towards the reduction of escapes is, amongst other things, attributed to the following:

Unit Management is a team approach to prisoner management. It incorporates the notion that co-operation is most likely in small groups that have lengthy interactions. Unit management is characterised by dividing large groups of prisoners into smaller, well-defined clusters of sections constituting units.

The benefit of the system to staff is that it fosters the development of correctional and managerial skills. Furthermore, the use of a multidisciplinary team improves communication and co-operation between staff from various disciplines.

The advantage to prisoners is that it increases the frequency and quality of relationships between prisoners and staff, which results in better communication and programme planning. It also results in decisions about prisoners being made more quickly by people who really know them. The system also results in increased programme flexibility, since each unit can develop the type of programme appropriate for its own population.

The department will during 2000 pilot this system in 27 prisons (3 prison per province).

The centre will house 200 - 250 prisoners who already have release dates. At Devon inmates will go through set rehabilitation programmes. A major emphasis will be on preparation for release and a holistic approach to Unit Management will be adopted. There will also be emphasis on community involvement especially on rendering rehabilitation programmes. Efforts will be made to link with potential employers and inmates will be assisted to adjust to employment and become accustomed to the work-a-day world.

The Devon centre (near Springs) is scheduled for commissioning towards the middle of the year.

Restorative Justice is a new framework for the criminal justice system that is rapidly gaining acceptance and support by criminal justice professionals and community groups.

Restorative justice is a process to bring crime victims and offenders together in mediation, often along with families and community members. It is a value-based approach to criminal justice, with a balanced focus on the offender, the victim and the community.

The Department of Correctional Services advocates adoption of the restorative justice approach for the following reasons:

A review on statistics in criminal trends revealed an escalation of conviction of youth offenders.

At a recent strategic planning session the Department resolved to:

The new Correctional Services Act makes provision for special treatment of child offenders. In addition to requiring DCS to provide children subject to compulsory education with educational programmes, the Commissioner is obliged to provide social work services, religious care, psychological services and recreational programmes.

The escalating incidents of HIV-AIDS in South Africa pose a challenge to the DCS. Upon admission all prisoners are screened for Sexually Transmitted Diseases, HIV-AIDS other health/related problems. Departmental developmental personnel i.e. Health Care Workers, Social Workers, Psychologists, Educators and Chaplains render emotional support, counselling and education services to prisoners. Services include individual, group and in some cases family therapy.

Furthermore, each prison identifies a number of prisoners who are, in turn, trained as peer educators for fellow inmates.

In addition an HIV-AIDS module has been included into the Basic Training Programme for all new recruits.

During 2000 the DCS will focus on the following needs:

~ Research the impact of programmes that are implemented.

Electronic Monitoring (EM) is a method of managing offenders efficiently within the community and it promotes the protection of society and supports the personal development of offenders. The Department's ultimate goal is to monitor all offenders subject to community corrections.

Advantages of EM include increased supervision effectiveness and offender control and immediate detection and remedy of violations. The method is more cost-effective than imprisonment and increases capacity to accommodate offenders in community corrections. EM relieves pressure on need for human resources. It will provide courts and parole boards with a secure alternative to incarceration.

At present physical monitoring is inefficient and costly and can lead to a high abscondence rate. This may result in the judiciary and community losing confidence in community corrections. Physical monitoring exposes monitors to dangerous working environment.

EM was piloted between September 1996 and March 1999. It involved 304 offenders from Pretoria and surrounding areas. It cost per capita R12.82 per offender per day and its success rate was that 98% of offenders did not abscond.

The Department recently appointed a consultant who will develop specifications for a device suitable for South African conditions. The consultant was scheduled to start on 1 February 2000 The next stage will be the tender for a company that will manufacture the device based on the specifications. The entire process is expected to take 12 months.

The new Empangeni prison has been classified as a medium Category Facility since conception.

Although it's a medium prison, the physical structure together with the Security System installed there makes it possible for the prison to be used as a maximum prison.

It has been designed to accommodate. a maximum of 1392 inmates in the new unit Management Concept. Also included are development facilities such as classrooms, training areas, library and facilities for indoor and outdoor activities.

The Supper-Maximum Prison arose from the need to accommodate high-risk inmates. The facility is designed to confine 1440 maximum security inmates based on the unit management concept.

This prison is expected to be a support centre for the Super Maximum Prison. It will consist of Logistic Stores, Central Kitchen, Laundry, Hospital and cell blocks to accommodate 296 inmates who will work there. In order for this project to be constructed, the old prison had to be demolished to the ground and make way for the erection of this facility.

The DCS will, this year, become the first department to embark on the APOPS programme. The Asset Procurement and Operating Partnership System (APOPS) is a public private partnership aimed at alleviating infrastructural backlogs and creating new services in partnership with the private sector.

The GEAR policy also embraces such partnerships, not only for its aim to address the government's infrastructural backlogs, but also as an integral element of its growth strategy

The DCS is about to embark on two such projects after two consortiums won 25 year concession contracts 120 design, construct and operate two state-of-the-art prisons in Bloemfontein and Louis Trichardt. The two consortiums are Ikhwezi and the South African Custodial Services.

The contracts had empowerment as a central condition. There was a mandatory Requirement stipulating that a certain percentage of equity shareholding should be in black hands. The two consortiums had to demonstrate in an unambiguous way how they would promote economic empowerment and achieve other socio-economic objectives like environment and health care.

The two consortiums will staff, run, manage the two prisons. They have also committed themselves to use a certain percentage of local labour force and ensure that there is at ]east 25% participation by local subcontractors in the project. They will also offer training, encourage transfer of skills and multi-skilling process without compromising quality.

The DCS continued with its policy of favouring small, medium, and micro enterprises whenever possible. Annually during February the Department invites all SMMEs and previously disadvantaged individuals (PDIs) in the vicinity of prisons to register on the department's database which is used to invite quotations. The use of such a database helps to enhance local economies. Last year tenders worth more than R102 million (R102 515 679) were awarded to SMMEs and PDIs.

Furthermore, the department initiated a 14 day payment procedure in support of the cash low of this sector. This ensures that emerging entrepreneurs are provided with payment within the shortest possible time.

Since its promulgation, the Correctional Services Act (Act no. 111 of 1998) has not been fully implemented. This delay is caused by the fact that the release system, which forms a substantial part of the Act, cannot be implemented due to financed constraints within some of the role players in the criminal justice system. Moves are underway to negotiate amendments to the legislation after which full implementation will follow.

Our strategy workshop last November and the Ministerial anti-escape workshops in provinces revealed that the human factor is a major cause of escapes and may pose a threat to the culture of discipline accountability, and efficient service delivery which we are trying to inculcate. A decision was endorsed that wherever cases are being investigated, not only the suspect should be investigated but it would be necessary to establish if poor management was also a contributory factor.

During 1999 the department continued to tighten the squeeze on undisciplined staff members. Up to the end of October, 120 staff members had been given final warnings and more than 60 dismissed for offences ranging from absenteeism, negligence, theft, to dishonesty. Much as the department will remain sensitive to the difficulties on family members resulting from the dismissal of a staff member, it will not shy from taking any disciplinary measure to ensure that service delivery is not compromised. When we say we uphold the policy of zero tolerance with regard to escapes, it means zero tolerance to any behaviour of a staff member that may enhance an escape.