Parliament, Friday, 4 October 2024 – The Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services will next week conduct oversight visits to several correctional centres in the Gauteng area.
Committee Chairperson Mr Kgomotso Anthea Ramolobeng said the sites that will be visited on Tuesday have been carefully identified to ensure proper oversight of the Department of Correctional Services.
She said the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services (JICS) has reported widely on the state of infrastructure in different centres and the impact that has on efforts to incarcerate and rehabilitate offenders humanely. “The main purpose of the visit is to inspect conditions of incarceration, the treatment and service provided to inmates, and the conditions of employment for officials. It is anticipated that the centres identified will provide the committee with a general idea of the challenges correctional centres face in rural communities and urban areas,” said Ms Ramolobeng.
The oversight will include site visits to, among others, the Emthonjeni (Baviaanspoort) Juvenile Correctional Centre, Leeuwkop Correctional Centre, Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre (Pretoria) Female, C Max, UNISA Hub and the Johannesburg Correctional Centre.
The committee will also meet with various stakeholders, including JICS and the National Efficiency Enhancement Committee, which was established to improve case-flow management between the police, courts, and correctional centres. “Improved case-flow management will ensure better management of the remand population, which in turn should result in a further reduction in the inmate population,” said Ms Ramolobeng.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON CORRECTIONAL SERVICES, MS KGOMOTSO ANTHEA RAMOLOBENG.
For media enquiries or interviews with the Chairperson, please contact the committee’s Media Officer:
Name: Rajaa Azzakani (Ms)
Tel: 021 403 8437
Cell: 081 703 9542
E-mail: razzakani@parliament.gov.za
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