Court-sentencing change mooted

2005-02-16 08:50

Cape Town - The justice, crime prevention, and security cluster (JCPS) is considering changes to the sentencing regime in courts to address overcrowding in prisons, said Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula on Tuesday.

Briefing the media at parliament in his capacity as JCPS cluster chairman, Nqakula said overcrowding remained the most acute problem at South African prisons.

"The JCPS cluster is considering changes in the sentencing regime in our courts so that alternative sentencing, such as community correctional supervision for people convicted of petty crime can be explored," he said.

Meanwhile, plans to build new-generation prisons at Kimberley, Klerksdorp, Leeuwkop and Nigel were being implemented.

The bulk earthworks contractor for three of the projects had been on site since November last year.

The main building work would start in June, and the projects should be completed by March 30 2007.

3 000 beds in each prison

Nqakula said the next phase after the four new jails included building similar ones in East London and Allandale, while two more would be considered after feasibility studies in KwaZulu-Natal, the Northern Cape, and Limpopo.

All eight prisons would have 3 000 beds each.

Further, the directors-general of the cluster had been instructed to speedily identify appropriate state-owned facilities that could be converted into correctional detention centres, police stations, and courts.

The audit and discussions with the relevant departments would be completed by June.

Seven-day-week regime

Correctional services would use the new buildings for accommodating short-term inmates, while others would be designed for children in trouble with the law.

Nqakula also said the department had decided to implement a seven-day-week regime, which was expected to save money for recruiting more correctional officials.

The department had been spending a lot of money on overtime pay for officials who had been working for years to a five-day-week system.

In the circumstances, weekends had been regarded as overtime, costing the department R916m in the past financial year, he said.

- SAPA