Media too negative - prison boss
2010-05-19 21:16
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Cape Town - Newly-appointed correctional services national commissioner Tom Moyane was introduced to the media at Parliament in Cape Town on Wednesday, four days after assuming office.
Among his opening remarks, was a call on journalists to be more willing to support his department's efforts and stop portraying prison officials in a negative light.
"Public opinion and public understanding of the criminal justice system is too often misled and confused by the media."
"Negative articles and editorials, along with many television programmes, portray offenders, the prison system, and sometimes even the cops, in the worst light."
"Like the community at large, the media needs to be more willing to support our efforts... ," he said.
Earlier, introducing Moyane, Correctional Services Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula described him as "a clear-thinking strategist and proven manager".
She also warned that he took over at a time when the department was facing "daunting but not insurmountable problems".
Overcrowding
According to the department's website, South Africa's massively overcrowded prisons held, at the end of February this year, 164 706 inmates, including 114 071 sentenced offenders and 50 635 awaiting-trial prisoners. Total prison capacity is 115 118 inmates.
Asked how he planned to tackle the overcrowding problem, Moyane said he was not able to provide "substantive information to the effect that we will be able to do away with overcrowding, (that) it will be there, but on manageable levels".
The problem was "being dealt with and being assessed", but he could not provide a timeline.
"Overcrowding (in prisons) is endemic all over the world... In our specific conditions, we find that the overcrowding... is because we form part of the justice cluster."
The police caught criminals, the courts sentenced them and they were sent to prison.
"We are at the end of the value chain... we cannot plan how many people come into our facilities. These are dictated by external factors beyond our control," Moyane said.
Correctional services new chief financial officer, Siphiwe Sokhela, who also started with the department on May 15, was also present at Wednesday's media event.
- SAPA