Prison inspectorate vents frustrations

Budget cuts, poor state of facilities hampering operations

THE JUDICIAL Inspectorate for Correctional Services has vented its frustrations over the unilateral decision taken by the Department of Correctional Services to cut their operational budget in a move that will threaten their ability to inspect prisons.

Yesterday the inspectorate briefed MPs about the poor state of prison facilities and instances where their officials were denied entry into prison facilities, including KwaZulu-Natal’s Stanger Prison.

They complained about the shortage of uniforms for prisoners and overcrowding as well as the collapse of an IT system that now hampered the department’s mandatory reporting on inmates’ deaths.

Briefing the justice and correctional services portfolio committee, Inspecting Judge Johann van der Westhuizen said their operational budget was cut.

Van der Westhuizen also said there were instances of political interference in their work.

“In KwaZulu-Natal, we had one or two incidents where our people were denied entry to a place by the regional commissioner.

“We have been denied access to documentation that has been promised.”

The inspecting judge said he was worried about the state of some prison facilities.

“There are facilities where the ceilings are so dangerous that the way to counter escapes is to take away beds so people sleep on the floor so that they can’t reach the ceiling.”

He said the judicial inspectorate in its report found there were kitchens still without certificates of compliance despite promises to fix them two years ago.

The prison courtyard in Stanger, made out of concrete, was breaking up.

“You can simply pick up a piece if you need a weapon.

“You have a piece of concrete supplied right there by the prison. There are numerous other examples,” he told shocked MPs.

A state-of-the-art facility in Kimberley did not have hot water.

“The explanation given is nobody can repair the water pump system because it is sophisticated. We were told by the head of the centre that engineers were brought from Johannesburg and at some point from the US.”

Van der Westhuizen also said the Kimberley prison’s single cells were empty because they had no locks.

He said there were also prisons that were without water. In Thohoyandou, the local community cut the water supply because they did not want criminals to drink their water.

The judge said the inspectorate had yet to be allocated office accommodation, and that the department blamed Public Works for the delays.

‘WE HAVE BEEN DENIED ACCESS TO DOCUMENTATION THAT HAS BEEN PROMISED’