THE majority of prisoners in the country are young men, with about 54% of them being under 30 years old.
Many of these "criminals" are likely to leave prison with decades of their lives left, but many risk re-incarceration if rehabilitation and re-integration programmes are not realised.
According to Department of Correctional Services chief deputy commissioner James Smalberger "every month about 23000 inmates exit correctional centres, and 25000 new inmates are admitted".
He said yesterday indications were that many of inmates entering the system are not complete strangers to these facilities.
The 2008 National Offender Population Profile by the Department Correctional Services showed that of the 113 333 inmates at the time, 33 987 were classified as between the ages of 18 and 25. A further 27 757 were aged between 26 and 30.
The figures were monitored over a period of three years and showed that the ratios remained relatively constant.
Today's population sits at 152550 inmates serving sentences in a correctional centre. Smalberger said there were another 63240 offenders serving sentences outside prisons, "who live in their various communities".
Of these 48,323 are on parole and 14917 are probationers, which means they are convicted offenders serving non-custodial sentences. An additional 1719 are awaiting-trial detainees.
Smalberger gave an example of 37-year-old Riku Nortje, who was released on January 10. After serving 16 years of a life sentence. Nortje was Correctional Services top university student of 2011 at the Leeuwkop Correctional Centre. He had a Master's degree in Computer Science from Unisa.
With this qualification and the life skills gained through rehabilitation programmes, it is hoped that Nortje will never again go through the justice system.
Correctional Services Minister Sibusiso Ndebele this weekend reiterated calls for communities to play their part in ensuring that offenders serving sentences outside correctional centres are reintegrated as citizens.
"The community forms an integral part of the rehabilitation of offenders on parole to reintegrate them as law-abiding citizens.
An offender, who has served the prescribed minimum detention period of his sentence, is conditionally released to serve the remainder of his sentence in the community under the supervision of the DCS," he said.
Measures to ensure that released offenders comply with their parole conditions include house detention, monitoring, performance of community service, restriction to magisterial district, refraining from the use of alcohol or illegal drugs, refraining from making contact with a particular person(s), and participating in treatment, development and support programmes.
Where a parolee fails to comply with conditions imposed, the DCS may reprimand, issue a verbal warning, issue a written warning, and revoke parole. - moengk@sowetan.co.za
SA jails filled mostly by young men under 30
THE majority of prisoners in the country are young men, with about 54% of them being under 30 years old.
Many of these "criminals" are likely to leave prison with decades of their lives left, but many risk re-incarceration if rehabilitation and re-integration programmes are not realised.
According to Department of Correctional Services chief deputy commissioner James Smalberger "every month about 23000 inmates exit correctional centres, and 25000 new inmates are admitted".
He said yesterday indications were that many of inmates entering the system are not complete strangers to these facilities.
The 2008 National Offender Population Profile by the Department Correctional Services showed that of the 113 333 inmates at the time, 33 987 were classified as between the ages of 18 and 25. A further 27 757 were aged between 26 and 30.
The figures were monitored over a period of three years and showed that the ratios remained relatively constant.
Today's population sits at 152550 inmates serving sentences in a correctional centre. Smalberger said there were another 63240 offenders serving sentences outside prisons, "who live in their various communities".
Of these 48,323 are on parole and 14917 are probationers, which means they are convicted offenders serving non-custodial sentences. An additional 1719 are awaiting-trial detainees.
Smalberger gave an example of 37-year-old Riku Nortje, who was released on January 10. After serving 16 years of a life sentence. Nortje was Correctional Services top university student of 2011 at the Leeuwkop Correctional Centre. He had a Master's degree in Computer Science from Unisa.
With this qualification and the life skills gained through rehabilitation programmes, it is hoped that Nortje will never again go through the justice system.
Correctional Services Minister Sibusiso Ndebele this weekend reiterated calls for communities to play their part in ensuring that offenders serving sentences outside correctional centres are reintegrated as citizens.
"The community forms an integral part of the rehabilitation of offenders on parole to reintegrate them as law-abiding citizens.
An offender, who has served the prescribed minimum detention period of his sentence, is conditionally released to serve the remainder of his sentence in the community under the supervision of the DCS," he said.
Measures to ensure that released offenders comply with their parole conditions include house detention, monitoring, performance of community service, restriction to magisterial district, refraining from the use of alcohol or illegal drugs, refraining from making contact with a particular person(s), and participating in treatment, development and support programmes.
Where a parolee fails to comply with conditions imposed, the DCS may reprimand, issue a verbal warning, issue a written warning, and revoke parole. - moengk@sowetan.co.za
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