Justice Minister Ronald Lamola has admitted that the country’s parole system is flawed but says it is not broken.
He was speaking at a media briefing at Goodwood Prison on Wednesday following an outcry about the parole system after at least three parolees were arrested in connection with child murders this year.
High-ranking correctional services officials and secretaries of parole boards were summoned by the minister to address the issue of re-offending parolees.
The alleged killers of Michaela Williams, 12, of Pelican Park, Tazne van Wyk, eight, of Ravensmead, Reagan Gertse, seven, of Tulbagh, and Jesse Hess were all on parole, raising questions about the parole and rehabilitation system in the country.
“Recently, we have been found wanting and the cause has been too ghastly to bear as it has resulted in a loss of a daughter and a son,” said Lamola.
FAILED: Victim Tazne van Wyk
He said comprehensive data must be collected about a bandiet before parole is granted.
At the moment, the Parole Board relied mainly on police information when considering parole.
“We need to have information that enables us with certainty that the individuals have been rehabilitated and can again be reintroduced to society,” said Lamola.
He said one of the issues was that in many cases, victims were not properly consulted during their convicted attackers’ stay behind bars, nor were they consulted with regard to the criminal’s parole process.
A new pilot project which will involve Home Affairs, criminology experts, psychiatrists and psychologists will be launched in the Western Cape to improve data collected by the parole board.
Deputy Minister Phathekile Holomisa said only a small percentage of parolees re-offend.
“75 000 parolees are released back into the community and only 1% reoffend,” he stated.
“Prisons are overcrowded, we are asking communities to work with us.”
High Court Judge Siraj Desai, who is also the chairperson of the Correctional Supervision and Parole Review Board, said overcrowding in prisons is not a factor when making a decision on whether to grant parole or not.
Calls for a new prison to be built to deal with overcrowding was shot down, with Lamola saying there can never be enough prisons as they can never outpace the conviction rate.