Introduction to Central Services Branch

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Presentation to the Portfolio
Committee
Introduction to Central Services Branch Building
a caring correctional system that truly belongs
to all
CHILDREN IN CONFLICT WITH THE LAW Date 10 June
2008
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

• 1. Background
• 2. An overview of Children in Conflict with the
  Law
• 3. Statistical presentation of Children in
  Detention
• 4. Programmes rendered to Sentenced Children
• 5. Programmes rendered to Children on Remand
• 6. Programmes developed in response to the
  specific
• crime categories
• 7. Competencies of custodial staff to deal with
  specific
• needs of children
• 8. Current Developments to Improve Management
  of
• Children Awaiting Trial
• 9. Challenges for the system
• 10. Recommendations

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1. BACKGROUND

• DCS to brief the Committee on issues pertaining
  to
• Children in Conflict with the Law with specific
  reference to
• The available child-specific rehabilitation and
  reintegration programmes
• Whether custodial staff have been trained to deal
  with specific needs of child ATDs and child
  offenders
• The challenges DCS has experienced in
  accommodating the needs of child ATDs and child
  sentenced offenders
• A breakdown of crimes children either awaiting
  trial or sentenced have committed, and whether
  programmes have been developed in response to
  these specific categories of crimes

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2. OVERVIEW

• The average trends and numbers of children in
  conflict with the law can be summarized as
  follows-
• Between 9000 and 13000 children are arrested by
  the SAPS on a monthly basis.
• Approximately 4500 -5000 (50) of these cases are
  converted into Childrens Court enquiries in
  terms of the Child Care Act, 1983 (Act No 74 of
  1983). These cases are handled outside the
  Criminal Justice System.

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OVERVIEW cont.

• On average, 1900 children are diverted from the
  mainstream Criminal Justice System on a monthly
  basis. Children acknowledge wrong doing and the
  charges are withdrawn provisionally on condition
  that they attend diversion programmes such as
  life skills, if they dont, the trial goes ahead.
• Approximately 1000 children in the age group
  14-17 yrs await trial on a monthly basis in
  correctional facilities usually for serious and
  violent crimes.

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OVERVIEW cont.

• Approximately 3000 children await trial in
  detention in Secure Care Facilities, Places of
  Safety and Home-based Supervision, run by the
  DSD.
• 20 of the numbers of children originally
  arrested and charged are sentenced to
  non-custodial sanctions.
• Approximately 5 of sentenced children are
  sentenced to Reform Schools run by the DOE.
  These facilities will be transferred to the DSD
  within the next two years, in terms of Chapter 13
  of the Childrens Amendment Act, 2007.
• Only about 1 of arrested children are sentenced
  to serve time in a correctional centre
• Worrying factor placement of children without
  Bail (87,7) in December 2007.

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3. STATISTICS CHILDREN IN DETENTION The table
representing the average annual number of
sentenced children detained in DCS facilities for
the past 5 years.
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STATISTICS CHILDREN IN DETENTION Cont. The
table representing the average annual number of
unsentenced children detained in DCS facilities
for the past 5 years.
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TOTAL NUMBER OF SENTENCED CHILDREN IN CUSTODY
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CORRECTIONAL CENTRE WITH THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF
SENTENCED CHILDREN lt 18yrs PER REGION

• Gauteng Leeuwkop Juvenile Centre (116)
• KZN Ekuseni Youth Centre (80)
• Western Cape Brandvlei CC (74)
• NC/Free State Kroonstad CC (44)
• LMN Rustenburg CC (29)
• Eastern Cape Cradock CC (26)

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TOTAL NUMBER OF ATD CHILDREN IN CUSTODY
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CORRECTIONAL CENTRE WITH THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF
SENTENCED CHILDREN lt 18yrs PER REGION

• KZN Durban Juvenile Centre (237)
• Eastern Cape Port Elizabeth CC (113)
• Western Cape Pollsmoor CC (76)
• NC/Free State Grootvlei Max. CC (57)
• Gauteng Pretoria Local Centre (45)
• LMN Nelspruit CC (12)

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STATISTICS CHILDREN IN DETENTION Cont.
SENTENCED CHILDREN vs ATD
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STATISTICS CHILDREN IN DETENTION Cont.
Juvenile Centres as at 5 May 2008
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4. PROGRAMMES SENTENCED CHILDREN

• Corrections Programmes
• Risk Need Assessment
• Sentence Planning
• Structured programmes (Life-skills)
• Development Programmes
• Formal Education (General Education Training
  Further education Training)
• Sports, Recreation, Arts Culture (Painting,
  Drawings, Choral traditional music Soccer,
  Rugby, Volleyball Recreational activities such
  as indoor games)

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4. PROGRAMMES SENTENCED CHILDREN cont

• Care programmes
• Social Work
• Individual interviews Counselling
• group work sessions and
• Structured programmes (Anger management
  Substance abuse Sexual Offenders
• Psychological Services
• Individual, family and group therapy
• Management of emotional disturbances suicide
  risks
• Court referrals
• Health Services (Preventive, Promotive,
  Curative, Rehabilitative, Personal Care and
  Nutritional services

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4. PROGRAMMES SENTENCED CHILDREN cont

• HIV AIDS (Preventive, Care, Support and
  Treatment access to anti-retrovirals)
• Spiritual Services (Individual interviews
  Church Religious services, Group sessions)
• 5. PROGRAMMES ATD CHILDREN
• All Programmes requirements fall under DSD
• DCS only provides the following
• Health Services
• Crisis Intervention by Social Workers and
  Psychologists

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6. PROGRAMMES DEVELOPED IN RESPONSE TO SPECIFIC
CRIME CATEGORIES6.1. CRIMES COMMITTED BY ATD
CHILDREN
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6.2. CRIMES COMMITTED BY SENTENCED CHILDREN
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6.2. PROGRAMMES DEVELOPED SPECIFIC CRIME
CATEGORIES

• The following programmes have been designed to
• cater for the rehabilitation needs of offenders
  of all
• ages including children
• Anger Management
• Sexual offences
• Cross Roads (sourced and quality assured)
• Substance abuse
• New Beginnings Orientation Manual
• Pre-Release Programmes
• ATD children are not subjected to specific
  programmes

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7. COMPETENCIES OF CUSTODIAL STAFF DEALING WITH
CHILDREN

• Personnel are trained in the following areas
  amongst
• others-
• Security
• Human Rights
• Cultural Diversity
• Financial Management
• Communication
• Interpersonal Relations
• Behavior Management
• However staff are not trained to specifically
  deal with
• children.

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8. CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS TO IMPROVE MANAGEMENT OF
CHILDREN

• The ISCCJ increased its frequency of meetings to
  share information and improve case flow
• Three sub-committee established to focus on
  management of children
• Children Awaiting Trial DCS
• Child Justice Information Management Committee
• Child Justice Bill Implementation Plan Committee
• The Provincial Child Justice Fora oversees
• children's issues and is led by DoJCD.

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CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS TO IMPROVE MANAGEMENT OF
CHILDREN cont.

• The Child Justice Bill is currently presented to
  Parliament for promulgation
• The Bill will
• Require improved policy alignment within JCPS
  department and between JCPS and Social Cluster
• Improve processes of diversion
• Introduces restorative justice measures for
  management of children in conflict with the law

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CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS TO IMPROVE MANAGEMENT OF
CHILDREN cont.

• DCS has developed a monitoring tool to manage the
• following
• Placement of ATD children under correctional
  supervision in terms of section 71 of the CPA.
• Referral of sentenced children to places of
  safety/reformatory school facilities.
• Ensuring that children with bail option are
  diverted before entering Correctional Centres

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9. CHALLENGES FOR THE SYSTEM

• On average, 87 of remanded children placed in
  DCS facilities without bail
• No record of recognizable level of education
  (98).
• Lack of support system for children ( 93)
  without visits.
• Serious crimes committed by children
• Lack of capacity/expertise for the provision of
  services in correctional facilities for children
• DCS is not allowing for the building of
  facilities for the incarceration of children. DCS
  maintains that Correctional Centres are not
  ideally suited for the rehabilitation of
  children, however, those already in the
  facilities will be taken care of.

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CHALLENGES FOR THE SYSTEM cont

• The challenges in terms of ATD children is that
  some have committed serious crimes and could not
  be placed under correctional supervision.
• In terms of sentenced children there are
  insufficient reformatory schools / places of
  safety and therefore children are forced to be
  detained in correctional centres. More
  reformatory schools / places of safety for
  children should be built.
• The Department is cognisant of the fact that
  children below the age of 14 are in a crucial
  stage with regard to personal development.
  Imprisonment is not perceived as being conducive
  to the development of children in this age group.

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THANK YOU Renewing our Pledge A National
Partnership to Correct, Rehabilitate and
Reintegrate Offenders for a safer and secure
South Africa