ADMISSION OF OFFENDERS IN CORRECTIONAL CENTRES

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ADMISSION OF OFFENDERS IN CORRECTIONAL CENTRES
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INDEX

• Purpose of the presentation
• Aspects regarding admission
• Identification
• Filing and safe-keeping of warrants
• Separation
• Inmate cash
• Valuable items
• Private clothing

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INDEX (CONT)

• Medical examination
• Personal hygiene
• Orientation
• Notification of next-of-kin
• Identification cards
• Opening of offender files
• Calculation and recording of release dates
• Searching
• Computer records

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PURPOSE

• To brief the Portfolio Committee on admission
  process of offenders in the Correctional Centre.

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ASPECTS REGARDING ADMISSION

• Current directives on admission of offenders
  provide, amongst others, the following aspects
• Identification
• Filing and safe- keeping of warrants
• Separation
• Inmate cash
• Valuable items
• Private clothing
• Medical examination
• Personal hygiene
• Orientation
• Notification of next-of-kin
• Identification cards
• Opening of offender files
• Calculation and recording of release dates
• Searching
• Computer records

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GUIDELINES

• Identification
• The identity of every inmate must be properly
  determined immediately after admission.
• Questions like the name, sentence details and
  offences must form part of the identification
  in addition to the taking of fingerprints.
• Filing and safe-keeping of warrants
• Warrants of committal must be filed by one of two
  methods, namely, according to sentence category
  and further in registration number sequence or
  according to release dates as soon as finality is
  reached/approval given.
• Separation
• Male and female inmates must be detained in
  separate units and/or Correctional Centres.

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GUIDELINES (continue)

• Inmate Cash
• All private cash, cheques, warrant vouchers,
  postal orders, etc. of all inmates must be noted
  on the warrant as well as on the body-receipt
  (SAPS 216), upon admission.
• All the money which is received upon admission,
  must be recorded on the G349 inmate money cards.
• Valuable items
• Such items must be labelled or be placed in an
  envelope on which identifying particulars of the
  owner are entered, whereafter it should be kept
  in a safe or strong-room. Full particulars with a
  proper description of each such item must be
  entered on computer.

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GUIDELINES (continue)

• Private clothing
• The clothing of offenders with determinate
  sentences of up to and including two (2) years
  imprisonment must, upon admission, be
  disinfected and washed, if necessary, folded
  neatly and stored safely. In all other cases
  clothes and other articles should be disposed of
  as requested by the offender, after he/she has
  been pertinently informed that the clothes
  cannot be stored.
• Clothes must be stored in the appropriate
  property bags, in a particular place behind
  locked doors and care must be taken that
  prisoners and other unauthorized persons do not
  have access thereto.

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GUIDELINES (continue)

• Medical examination on admission
• Every inmate must appear before the responsible
  registered nurse or the attending medical
  practitioner for a medical examination, as soon
  as possible but within the first 24 hours after
  admission.
• Personal hygiene
• Every inmate must, as soon as possible after
  admission, be given the opportunity to take a
  bath/shower and as often as necessary
  thereafter, also be allowed to take a
  bath/shower in order to maintain a high standard
  of personal hygiene.
• All inmates must be provided with the prescribed
  toiletries upon admission, unless they have
  their own toiletries in their possession or
  prefer to purchase their own.

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GUIDELINES (continue)

• Orientation
• The Head of Correctional Centre or an official
  authorized by him/her must address all new
  admissions including escapees and parole
  violators as soon as possible after admission by
  means of an intercom system, a tape recording or
  by reading from the Manual for Inmates (G412).
  Where necessary the services of an interpreter
  may be utilized.

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GUIDELINES (continue)

• Notification of next-of-kin
• Inmates must be given the opportunity to inform
  their next-of-kin of their admission to the
  correctional centre and furnish the address
  details themselves (should they so wish). If the
  inmate does not wish his/her next-of-kin to be
  informed of his/her incarceration, this must be
  indicated on the back of the warrant and the
  inmate must sign next to this entry.
• Inmates must use their own stationery (paper) if
  possible. If an inmate does not have his/her own
  stationery/funds, stationery must be provided for
  this purpose. Inmates who cannot write, must be
  provided with the necessary assistance
  (fellow-inmates/officials).

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GUIDELINES (continue)

• Identification cards
• Every inmate must be provided with an
• identity card as soon as possible after
  admission.
• Opening of offender file
• A file is opened for all sentenced offenders
  with sentences of longer than twelve (12) months
  imprisonment.
• Calculation and recording of release dates
• After a sentenced offender has been admitted,
  the following dates must be calculated and noted
  on the warrant(s) and entered on computer
• Maximum release date.
• Consideration date for parole/ correctional
  supervision (e.g.1/6, ¼, 1/3, ½ and non
  parole period determined by the court)
• Profile submission date.

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GUIDELINES (continue)

• Searching
• Every inmate must be searched on admission to a
  centre.
• The searching should be conducted in a seemly
  manner and as far as practicably and reasonably
  essential in the circumstances, without injury
  to the self respect of the inmate. It should
  only be thorough enough to disclose any
  unauthorised article.
• An inmate should never be undressed and searched
  in the presence and in full view of other
  inmates. Undressing must be done in a room where
  the inmate is out of sight of other persons and
  it must be ensured that there are no other
  inmates present in the room. Undressing should
  only be ordered when it is suspected that the
  inmate has an unauthorised article in his/her
  possession which would not be detected
  otherwise.
• Searching of inmates must only be done by
  officials of the same gender.

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GUIDELINES (continue)

• Computer records
• The following management reports must, amongst
  others, be drawn on a weekly/ monthly basis by
  the Supervisor Case Management Administration and
  rectified (if necessary) and on a monthly basis
  by the Head of the Correctional Centre
• Young offenders in custody
• Offenders with further charges
• Inmates with expired court dates
• Sentenced offenders without release dates
• Offenders without Criminal Record numbers
• Infants without next-of-kin
• Offenders with expired release dates
• Outstanding recommendations/ profile reports
  offenders serving sentences up to 24 months
• ATDs longer than 3 months in detention.

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