Prison overcrowding crisis raises alarm with 57,000 remand detainees
Image: File
The Department of Correctional Services has revealed that it has a staggering population of 57, 000 remand detainees while prisons are bursting at the seams with an overcrowding of 163, 000 prisoners.
The department said its attempts to refer cases to court for some categories of prisoners to be released to serve community corrections, were not yielding much success as fewer matters were approved.
Deputy minister Lindiwe Ntshalintshali said the law provided that remand detainees may be considered for correctional supervision after serving almost two years uninterrupted detention.
'Where we apply and seek approval, we don't have control over that hence we say the engagement between ministers (Correctional and Justice) is very important so that they can assist in that regard,' she said, adding that some remand detainees can't be released because of the nature of crimes committed.
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On Friday, MPs heard that the Correctional Services Act makes a provision that the period of incarceration of a remand detainee must not exceed two years from the initial date of admission into the remand detention facility without such matter having been brought to the attention of the court.
The Criminal Procedure Act allows any court when a charge is pending when bail is granted to add further conditions of bail under correctional supervision on application by the prosecutor.
A presentation to the portfolio committee on Friday showed that there were 57,901 remand detainees as at June 30.
Chief deputy commissioner for remand detainees Cynthia Ramulifho said the prison population stood at 163,179.
She said the court referrals, made on the basis of the Criminal Procedure and Correctional Services Acts, were used to reduce overcrowding in prisons.
Ramulifho said there were 71 unsentenced children while 41 were incarcerated.
'At the time we appeared before the committee, we were sitting around 56 and now it has gone up,' she said in reference to unsentenced minors.
Ramulifho also said about 40% of the total sentenced offender population were serving sentences above 15 years, inclusive of those serving life sentences.
'Lifers will typically remain incarcerated for longer periods of time and are sentenced or convicted of serious crimes. This means that bed spaces will not become readily available, which places more pressure on already overcrowded correctional facilities.'
She told MPs that the department identified those remand detainees who qualify for referral to be considered for correctional supervision.
Ramulifho said: 'We don't get positive results.'
Out of the 24,566 referrals made in 2022/23, only 308 were successful.
There were only 560 referrals that were approved out of 19,764 the following year.
In 2024/25, only 676 were approved from 18,206.
The department revealed that only 2405 referral for conversion of bail to correctional supervision were proved over the past three years.
Ntshalintshali said the figures showed that there were challenges in terms of the results they desired.
'Whereas Correctional Services is pushing, there is a bit of a process with the Minister of Justice. We must find a way to deal with these matters," she said.
MK Party's Musawenkosi Gasa said the data revealed that were systemic inefficiencies.
'The high percentage of inmates serving above 15 years exacerbates the overcrowding yet Department of Correctional Services fails to propose a concrete plan for long-term sentencing reforms,' Gasa said.
ANC's Samuel Moela said the issue of overcrowding remained a serious challenge in correctional centres.
Moela said the planned meeting between the two ministries should meet so that they could commit to a long term solution to the overcrowding problem in the prisons.
Committee chairperson Kgomotso Ramolobeng urged the two departments to continue working together in order to strive for better ways to implement the pieces of legislation effectively. Ramolobeng called on the department to capacitate and improve the functioning of community corrections so that the courts can have confidence in the system and place more remand detainees under correctional supervision.
mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za
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Prison overcrowding crisis raises alarm with 57,000 remand detainees
The Department of Correctional Services says its attempts to refer cases to court for some categories of prisoners to be released to serve community corrections were not yielding much success as fewer matters were approved. Image: File The Department of Correctional Services has revealed that it has a staggering population of 57, 000 remand detainees while prisons are bursting at the seams with an overcrowding of 163, 000 prisoners. The department said its attempts to refer cases to court for some categories of prisoners to be released to serve community corrections, were not yielding much success as fewer matters were approved. Deputy minister Lindiwe Ntshalintshali said the law provided that remand detainees may be considered for correctional supervision after serving almost two years uninterrupted detention. 'Where we apply and seek approval, we don't have control over that hence we say the engagement between ministers (Correctional and Justice) is very important so that they can assist in that regard,' she said, adding that some remand detainees can't be released because of the nature of crimes committed. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ On Friday, MPs heard that the Correctional Services Act makes a provision that the period of incarceration of a remand detainee must not exceed two years from the initial date of admission into the remand detention facility without such matter having been brought to the attention of the court. The Criminal Procedure Act allows any court when a charge is pending when bail is granted to add further conditions of bail under correctional supervision on application by the prosecutor. A presentation to the portfolio committee on Friday showed that there were 57,901 remand detainees as at June 30. Chief deputy commissioner for remand detainees Cynthia Ramulifho said the prison population stood at 163,179. She said the court referrals, made on the basis of the Criminal Procedure and Correctional Services Acts, were used to reduce overcrowding in prisons. Ramulifho said there were 71 unsentenced children while 41 were incarcerated. 'At the time we appeared before the committee, we were sitting around 56 and now it has gone up,' she said in reference to unsentenced minors. Ramulifho also said about 40% of the total sentenced offender population were serving sentences above 15 years, inclusive of those serving life sentences. 'Lifers will typically remain incarcerated for longer periods of time and are sentenced or convicted of serious crimes. This means that bed spaces will not become readily available, which places more pressure on already overcrowded correctional facilities.' She told MPs that the department identified those remand detainees who qualify for referral to be considered for correctional supervision. Ramulifho said: 'We don't get positive results.' Out of the 24,566 referrals made in 2022/23, only 308 were successful. There were only 560 referrals that were approved out of 19,764 the following year. In 2024/25, only 676 were approved from 18,206. The department revealed that only 2405 referral for conversion of bail to correctional supervision were proved over the past three years. Ntshalintshali said the figures showed that there were challenges in terms of the results they desired. 'Whereas Correctional Services is pushing, there is a bit of a process with the Minister of Justice. We must find a way to deal with these matters," she said. MK Party's Musawenkosi Gasa said the data revealed that were systemic inefficiencies. 'The high percentage of inmates serving above 15 years exacerbates the overcrowding yet Department of Correctional Services fails to propose a concrete plan for long-term sentencing reforms,' Gasa said. ANC's Samuel Moela said the issue of overcrowding remained a serious challenge in correctional centres. Moela said the planned meeting between the two ministries should meet so that they could commit to a long term solution to the overcrowding problem in the prisons. Committee chairperson Kgomotso Ramolobeng urged the two departments to continue working together in order to strive for better ways to implement the pieces of legislation effectively. Ramolobeng called on the department to capacitate and improve the functioning of community corrections so that the courts can have confidence in the system and place more remand detainees under correctional supervision.
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