Latest news with #Correctional
IOL News
5 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
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.
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Deported doctor; cheap flights from T.F. Green; Track 15 opens: Top stories this week
Here are some of The Providence Journal's most-read stories for the week of March 16, supported by your subscriptions. Nowell Academy in Providence consistently ranks at the bottom of the state in terms of graduation rate and absenteeism. But there's a success story hiding behind those metrics – one that makes Nowell unlike any other school in Rhode Island, with a mission to serve students whose educations have been derailed by difficult circumstances. The Journal's Tom Mooney talks with some of them – from teen parents, to refugees working to master English, to students over 18 who know that Nowell is "the last stop on the train" to earning a diploma. The school's wrap-around supports are the key to their success, whether it's on-site day care, or texts, phone calls and taxi service from dedicated teachers. March Madness has arrived in Providence, and The Journal has all you need to know, from the action on the court at Amica Mutual Pavilion to the dining scene, block parties and the logistics of road closures and parking. For that and more and sports news, go to . Food editor Gail Ciampa catches you up on the dining scene, with a first-quarter report on restaurants that have closed and opened so far in 2025. Here are the week's top reads on BOSTON – The federal government said in court papers filed Monday that a Rhode Island doctor, Dr. Rasha Alawieh, was deported from Logan Airport last week after customs and border officers found "sympathetic photos and videos" of on her cellphone. "With the discovery of these photographs and videos, CBP questioned Dr. Alawieh and determined that her true intentions in the United States could not be determined," the documents said. "As such CBP canceled her visa and deemed Dr. Alawieh inadmissible to the United States." According to government filings, Alawieh, a kidney transplant doctor for Brown Medicine, told officials that she followed the religious and spiritual teachings of the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah 'but not his politics.' Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli air strike on Hezbollah headquarters in September. The documents said Alawieh had during her recent two-week visit back to Lebanon to visit her family. Read more of The Journal's coverage of the events surrounding Alawieh's deportation, and Brown University's recommendation to international students, faculty and staff not to travel abroad during the upcoming spring break. Immigration: 'Nothing to do with politics': How Hezbollah photos led to RI doctor's controversial deportation CRANSTON – The locks on some prison cell doors in Maximum Security at the Adult Correctional Institutions are malfunctioning, 'a real significant problem,' says the head of the correctional officers' union, compounded by the absence of a locksmith at the prison. 'It's become a running joke,' said Richard Ferruccio, president of the Rhode Island Brotherhood of Correctional Officers. 'We're a prison without a locksmith and nobody can understand that.' Ferruccio says the corrections department's locksmith retired in 2022 and the private contracting service the department now uses isn't doing proper preventative maintenance. spokesman J.R. Ventura acknowledged problems with some locking systems in the old granite institution, built in 1878, but said the situation had not led to any assaults or attempted escapes. Read on to see what fixes are in the works. Corrections: Some cell locks in ACI's Maximum Security are failing. What's being done? WARWICK − Looking to fly away from ? The state airport had nine destinations, all on the East Coast, available for $44, at least as of Thursday morning. West Coast destinations were available for less than $100, and you could even get out of the U.S. for under $150. Check out the full story for a list of the bargain flights from coast to coast departing from T.F. Green. Transportation: Wondering where you can fly from RI for cheap? So did we. Here's what we found. Despite its status as the smallest state, Rhode Island's neat division into 39 distinct municipalities was a complicated process that spanned centuries. While many of the Ocean State's regional names are a nod to Narragansett Indian Tribe words, others came from English Colonists. But you might have wondered, what's the deal with towns that sort of share a name, but tack on 'East' or 'North' to clearly distinguish themselves? What and Why RI explores the question from all directions. What and Why RI: No need for a compass. Here's why some RI towns have directions in their names , the Providence food hall in the former Union Station, opened Tuesday after four years of planning and construction. Food editor Gail Ciampa calls it as a stunning homage to the past with original features from the venue's former life as a train station, including barrel-vault brick ceilings and granite walls, wooden tabletops made from old railroad car floors, and menu boards that flash the available food items just as departure boards do at train stations. The food also stars here, with seven restaurants offering a variety of cuisines in a fast, casual service style. Hungry for more? Read Gail's full report on the menu options. Dining: Track 15: Everything you need to know about Providence's new food hall To read the full stories, go to Find out how to subscribe here. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Deported doctor; cheap air fares from RI; Track 15 food hall opens
