Parole for prisoners will worsen Covid-19 humanitarian crisis

The Democratic Alliance (DA) does not support the decision by President Cyril Ramaphosa to authorise the parole of thousands of selected categories of sentenced offenders in order to reduce overcrowding in prisons in an effort to slow the spread of Covid-19.

While South Africa’s overcrowded prisons create unique challenges for the Department of Correctional Services in the fight against Covid-19, we believe that the government has not adequately explored all of its options in this regard, and that this release of prisoners may lead to a greater humanitarian crisis than that which it is attempting to avoid.

Many of the prisoners who stand to be released do not have families or homes to return to. Those who do, may well return to a home where there is already little or no food. Finding employment, difficult enough under the best of circumstances for those with a criminal record, will be impossible in the current economy. All of these factors will increase the possibility of re-offending, contributing to South Africa’s high recidivism rate. It also adds a high social burden on already struggling families and communities.

Government could and should have explored alternative means of reducing overpopulation in prisons, such as converting unused Department of Public Works properties into low-security correctional facilities for petty offenders and those nearing the end of their sentences. The unsanitary and unsafe conditions in our prisons are not recent, nor or are they the result of the virus. These conditions are the results of 26 years of neglect and failure to upgrade prisons in line with the increasing inmate population.

Early release should only be considered if there is a social worker’s report that indicates that the offender has shelter to return to, will not place an unnecessary financial burden on relatives, and is at low risk of re-offending, with proper processes in place to allow Community Corrections to deal with a deluge of parolees. They are certainly not in a position to do so at such short notice, unable as they are to deal with their current workload.

The placement on parole of prisoners to relieve overcrowding may be a model that has worked well in developed countries, but it cannot simply be transposed into the South African context without question. In doing so, government has shown little regard for the safety of ordinary South Africans, and contributes to an already looming humanitarian crisis.

Statement issued by Glynnis Breytenbach MP - Shadow Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, 8 May 2020