ADMISSION OF OFFENDERS IN CORRECTIONAL CENTRES

INDEX

1. Purpose of the presentation

2. Aspects regarding admission• Identification• Filing and safe-keeping of warrants• Separation• Inmate cash• Valuable items• Private clothing

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

PURPOSE

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Orientation

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

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).

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.

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.

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* ATD’s longer than 3 months in detention.

GUIDELINES (continue)

“Working together to achieve more”