The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) has exceeded its parole and probation target for the second quarter of the current financial year.
DCS officials on Tuesday gave their quarterly presentation to the portfolio committee for July, August, and September 2025.
While the department met its targets related to monitoring the behaviour of those released early, almost 600 parolees and probationers breached their release conditions over the three-month period.
Restorative justice participants scarce
The quarterly target set by DCS for parolees meeting their release conditions sits at 97% of the 45 637 inmates out on early release.
DCS exceeded that, but 505 were forced to return to prison for reoffending.
The same target existed for the probationers, not having their freedom revoked, with 76 of the 7 428 probationers breaching their probation conditions.
DCS stated that the reason for the 99% performances in both cases was due to “intensified monitoring being conducted in accordance with the supervision procedure manual”.
However, DCS fell short of its restorative justice programme target by 7% due to an “unwillingness of offenders, parolees and probationers to participate in the restorative justice programmes”.
The same outcome was seen in community initiative participation, which DCS attributed to a lack of opportunities offered by community organisations.
To rectify these, DCS stated it would “consider conducting marketing in order to increase participation” by potential community initiatives and “orientate offenders in the implementation” of restorative justice programmes.
In the Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), DCS failed to reach its restorative justice programme targets due to a lack of victims willing to meet with their transgressors.
Over 11 000 ‘therapeutic diets’
Issues still plaguing DCS include perpetual overcrowding, health issues and socio-economic support programmes for early-release candidates.
The KZN region has a farming programme for inmates, which was hampered due to a lack of availability of seedlings.
In the Mpumalanga area, the production workshop programme experienced delays due to a lack of materials.
Additionally, five offenders contracted tuberculosis due to two inmates refusing to follow treatment instructions.
However, 71 772 inmates received social work services, 35 467 received spiritual care services, while a further 27 861 received psychological services.
In terms of physical health, 511 inmates were newly diagnosed with hypertension, 50 were diagnosed with diabetes, and 11 442 were placed on “therapeutic diets”.
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