The study focuses on an overview of the performance management and the development system in the Department of Correctional Services with special focus on Limpopo province, Mpumalanga province and Northwest province (which is referred to as Limpopo region in this research). The main research question was "what does the current performance management development system in the Department of Correctional Services in the Limpopo region look like?" The relevant literature was consulted and in order to gain a clear view and understanding of performance management in general. The overview focuses on the general concept of performance management so as to understand it, its origin, purpose, benefits, advantages and disadvantages. The second part focuses on the performance management system in the general Public Service. This was done in order to establish whether there is any alignment between general performance management and what is being implemented in the Public Service. It was established that there is no difference between the general concept of performance management and what is being implemented in the Public Service in general. The main focus is on the policy used in the Public Service. The last part deals with the research question and focuses on the Department of Correctional Services in particular in the previously demarcated region. The Performance Management and Development System Policy was used to determine if there is any alignment between the general performance management, performance management in the Public Service and what is being implemented in the Department of Correctional Services. The findings show that there is no difference between the Performance Management and Development System being applied in the different areas. Several minor challenges were picked up, based on the findings of the internal audit on performance management, and relevant recommendations are provided. In general, based on the findings and percentage of compliance, the research shows that the Performance Management and Development System is being effectively implemented in the Limpopo region of the Department of Correctional Services. / Public Administration and Management / M. Tech. (Public Administration and Management)

The situation of prisons in Africa has been of concern to practitioners in the criminal justice system, researchers, policy makers, the government and even international organizations. Likewise, is the challenge of not having adequate information about prison system in Africa. In addition, most African countries are signatories to international treaties and convention regarding the treatment of prisoners, to what extent are prisons in Africa complying with the provisions and recommendation of such treaties and conventions. This study was therefore designed to explore the prison system in Africa countries. As part of its objectives the study explored the prison condition in countries in Africa as exemplified by the physical structure of the prison buildings; living conditions with regards to overcrowding, medical care, separation of categories, food, sanitation, beds and beddings, administration and independent monitoring. Furthermore, the treatment and prison conditions of pre- trial detainees were also considered. Similarly, this thesis evaluated the treatment and prison conditions of prisoners with special needs. This category of prisoners include prisoners with mental health care needs, prisoners with disabilities, foreign national prisoners, older prisoners, prisoners on the death row and prisoners living with HIV/AIDS. The conditions and treatment of women prisoners, pregnant women prisoners, and babies living with their mothers in prison were also discussed. The Nelson Mandela Rules, Kampala and Luanda declarations were employed as a bench mark to ascertain whether the treatment and conditions in prisons in Africa meet up to international standards. The study adopted a qualitative approach of inquiry using literature search as mode of inquiry. Data for the study was obtained from books, reports from international organisations such as United Nations, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Penal Reform International, Amnesty International, international conventions and treaties among others, journals (Local, Africa and International), reports from selected countries, government legislations, policies, Acts, previous studies on prison system, web based information and national data. The review of literature with regards to physical structure revealed that most prisons in African countries do not meet international standards pertaining to the issue of physical structure as most prison building are dilapidated and in bad conditions. The study further revealed that the prisons and treatment of prisoners in African prison do not meet international standards. In specific terms, most of the prisons in countries in Africa are overcrowded; most prisons are also characterized by inadequate medical care with lack of facilities, medical personnel and medications. To a large extent most prisons do not meet international standards with reference to separation of categories as most prisons in countries in Africa lock up awaiting trial persons with convicted persons, minor offenders with adult but in most cases women are separated from men. The food situation in most prisons in countries in Africa did not meet international standards in quantity and nutritional value. The finding of the study indicated that the sanitary conditions in most prisons in countries in Africa is in very poor condition which could lead to an outbreak of diseases, this too did not meet international standards. Most prisons in countries in Africa are typified by lack of beds and beddings, prisoners in some prisons sleep on bare floors while some sleep standing while others sleep in shifts. This condition does not meet international standards. With regards to administration it was equally revealed that the record keeping of most prisons in countries in Africa is inadequate, most prisons do not have an ombudsman where prisoners could lodge their complaints while corruption seem to also be rife. This do not meet international standards as well. However, on a good note, most prisons in countries in Africa do permit independent observers such as NGOs, human rights organisations and international organization to have access to the prisons Furthermore, literature search disclosed that the population of awaiting trial person in prisons in Africa is very high when compared to the total prison population and that some countries in Africa are among countries in the world with highest number of pre - trial detainees. The treatment and living conditions of pre - trial detainees in most prisons in African countries do not meet international standards as they are locked in overcrowded cells, often locked up with convicted persons, no legal representation and having to stay longer that the stipulates without being charged to court. The thesis also conducted literature search on prisoners with special needs and the study point out that in each of the categories, prisons in countries in African countries do not meet international standards. For instance, there are no provisions to meet the mental health care needs of prisoners as there are no mental health practitioners, no facilities and no screening is conducted in most prisons. Similarly, there are no facilities to assist prisoners living with physical disabilities as well as older prisoners. The situation with foreign national prisoners are not different as there are no translation of prison materials that could make them adjust well to prison life, in some cases their consular are not contacted that they are in prison. With regards to prisoners on the death row, their conditions did not meet international standards as they are locked up in solitary confinement for most part of the day and their cells are often dirty with inadequate food and medical care. Some of this category of prisoners have been on the death row for as long as twenty years. For prisoners living with HIV/AIDS their treatment and condition does not met international standards as there are not treatment of any kind neither is there any form of screening conducted for inmates. For women prisoners, the treatment and conditions do not meet international standards as most prisons were not designed with women in mind. The living condition is unsanitary, unhygienic exemplified with inadequate toilet and bathroom facilities as well as no supply of peculiar needs of women such as sanitary towels. Review of literature equally indicates that there is no special treatment given to pregnant women prisoners. For children living with their mothers in prison, their treatment does not meet international standards as there is no special provision made for them, they share food with their mothers, some are locked up with their mothers for hours in overcrowded cells. Based on the finding of this study, some recommendations were made. These include the need to conduct more studies on prisons in countries in Africa, the need to consider reviewing the indigenous methods of treatment of offenders before the advent of colonial masters, need for a synergy amongst all practitioners in the criminal justice. Other recommendations are that there should be more advocacy on the prison conditions, need to establish a special trust fund, involve the private sector as well as professional bodies and to professionalize corrections management / Corrections Management / Ph. D. (Criminal Justice System)

Doctorat en sciences psychologiques / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the implementation of the Unit Management into the South African Correctional Centres of Excellence. The focal point is based on the case management, multi-disciplinary approach, monitoring, and human rights of offenders. Unit Management was adopted into South African correctional system in 1995 under the leadership of the former Minister of Correctional Services Dr Sipho Mzimela. Unit Management was firstly practiced at Goodwood Correctional Centre of Excellence in the Western Cape. The concept of Unit Management was viewed as a strategic change by the Department in ensuring the core business of the Department and the rehabilitation of offenders. In an effort to examine the application of Unit Management into the Correctional Centres of Excellence and how Unit Management influences the rehabilitation of sentenced offenders, a study was conducted to acquire knowledge and perspective from the available literature. In ensuring good and proper work, the researcher employed a qualitative methodology. The researcher collected data by means of structured questionnaires. Data were analysed using SPSS system for statistical reasons. Frequency tables were used to simplify the analysis per section and category. The findings from this study revealed that there is no monitoring of Unit Management taking place into the Correctional Centres of Excellence from management, there is no management involvement. It also revealed that the human rights of offenders are not respected during the implementation of Unit Management. The findings revealed that multi-disciplinary approach is dysfunctional owing to lack of professional staff. The findings also indicate that efforts to implement Unit Management into the Correctional Centres of Excellence are a failure owing to the abovementioned factors. / Corrections Management / M.A. (Penology)

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / A prisoner who's behaviour is causing a security risk for his fellow prisoners, has to be separated from the rest of the prison population. His aggressive and violent attitude as well as his rejection of authority will lead to his incarceration at a super. maximum institution. The purpose of this thesis is to give a theoretical explanation on super maximum imprisonment. Aspects as prison architecture, the handling of the super maximum prisoner, the purpose and function of a super maximum prison and unit management as a form of prison management are observed. The subject is explained from a penological perspective. / Gevangenes wie se optrede 'n sekuriteits-risiko vir ander gevangenes inhou, moet apart aangehou word. Hul aggressiewe en gewelddadige optrede, asook hul verwerping van gesag veroorsaak dat hul na 'n super maksimum gevangenis verwys word, waar hul slegs vir die minimum voorregte kwalifiseer. Met hierdie proefskrif word daar gepoog om 'n teoretiese uiteensetting ten opsigte van die super maksimum gevangenis te verleen. Aspekte wat onder andere die aandag geniet is gevangenisargitektuur, die hantering van die super maksimum gevangene binne inrigtingsverband, die doel en funksie van 'n super maksimum gevangenis en eenheidsbestuur as mees geskikte bestuursvorm. Die doel word vanuit 'n bepaalde oogpunt nagestreef, naamlik die penologiese perspektief. / Penology / D. Litt. et Phil.(Penology)

The purpose of this study was to contextualise the Swaziland correctional services environment and inmate population, analysing how best to respond to the needs of the organisation and providing strategies that can have an impact on crime and recidivism. Offenders in Swaziland are incarcerated because alternatives to imprisonment or the resources necessary to make a visible impact on the inmate population are not provided. There is also very little scientific information available on the profiles of inmates to determine who really needs to be incarcerated, who could be incarcerated for a shorter time and who could be taken care of in the community. In addition to the above, Swaziland correctional services finds itself in a predicament where it has to provide concrete evidence that it is effective and adding value to the social and economic reconstruction of the country. This implies the frequent assessment of the organisation's performance to ensure the continuous delivery of cost-effective, innovative and high quality correctional services. In an attempt to understand the breadth of the problems faced by Swaziland correctional services, this thesis sets out to assess the environment in which Swaziland correctional services operates and to suggest mechanisms which can be used to rehabilitate and reduce the inmate population in order to add value and sustain the delivery of an effective correctional service. This study would seem to be of value not only to correctional practitioners, but also to the police and judiciary in that they will have a better understanding of dilemmas faced by Swaziland correctional services. This will assist the police and judiciary to take more informed decisions with regard to effective law enforcement, detention of awaiting-trials and sentencing practices. With Swaziland and other African countries embarking on a new route in corrections, the academic world can also play a major role in enlightening reform in legislation, policies and practices. / Penology / D.Litt. et Phil. (Penology)

This study examines offender assessment from a criminological perspective. International and national research findings, as well as the Canadian (Level of Service Inventory - Revised, LSRI-R) and the British (Offender Assessment System, OASys) offender assessment structures, are used as guidelines to illustrate the practice of offender assessment. Offender needs and risk assessment targets are examined and highlighted for general (non-specific) as well as sex and other violent offenders. A qualitative research design, supported by explanatory, descriptive and exploratory goals, directs the methodology of this research project. Important assessment tools, such as interviewing, observation, document analysis and the application of theoretical explanations are used to assess and analyse four selected case studies (adult male offenders). These case studies are representative of the different dimensions of offender assessment, namely classification, intervention, risk management and pre-parole assessment. The offenders are individually assessed, analysed and evaluated to determine among other factors, the origin, onset, contributory factors, triggers, high-risk situations, and intervention indicators that can assist custodial therapists and the prison authorities with a more focused approach to the rehabilitation and management of offenders. Each case study is also supported by a theoretical explanation. This highlights the key role, function and contribution of criminologists in corrections, as well as the importance of a multi-fold perspective in the rehabilitation and correction of criminal behaviour. / Criminology / Thesis (D. Litt. et Phil. (Criminology))

One of the fundamental objectives of the criminal justice system in any country is to punish, rehabilitate, deter, incapacitate and reintegrate offenders into communities. The main motive of punishment therefore is to transform criminals into responsible and law-abiding citizens. Parole is acknowledged as an internationally accepted mechanism that allows for the conditional release of offenders from correctional centres into the community and forms one of the most important components of the criminal justice system value chain. The release of the offenders on parole therefore, does not negate the objectives of punishment but entrenches them through setting conditions by which all parolees must abide by. In other words, all offenders released on parole are supervised at all times by parole officials within their communities to ensure that they comply with their conditions. It is for this function- to grant parole to offenders, that the parole boards have been established in different countries. The Department of Correctional Services in South Africa has adopted the independent model of parole which provides for the parole boards that are headed by independent members from the public appointed by the Minister of Correctional Services. Parole is administered by the parole boards and has, as one of its main functions the release of offenders based on their eligibility. The absence of the performance management system for the parole board makes parole board decision making less transparent and government accountability difficult to establish. Performance management systems have been used to strengthen good governance. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the design of a model of performance management of the parole boards in the Department of Correctional Services in South Africa. / Penology / D.Litt. et Phil. (Penology)

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the implementation of the components of unit management, namely; architecture, case management, risk management and human rights in South African Youth Development Centres. The concept of unit management in correctional centres was adopted by the South African Correctional system in March 1995. However, the formal introduction of the concept was announced by the former Minister of Correctional Services, Dr. Sipho Mzimela, on 16th February 1996. The implementation of unit management was viewed as a vehicle for service delivery in South African correctional centres. Moreover, this concept was also viewed as a strategic move to ensure that corrections and the rehabilitation of inmates, as the core business of the department, are achieved. In an attempt to assess the application of unit management at South African Youth Development Centres, and how unit management influences the rehabilitation of sentenced youth offenders, a descriptive study was conducted to obtain knowledge and perspective from the available literature. In addition to a descriptive study, the researcher employed a quantitative methodology. Using the quantitative approach, data was collected by means of a structured questionnaire. In the case of coding and data analysis, a Statistical Analysis System (SAS) was utilized. In sum, Frequency Tables and Bar Charts were used to simplify the analysis per section and category. The findings from this study revealed that the conditions of detention at Youth Development Centres, specifically the level of overcrowding, influence of old correctional centre structures and the absence of custodial therapists contribute to the violence, violation of basic human rights and failure to rehabilitate youth offenders in these centres. Moreover, the findings also indicate that any efforts to implement the unit management approach proactively fails due to the abovementioned conditions in Youth Development Centres. / Unit management as a rehabilitation tool for youth offenders / Department of Penology / D.Litt. et Phil. (Penology)

The thesis examine the process of rehabilitation offered by the Department of Correctional Service as from the time the offender is admitted (sentenced) until such time he is released back into society. Rehabilitation in the departmental context is based on four key delivery areas, which must be in place to ensure that offenders are rehabilitated. Faced with several challenges, e.g. demilitarization, structural defects of the facilities that are not conducive for rehabilitation or build for Unit management principles, career path developed for officials, and the transformation of the old penitentiary system to the new generation prison system, the department failed to achieve their objectives. The thesis will examine the current process of rehabilitation in the Department of Correctional Service, and identify areas of under performance to seek best practices to improve service delivery. The study will also focus on the readiness of offenders to be release as rehabilitated offenders and the After Care the Department provide to offenders upon their release. / Corrections Management / MA (Correctional Management)