DA seeks transparency from Minister Lamola on the prior convictions of released parolees
19 June 2020
The Democratic Alliance (DA) will submit parliamentary questions to the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Ronald Lamola and his department to seek clarity on the release of parolees in order to reduce overcrowding in prisons in an effort to slow the spread of Covid-19.
While the government has given assurances that prisoners who were released on parole were convicted of non-violent crimes, we do not have any indication whether they have previously been convicted of violent crimes.
Many communities across the country have raised concerns in light of the rising incidences of violent crime since the easing of the lockdown.
The DA is of the view that 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 transferred into the South African context without question. In doing so, government has shown little regard for the safety of ordinary South Africans and have possibly contributed to an already deteriorating humanitarian crisis.
In the interest of transparency, we need the Department of Justice Correctional Services to provide answers to the following questions:
How many of the intended 19 000 prisoners were released on parole;
Have the released parolees had any prior violent crime convictions;
A provincial breakdown of parolees that will/have been released;
What other options were considered before the decision of reducing overpopulation in prisons; and
What is the capacity of South African prisons currently?
While South Africa’s overcrowded prisons are under immense pressure to fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, we cannot allow a situation where criminal offenders are released into communities without having carefully considered their past convictions.
The DA trusts that Minister Lamola will respond to the matter with the necessary urgency and transparency as correct data is needed to protect our communities.
Issued by Glynnis Breytenbach, DA Shadow Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, 19 June 2020
