Correctional Services turns to e-tags to reduce prison population
The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) publicly demonstrated its electronic monitoring system at a media briefing last week, which tags offenders with a geographical global positioning system (GPS) tracking device, as a noncustodial alternative for first-time minor offenders, detainees awaiting trial and parolees.
Correctional Services Minister Sibusiso Ndebele stated at the briefing, held at the DCS, in Pretoria, that noncustodial sentencing would assist in relieving the challenge of overcrowding in the country’s prisons.
He explained that the implementation of the device would result in reduced costs in managing offenders, from R9 800 a month – the current cost of keeping each offender incarcerated each month – to R3 379.
“The main purpose of implementing the tags is to reduce the prison population by ensuring detention outside correctional facilities,” said Ndebele, adding that the system was used to ensure that an individual remained in a desig-nated place.
He explained that a waterproof and shock-resistant personal identification device would be fitted to an offender’s ankle and it could not be removed without breaking the transmitter, which would be linked to a control room that is monitored 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Ndebele pointed out that an offender must at all times also carry a GPS receiving unit, functioning as a cellphone and equipped with a solar charger, as the unit enabled communication with the control room on the parolee’s geographical position.
“If an offender attempts to remove the device, it triggers a tamper alarm in the control room, where a central computer system monitors persons placed under surveillance,” he said.
He added that, if tampering was detected, the offender would receive a telephone call to verify the details of the alleged breach and police would follow this up by verifying infor-mation, taking statements and inspecting equipment.
“Victims of domestic abuse can be given a receiver that alerts them if the perpetrator comes within a certain radius of them,” he said, adding that the receiver was also a panic button that alerted police of possible danger.
He noted that the system enabled offenders to be reintegrated into society and urged society, communities and families to work with the DCS to derive the desired benefits of public security and managing the offender population.
Comments
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation