The Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services today held an informative and frank engagement regarding correctional supervision and parole boards in South Africa.

The committee was briefed by the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) on the structure and functions, challenges, and successes, plans to address identified challenges, and progress in legislation to overhaul the parole system.

Committee Chairperson Ms Kgomotso Anthea Ramolobeng said the committee extensively discussed all the matters, with a key focus on medical parole. “The committee commends the presentation. Our questions and concerns were mostly covered. Some of the statistics on medical parolees and the way forward in terms of vacancies will be addressed to the committee in writing to further interrogate this matter,” she said.

The committee heard there are currently 52 correctional supervision and parole boards (CSPB) in the country, whose main function is to consider offenders for possible placement on parole and correctional supervision. The Correctional Services Act (CSA) provides that any sentenced offender may be considered for placement on medical parole by the National Commissioner, the CSPB or the Minister. The Minister must establish a Medical Parole Advisory Board (MPAB) to provide an independent medical report to the National Commissioner, the CSPB or the Minister.

The MPAB must make a recommendation to the National Commissioner, the CSPB or the Minister on whether it is appropriate to grant medical parole. The committee heard that the CSA provides a list of medical conditions for consideration by the MPAB when assessing an offender’s medical parole application.

Regarding deaths of inmates while awaiting medical parole outcomes, the committee heard that during the 2023/24 financial year, 22 offenders died before their medical parole applications could be finalised. During the same financial year, 85 offenders had applied for medical parole, four of whom were released on normal parole, 43 of whom were recommended for medical parole, 13 were not recommended and 22 died prior to their applications process being completed.

“We have raised concerns. We noted that vacancies exist in some of these boards, which could be a contributing factor. The department will furnish us with further information we required,” Ms Ramolobeng emphasised.

Ms Ramolobeng further stated that some committee members had concerns about inmates who were granted medical parole as they were terminally ill, but more than a decade later they are still to be found functioning well in society.

The DCS said that statistics relating to this issue will be provided to the committee in writing. However, the committee was assured that the board reviewing such matters is expert in the health field. The DCS conceded that such exceptional cases do exist but maintained that the number is small.

“The department will provide us with the statistics of such matters, but they have assured us in the meantime that that figure is generally low. We will engage once we received the information requested,” said Ms Ramolobeng.