THE Department of Correctional Services reported that in 2023, more than 2 000 prisoners were on probation and over 5 000 inmates were released on parole in the Western Cape.
This has sparked worries as there aren't enough police officers to keep an eye on parolees, leading to fear in some communities.
Ian Cameron, the director of Action Society, issued a warning that people no longer have faith in the rehabilitation process and might conclude that parolees cannot be successfully rehabilitated.
According to Candice Van-Reenen, a spokesman for correctional services, the Western Cape had 5 300 parolees and slightly more than 2 300 offenders on probation as of the first quarter of the 2023–24 financial year.
“Out of these, 1 409 cases were given consideration for parole placement, and the Correctional Supervision and Parole Board (CSPB) provided additional profiles for 554 prisoners. In the first quarter of the financial year, the Western Cape had 467 revocations while the CSPB approved 705 placements,” said Van-Reenen.
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The chair of the National Community Policing Forum, Fransina Lukas, expressed concern that correctional authorities did not confer with them prior to making the release decisions.
She said there's no assurance that these offenders won't commit crimes in the future.
Chief Hamish Arries, the chairwoman of the Elsies River CPF said:
According to MEC for Police Oversight and Community Safety Reagen Allen, parole is a privilege granted to sentenced criminals following a predetermined amount of time behind bars.
But the SAPS recorded 2 902 individuals released on parole in the Western Cape between April and 21 November 2023.
“Unfortunately, 113 of these parolees have since committed new crimes and been taken into custody - these crimes include 19 assaults, 17 drug possessions, 14 thefts, and four murders," he said.
Allen said it was the responsibility of correctional services to make sure all parolees followed their parole requirements.
