PORT FOLIO COMMITTEE

BRIEFING

BRANCH CORRECTIONS 25

MAY 2011

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• THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE 4 NEW GENERATION CORRECTIONAL CENTRES:

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INTRODUCTION

• The aim of this status report is to provide the reader with a concise and up to date status of the progress made on the four new correctional centres under a PPP procurement structure.

• The Department is in the process of addressing overcrowding in prisons by procuring 4 new Correctional Centres through following the Public Private Partnership model.

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• The feasibility study was approved in September 2007

• The Request for Qualifications (RFQ) on the above tender was issued in Oct 2007

• Respondents submitted responses on 10 December 2007

• The RFQ evaluation process commenced on 13th May 2008

• The Commissioner appointed a team of evaluation members consisting of specially selected members from DCS, NT, DPW, TA & other specialists from government departments

PROGRESS UP TO 14 FEBRUARY 2011

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PROGRESS REPORT AT 14 FEBRUARY 2011 (CONT.)

• The short-listed bidders were announced on 30 September 2008 as per the Project Plan

• National Treasury Approval IIA (TA RFP IIA) was received on 06 Oct 2008

• Final RFP issued to the Bidders on 01 December 2008

• Bidders submitted their bid proposals on 29 May 2009

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PROGRESS REPORT AT 14 FEBRUARY 2011 (CONT.)

• On assumption of duty the Minister expressed a need for a policy review, especially to determine whether the current PPP model can deliver required services without undermining the fundamental state responsibility of managing and providing public security

• A Bid Specification Amendment process commenced on 5 March 2010

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PROGRESS REPORT AT 14 FEBRUARY 2011 (CONT.)

• The outcome of several workshops indicated that it was not feasible to materially change the current bid specifications

• The Department concluded that the current bid specifications will be amended as follows:

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PROGRESS REPORT AT 14 FEBRUARY 2011 (CONT.)

Private Party to adapt design and operational plan to include female offenders (including those with infants), youth offenders (18 to 25, including education facilities) and psychiatric offenders

Offender labour to be utilisedA variant bid to provide for a shortened project

term of 7 to 10 years for the operational elementFacilities management and maintenance to be

performed by Private Party for 25 years8

PROGRESS REPORT AT 14 FEBRUARY 2011 (CONT.)

• The above bid spec amendments were approved by the Minister in October 2010

• Extension of Bid Validity requested from Bidders

• All Bidders granted extension of Bid validity to 30 October 2011

• Currently in the process of establishing Bid Evaluation Committees

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THE REVITALIZATION OF THE LEEUWKOP PROJECT:

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Leeuwkop Background

• Leeuwkop Juvenile Correctional Centre is currently housing approximately 850 sentenced juvenile and children offenders (834 on 26 April 2011) and was built in 1983 as a temporarily structure to accommodate all sentenced children and juveniles offenders within Gauteng. However, this structure is dilapidated and not conducive for the detention of such categories of offenders.

• During the visit by the Port Folio Committee on Correctional Services on 2 August 2010, the Committee registered their concern on the conditions under which sentenced children and juveniles were detained. The Committee was of the opinion that the centre should be renovated as a matter of priority. The Committee was informed that a project to build a new Correctional Centre next to the current Leeuwkop Juvenile Correctional Centre was abandoned on account of an environmental impact study that was conducted. The envisaged 3000 bed space facility was discontinued as a result of the environmental impact study, confirming the existence of a certain specie of frog which was then regarded as endangered specie.

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Leeuwkop Discussion

• Currently Gauteng is having three facilities which are housing sentenced children and juvenile offenders, namely:

• Boksburg Correctional Centre B: Maximum offenders• Leeuwkop Medium B Correctional Centre: Medium offenders• Emthonjeni Correctional Centre: Medium offenders

• The approved capacity of the three centres is as follows:• Boksburg Correctional Centre B: 241• Leeuwkop Medium B Correctional Centre: 723• Emthonjeni Correctional Centre: 640• Total 1604

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Discussion (Cont)

• The need of DCS: Gauteng is to centralize the detention of sentenced children and juvenile offenders in the region in one facility where services can be rendered in line with the needs of these young offenders. The essence has shifted to include that 2000 of the earmarked facility of 3000 be allocated for the detention of sentenced children and juvenile offenders (inclusive of a unit for 500 for the sentenced maximum children and juveniles) with provision be made for the following:

• Skills training rooms where woodwork, metal work and bricklaying skills can be taught and practiced;

• A multi purpose hall to accommodate various rehabilitation activities undertaken by the centre; and

• A formal school in line with the norms of the Department of Education and Training, which should accommodate at least 75% of the offender population.

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Leeuwkop Discussion (Cont)

• The remaining 1000 of the envisaged 3000 correctional facility to be built will be utilized for the detention of adult maximum classified offenders.

• The centralization of the sentenced children and juvenile offenders will result in the creation of capacity at Emthonjeni and Boksburg Correctional Centre B which after upgrading other categories of offenders can be accommodated in. A serious need exists for the creating of offender space for the detention of maximum classified offenders in Gauteng and this may be the opportunity to utilize the space that will become available for this purpose.

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Leeuwkop Way forward

• The Directorate Facilities should conduct a feasibility study to determine all considerations which will include the financial implications.

• The need for the drafting of the HR-Plan for the proposed 3000 bed facility should be registered with Corporate Services.

•  The National Commissioner approves the Business Case for Leeuwkop Juvenile Correctional Centre in principle, which will have the following effect:

• The existing old temporarily structure of Leeuwkop Juvenile Correctional Centre will be replaced with a new permanent structure with 3000 beds in the format of 2000 for sentenced children and juvenile offenders and 1000 sentenced adult maximum offenders.

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THE REFURBISHMENT OF THE REMAND DETENTION FACILITIES:

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REMAND DETENTION FACILITIES (RDFs)Dedicated 11 RDFs identified

REGION CORRECTIONAL CENTRE

GAUTENG Boksburg

Johannesburg Medium A

Modderbee

Pretoria Local

EASTERN CAPE St Albans Medium A

Umtata Medium

KWAZULU/NATAL Durban Medium A

Pietermaritzburg

LMN Potchefstroom

FS/NC Grootvlei Maximum

WESTERN CAPE (BOTH CLASSIFIED AS 1)

Pollsmoor Medium A Pollsmoor Maximum 17

REMAND DETENTION FACILITIES (RDFs) (cont.)

• The Department has prepared a strategy to rollout the 11 RDFs

• The procurement route needs to be determined based on Regulations of Treasury

• The Potchefstroom RDF is the first project to be upgraded.

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POTCHEFSTROOM RDF

• Potchefstroom official bed space: 867

• 54 sentenced Females are housed

• 1 ATD Female are housed

• Females to be moved to Klerksdorp PPP on completion

• Sentenced offenders: 157 males

• Perimeter fence to be upgraded and security fence to be extended to include new buildings

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RDFs (cont.)Potchefstroom RDF Programme:

Project Description Start of construction Completion of project Responsibilities

Perimeter Fence replacement

January 2012 March 2012 NDPWDCS to supply funding

Construction of Phase 1 (New logistical, maintenance and vehicle park; new visitors, admissions and transit units

In construction November 2011 NDPW

Phase 2 (visitors , transit & admissions)

January 2012 August 2012 NDPW to procureDCS supply detail needs requirements & funding

Replacement of Kitchen floor

Existing RAMP November 2011 NDPW

Phase 3 & Phase 4 Upgrade of existing center inside and new housing unit for sentenced offenders , upgrade of sentenced

May 2012 24 Months NDPW to procureDCS supply detail needs requirements & funding

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OVERVIEW : REMAND DETENTION FACILITIES & SYSTEMS

• A joint project between the Departments of Justice and Constitutional

Development, NDPW and DCS are involved in a Project to provide video

conferencing that will allow Remand Detainees to be remanded into further

custody without the requirements of them being physically transported to the

relevant courts.

• Both the occupants of the courts and the Remand Detainees at the

Correctional Centres (CCs) will be able to communicate both verbally and

visually in order for remand court matters to be carried out.

• Magistrates courts and DCS CCs are currently being refurbished,

communication lines installed and video conferencing equipment are also

being installed to enables this. The status quo is as follows on all DCS CCs.

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PROGRESS : REMAND DETENTION FACILITIES & SYSTEMS

Installation of video postponement equipment in 22 facilities

Progress

• The video postponement project involves the rollout of the solution to 22 correctional facilities and 47 courts. The project commenced in 2008.

• The following facilities installation have been completed by DCS:– Pollsmoor Youth Centre, Pollsmoor Maximum, Goodwood, Allandale,

Bethal, Pietermaritzburg, Ladysmith, Johannesburg, Krugersdorp, Pretoria Local, Vereeniging, Nelspruit, Kroonstad, Kimberly and Bloemfontein. They are currently not operational as DCS is reliant on DoJCD for this (i.e. telephone cables, VPN Lines in certain instances). Visits are currently being undertaken in order to ensure that the refurbishments are up to the required standards.

• Note: A DCS VR Court status is only completed if tests were conducted to establish positive communication between the Magistrate Courts and the DCS VR Courts. Although it shows that IT, VPN and DVP are 100% all the sites were not tested.

PROGRESS : REMAND DETENTION FACILITIES &

INFRASTRUCTURE

Pretoria Local RDF was since September 2009 operational and serving

the Pretoria Magistrates Court. A fired occurred at the Courts in 2010.

This led to the discontinuation of the use of this technology.

Although 12 Correctional Centres and the courts that they are linked to

have had the refurbishments, equipment installations and Telkom

communication lines installed, DOJCD is still in the process of training

their own court staff on the procedures and duties of relevant staff. The

implementation of live court proceedings can only begin once they have

been trained. In the interim DCS has requested that DOJCD provide

tentative dates on when the latter Department will be ready for live court

proceedings. 23

PROGRESS : REMAND DETENTION FACILITIES & SYSTEMS

• Mthatha is behind schedule. The appointed contractor never started with

the refurbishment. A new contractor was appointed and refurbishment of

the DCS VR Court is underway.

• Telkom lines at Thohoyandou, Modderbee and Boksburg were stolen

regularly, and Telkom does not want to replace the cables as the cost is

high. Telkom suggests that we install a radio link to ensure connectivity.

• Training will now take place during April to July 2011 to accommodate the

trainers as well as the users. The delays in refurbishments have delayed

the training.

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THE FINALIZATION OF THE DCS-DPW SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT:

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SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT

• The SLA has been signed by the National Commissioner of Correctional Services and was submitted to the NDPW on 31 March 2011 for signature.

• It included the revision to limit alternative service provider to IDT following meetings with NDPW.

• NDPW Legal Services are assessing the changes.

THANK YOU26

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