MOSSEL BAY NEWS - This week, the Department of Correctional Services hosted a briefing on the future developments of the electronic monitoring of offenders.

The briefing was attended by various role players in the justice cluster within Mossel Bay.

In March 2012, the DCS implemented electronic monitoring, tagging 150 offenders serving life sentences, to test its viability.

This innovative thinking in a new approach to corrections was partially due to a ruling by die Constitutional Court in 2011 that required the Minister of Correctional Services to consider 4000 offenders sentenced to life imprisonment, for parole placement.

Furthermore, against the background of overcrowding in South African prisons, the country is under pressure to join the worldwide notion of adopting rapid developing technology as a means of not only reducing costs, but increasing the effectiveness of corrections.

At present, it costs the South African taxpayer R9 876.35 per month to incarcerate an inmate, as opposed to the monthly R3 379 which will be the cost of electronic monitoring per offender.
This brings about a saving of almost R6500 or 65.79% per offender per month.

At Tuesday's briefing, Mr Eddie Myners, Head of Community Corrections in Mossel Bay, explained the electronic monitoring process.
"Electronic monitoring presents an attractive option in terms of curbing manpower issues," said Myners.

He used an example of his office having only three officials to physically monitor 83 cases in Riversdale alone.

Currently, five offenders in the South Cape are being managed using electronic monitoring, three of these being in Mossel Bay, one in Oudtshoorn and another in George.

The device currently in use consists of a tracker unit and transmitter, which essentially works like a cellular phone using GPS to monitor the offender's movements. A wrist watch like unit, weighing around 180g, is attached to the offender's ankle, has a battery life of 18 to 22 hours and requires a recharge of two hours to be fully operational.

"When considered for electronic monitoring, offenders are fully briefed regarding their responsibilities and how to operate the device. Any tampering with the device is seen as a violation of parole conditions, which has obvious implications for the offender," Myners explained.

Inclusive and exclusive zones are preprogrammed and the offender's movements are monitored using detailed trail animation.

According to the DCS, the observed success of the pilot indicates that electronic monitoring can be gradually expanded, starting with an increase to 500 offenders using the devices this financial year.

Myners confirmed that locally, another eight offenders are earmarked to join the electronic monitoring programme by the end of 2014.

ARTICLE: CORNELLE CARSTENS, MOSSEL BAY JOURNALIST

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