UNDERSTANDING PAROLE: DCS LAUNCHES PUBLIC EDUCATION CAMPAIGN  

• The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) has launched a nationwide Public Education Campaign on Parole to enhance public understanding of the parole system and its role within South Africa’s criminal justice framework.
• This initiative highlights the importance of restorative justice in fostering reconciliation between offenders, victims, and communities, while also emphasising the conditional nature of parole as a tool for rehabilitation and reintegration.
• The campaign seeks to engage diverse stakeholders, including victims, offenders’ families, and vulnerable groups, ensuring transparency and inclusivity in the parole process.  

The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) is rolling out a nationwide Public Education Campaign on Parole to increase public awareness and understanding of the parole system. This initiative underscores the benefits of the Restorative Justice (RJ) programme, which aims to support victims, offenders, and communities in fostering healing and rehabilitation. Through this campaign, the DCS seeks to engage primary victims (direct victims), secondary victims (families and friends of offenders or victims), communities, and vulnerable groups, including individuals with disabilities, children, older persons, young people, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community.  

What is Parole?  

Parole is an internationally recognised mechanism that allows for the conditional release of offenders from correctional facilities into society before they have served their full sentence. In South Africa, parole involves transitioning offenders from correctional centres to community-based corrections, where they serve the remainder of their sentence under supervision.  

If offenders violate parole conditions or lose community support, they may be returned to the correctional centre to complete their sentence.  

Roles in the Parole Process  

Head of Correctional Centre (HoCC): Handles parole and correctional supervision decisions for offenders serving sentences of 24 months or less.  

Correctional Supervision and Parole Board (CSPB): Considers parole for offenders with sentences exceeding 24 months and applications for sentence conversion.  

Minister of Correctional Services: Approves or denies parole for offenders serving life sentences.  

The CSPB consists of community representatives, a DCS-appointed secretary, and, in certain cases, South African Police Service (SAPS) officials, who provide input on crime trends and community stability.  

Factors for Parole Consideration  

The CSPB evaluates several factors before approving parole, including:  

• The nature and gravity of the crime.  
• The offender’s behaviour and progress in rehabilitation programmes.  
• Availability of community support systems.  
• Participation in restorative justice processes.  

Placement Options  

1. Day Parole: Offenders are allowed to work, seek employment, or reconnect with families during the day but must return to a designated facility in the evening.  
2. Medical Parole: Offered to terminally ill offenders who pose minimal risk to society, based on recommendations from registered medical practitioners.  

Offender Rights and Responsibilities  

While offenders are not entitled to parole, they have the right to a timely and fair consideration process, with decisions communicated transparently. A parole board’s decision may be reviewed by the Minister, the Inspecting Judge, or the National Commissioner if there are grounds for reconsideration.  

Conditions of Parole  

Parole conditions vary but may include:  

• House detention.  
• Community service.  
• Employment requirements.  
• Abstinence from drugs and alcohol.  
• Participation in rehabilitation programmes.  

By providing conditional release, parole serves as a rehabilitative measure, easing offenders’ reintegration into society while maintaining public safety. However, non-compliance with conditions results in the revocation of parole and a return to incarceration.  

The DCS’s Public Education Campaign aims to foster understanding and trust in the parole system, encouraging dialogue and collaboration across all sectors of society.