Minister makes a case for electronic monitoring of offenders

01 Feb 2016 | Admin Author

Correctional Services Minister, Sibusiso Ndebele, continues to make a case for the electronic monitoring of prisoners.

This, as part of his ongoing bid to ease over-crowding in prisons.

Ndebele briefed the media on Monday on some of the benefits of electronic monitoring of offenders, saying while it costs the taxpayer more than R9 800 rand a month to keep one prisoner in jail, electronic monitoring of the same offender will cost a little over R3 300 rand a month.

Ndebele's spokesperson, Logan Maistry, says a pilot project was introduced last March, monitoring 150 offenders, mainly lifers as part of the electronic monitoring pilot project.

He says as the pilot project draws to a close, the Department is planning to roll out the programme nationally.

"We want to ensure that various challenges including the challenge of overcrowding in correctional centres in South Africa is addressed through electronic monitoring . We believe it is a giant leap forward and is the solution to various challenges in the system" he said