Abstract
The establishment of a constitutional democracy in South Africa necessitated widespread institutional reforms across state sectors. A key feature of such reforms was the emphasis on oversight and accountability as illustrated in reform endeavours pursued in the South African Police Service, courts and prisons. One such oversight mechanism – the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services (JICS) – is the subject of this article. Drawing on qualitative interviews with people closely involved with the JICS since 1998, this article presents ‘insider views’ regarding the JICS. We conclude with incumbents’ views on the effectiveness of the JICS.
Highlights
Under apartheid, South African prisons bore the imprint of racialised and repressive rule
The office is headed up by an Inspecting Judge (IJ), who is assisted by a Chief Executive Officer (CEO), under whom are three units: the support services directorate, the legal services directorate, and the management regions directorate
The Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services (JICS) has been highly critical of the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), its recommendations and findings have been largely disregarded by the DCS
Summary
The establishment of a constitutional democracy in South Africa necessitated widespread institutional reforms across state sectors. A key feature of such reforms was the emphasis on oversight and accountability as illustrated in reform endeavours pursued in the South African Police Service, courts and prisons. One such oversight mechanism – the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services (JICS) – is the subject of this article. The role of the ICCV is to regularly visit correctional centres, interview inmates and record complaints, and attempt to resolve complaints with the DCS where possible, submitting unresolved complaints to the IJ and writing monthly reports to be submitted to the IJ’s office.[10] Visitors Committees (VC) are established to deal with unresolved complaints, schedule visits to correctional facilities, and engage with community leaders. How do those situated at the upper echelons of the JICS reflect on the mandate, role, achievements and challenges of this oversight mechanism?
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