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| New Security System for Prisons |
| By SABC News Africa |
| Published: 10/10/2005 |
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A security system worth 88 million dollars has been installed in Africa's 66 correctional centers. Ngconde Balfour, the correctional services minister, says he hopes the new system will improve safety and security in prisons. Manelisi Wolela, the chief director of communications at the department of correctional services, says that a comprehensive training programme has been set in motion to capacitate prison officials to deal with new system. The biggest challenge in correctional services is the ethical behaviour of officials, says Wolela, thus the department has started ethics training for senior management. Wolela says that the new security system is a result of observing the experiences of other countries, taking what has been successful and learning from what has not. The system is set up in such a way that it will never be left to a single group of people to be responsible for the entire system, says Wolela. A survaillance system has been set up elsewhere outside the prison so that spot checks can be conducted by independent bodies to see what is happening on the inside. Overcrowding is a reality in prisons and to avoid the security system being tampered with, the security cameras have been placed strategically to monitor the movements of the prisoners. The ultimate goal is to have cameras monitoring every cell but at present correctional services are looking at the various IT solutions available to them. For now, Wolela says they will be able to cut down the number of escapes and smuggling of illegal arms and substances that put prison authorities at risk. |
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