R10m audio-visual system to be launched today
With this video conferencing capacity, built with funding from the Criminal Asset Recovery Account (CARA), victims can be informed to go to their nearest CSPB offices and be linked to the actual parole board hearings.
Today the minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Advocate Michael Masutha is expected to officially launch a R10 million audio-visual system which will to enable victims of crime to have a say in parole hearings.
The launch is scheduled to take place at the department’s head offices in Tshwane.
During Masutha’s budget speech on July 16, he was quoted saying “In November 2014 we expect to launch a video-conferencing system in all 53 Correctional Supervision and Parole Board (CSPB) offices in South Africa,”.
Adding that this innovation is intended to help reduce the barriers of participation in the parole hearings like physical distance and language barriers, “To our efforts of centralising victims in the determination of offender parole hearings,”.
Although the phenomenal progress in mobilizing victims to participate in parole hearings was initiated in 2009, it still represents less than five percent of hearings that result in parole placements of offenders.
“With this video conferencing capacity, built with funding from the Criminal Asset Recovery Account (CARA), victims can be informed to go to their nearest CSPB offices and be linked to the actual parole board hearings” said Masutha.
The launch will also feature a demonstration of the audio visual system, capturing two Correctional Supervision and Parole Board (CSPB) hearings.
