By Ragheema Mclean
South Africa’s parole system is grappling with significant challenges, primarily due to a critical shortage of trained criminologists within the Department of Correctional Services.
A recent parliamentary briefing highlighted this pressing issue, revealing that the shortage of qualified professionals is a key factor delaying parole decisions.
Currently, there is only one criminologist assessing parole applications for life-sentence prisoners, leading to substantial backlogs and raising concerns about the fairness and effectiveness of the parole process.
Speaking on VOC’s PM Drive show Dr. Elizabeth Grobler, a criminologist explained the distinction between a general shortage of criminologists and the specific lack of trained correctional criminologists.
“There is a huge shortage of trained correctional criminologists, and that is the fault of the Department of Correctional Services, as they do not employ criminologists and fail to recognize the value of the work we do,” Dr. Grobler stated.
She pointed out that there is only one trained criminologist in the entire system, currently based in the Western Cape.
“Ironically, this individual holds the position of CO3, the lowest rank in corrections, despite being fully qualified.”
While universities in South Africa offer courses in correctional criminology and some facilitate programs for students to practice on parole applications, Dr. Grobler noted that even those with experience often struggle to find employment in the field.
“It’s a huge disadvantage to the entire rehabilitation system,” she explained.
“There are enough correctional criminologists, and they are not being utilized effectively, but they need to be trained and employed by correctional services formally.”
Listen to the full interview below:
VOC News
Photo: VOCfm
