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By Lisa Isaacs 
10h ago
Cape Town – The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) in the Western Cape has refuted allegations that offenders at the Brandvlei Correctional Center are being denied access to continue their studies.
In a complaint shared with the Cape Times on behalf of the students, it is alleged that inmates were denied fair access to study equipment and prevented from continuing their higher education for the 2021 academic year.
“One of these students violated DCS policy of not having personal photos on his study equipment and underwent disciplinary proceedings. The inmate (was) punished with a penalty of 42 days without phone calls or visits and an additional degradation of his (inmate’s privilege classification) from group A to group C, ”the complaint said.
Senior DCS officials further decided that the inmate could not apply for the 2021 academic year despite the fact that it had been recommended that he be allowed to do so, under strict supervision of access to electronic equipment, while undergoing rehabilitation programs. offered by DCS, the complaint said.
It is also alleged that inmates had difficulty accessing online platforms until the end of the 2020 academic year, and one student was allegedly missing a subject rewrite.
“This rewriting was based on the fact that in the initial exam the questions asked were not part of the curriculum and there were also failures in the system,” the complaint reads.
In a statement, DCS refuted the claims, saying that all criminals at the Unisa Hub were allowed daily access to DCS-owned laptops, and all sat down for their 2020 final exams.
The offender who violated DCS policy had used the studio laptop to download pornographic material and showed it to other inmates, DCS said.
“The offender was punished … and he was still allowed to write his final exams.
“(The) offender will be exposed to therapeutic programs, as advised by the psychologist, as well as rehabilitation programs of the DCS. The outcome of the intervention program will pave the way for this offender with regard to further studies, ”DCS said.
“The Brandvlei Correctional Center is one of the few prisons in the country that is considered state of the art. It is for this reason that Correctional Services in the Western Cape is using this facility for all skill development programs and additional learning programs, for all offenders who are interested in studying.
“In this facility, offenders’ studies are not compromised and no offenders are deprived of studying, instead offenders are encouraged to study and improve their grades,” DCS said.
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