2. The JICS is charged with monitoring the conditions of incarceration and ensuring that these are humane and not in violation of the law, and DCS policies. Interactions with inmates on site visits as well as written and telephonic appeals to the Committee reveal much inconsistency in how policies are applied, violation of laws and in many cases very poor conditions of incarceration. While these allegations confirm existing concerns about the DCS service delivery, they also draw attention to the JICS' limited capacity to impact positively on conditions of incarceration. As the JICS plays a major role in ensuring humane detention, all measures aimed at strengthening it, including a legislative review, should be investigated. The National Commissioner must, by 28 February 2010, provide a progress report on the DCS' exploration of ways in which the JICS' can be allocated its own budget and be sufficiently resourced to perform the functions it is mandated to perform.