The Case for Effective Offender Reintegration
by
Khanyisile Mpuang
Khanyisile Mpuang is the National Programme Specialist for Offender Reintegration at the National Institute for Crime Prevention and Reintegration of Offenders (NICRO).
Summary
Presentation: A new decade of criminal justice in South Africa: Consolidating Transformation, Cape Town, 7-8 February 2005
Offender Reintegration
1. What efforts are being made to tackle challenges of development,
rehabilitation and reintegration?
- DCS restructuring and focusing on rehabilitation as the core of its services
- NICRO TEP programme – run with adult prisoners in about 35 prisons in 8 provinces.
- 2003 qualitative impact evaluation found:
- programme facilitated the development of people of conviction
and action
- it helped to build relationships with family and individuals
- it improved the personal skills and characteristics in terms of
personal and economic empowerment.
NB: It is difficult to know what works because there are no
reliable stats on recidivism
2. What can be achieved realistically?
- Look at the nine factors highlighted by the SEU
- Needs based programmes
- Voluntary programmes
- Offender is part of the designing of the rehabilitation programme
- Involving the broader community in sentencing and reintegration – multi-sectoral collaboration
- Non-custodial sentences
- Restorative justice
3. Resources needed and where?
- Funding for programmes inside and outside of prison
- Multisectoral collaboration – inside & outside prison
- Increased numbers of skilled personnel – inside & outside prison
- 2003 qualitative impact evaluation found:
- programme facilitated the development of people of conviction and action
- it helped to build relationships with family and individuals
- it improved the personal skills and characteristics in terms of personal and economic empowerment.
