Corrections in South Africa

PEOPLE

Fatima Meer

Jonny Steinberg

Alison Liebling

CIVIL SOCIETY

NGOs

NICRO

Young in Prison South Africa (YiPSA)

Sonke Gender Justice

Other organisations

Projects

Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation of offenders

Rehabilitation of offenders is one of the priority goals in DCS. Tommy McAree and his Advisor: Dr. John Daniel conducted a study on Prisoner Rehabilitation in South Africa. It was a cases study of Phoenix Zululand's work in Eshowe Correctional Facility in the Province of KwaZulu-Natal. For their findings please see [http://www.phoenix-zululand.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/tommy-ISP-_2_1.pdf]

Rehabilitation Programmes

The Art of Living movement in partnership with DCS to render rehabilitation services to those who are incarceration. The Art of Living movement was founded in 1981 by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar,The Art of Living is an educational and humanitarian movement engaged in stress-management and service initiatives. The organization operates globally in 155 countries and has touched the lives of over 370 million people.

The programs are guided by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's philosophy of peace: "Unless we have a stress-free mind and a violence-free society, we cannot achieve world peace." To help individuals get rid of stress and experience inner peace, The Art of Living offers stress-elimination programs which include breathing techniques, meditation and yoga. These programs have helped millions around the world to overcome stress, depression and violent tendencies.

The Art of Living movement has spread peace across communities through diverse humanitarian projects, including conflict resolution, disaster relief, sustainable rural development, empowerment of women, prisoner rehabilitation, education for all, and environmental sustainability. To date Prison SMART has been very successful with 11 prisons having benefited from the program nationally, for more information see [https://www.artofliving.org/prison-program-south-africa]

Does Spirituality and Religious Programming in Prison constitutes rehabilitation?

As with all programming in corrections there is a need for some way of ensuring and measuring both the performance and the quality of religious programming. For three years the entire religious services division of the Oregon Department of Corrections (ODOC) assisted by the Center for Social Research has been engaged in a major review of its pastoral mission with a view to enhancing its quality and enabling the documentation of its impact. This teamwork resulted in a new mission statement and ministry plan for religious services within ODOC. The plan seeks to ensure quality and provide a foundation for a substantial and ongoing research project on the effectiveness of religious services. The mission statement incorporates both spiritual and rehabilitative goals. [https://www.oregon.gov/doc/OMR/pages/religious_services/rs_article2.aspx] Oregon Department of Corrections (ODOC) web page on Spirituality, Religion and What Works

Prisons shakeup to give governors more control over rehabilitation

UK Legislation to tackle jails crisis will hand staff greater powers over education, employment and health budgets. Prison governors are to be held to account for getting offenders off drugs, into jobs and learning English and maths under new powers to be detailed in the justice secretary’s flagship legislation to tackle the prison crisis. Read more... [https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/feb/23/prisons-governors-control-rehabilitation-legislation]

The Effectiveness of Correctional Rehabilitation: A Review of Systematic Reviews

The effects of correctional interventions on recidivism have important public safety implications when offenders are released from probation or prison. Hundreds of studies have been conducted on those effects, some investigating punitive approaches and some investigating rehabilitation treatments.

Lipsey, M.W. & Cullen, F.T. (2007). The Effectiveness of Correctional Rehabilitation: A Review of Systematic Reviews. Annual Review of Law and Social Science. 3:297–320. [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228187332]

Seven International Prisons That Put Rehabilitation Before Punishment

A report from Penal Reform International, an international criminal justice advocacy organization, highlights countries that are actively trying to change recidivism rates by offering inventive, productive programs to prisoners while they while away the hours behind bars. Read more ... [http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/04/21/seven-international-prisons-put-rehabilitation-punishment/]

The role of families

We Can Change Our World - Prison and the Family

According "We can change our world" activists [Find Link] there was a Survey that was done in 2013 in South African and it found that, the prison population is 150 608; 2% of these are women, and 30% of prisoners are awaiting trial. According to the World Prison Brief, South Africa has the biggest prison population in Africa and the ninth biggest in the world. While every month about 23 000 inmates are released, another 25 000 enter the system.

The criminal justice system sentences those found guilty of serious offences to a period of incarceration in a prison facility as punishment for their crimes. The duration of the sentence depends on the gravity of the offence, as does the choice of correctional facility where the sentence is to be served. The process has a strong element of retribution for the harm done to the primary victim/s of the crime: the prisoner is removed from society at large and placed in the total institution that is the prison. However, there are other victims of the crime who are all too easy to overlook; these are the families of those incarcerated. Families are divided by imprisonment and overburdened by it in many ways. This briefing paper explores the consequences of the incarceration of a family member on those outside the walls. As Kwele points out, “thus far, little or no attention has been focused on the working together of social services, the criminal justice system and health care providers” in the reintegration of offenders into their families and communities. There is an urgent need for such a collaborative approach.

Coping When a Loved One is in Prison: Taking Care of Yourself During a Friend or Family Member’s Jail Time

Family or Friends Behind Bars Can be a Strain – Alex on Morguefile.com Dealing with a family member in prison can be a challenge for those left behind, who may feel anger, grief, guilt, betrayal, overwhelmed and isolation from the community. Staying in touch with a family member in jail can be a heartbreaking and complicated thing. Not only is it difficult to keep in touch through unpredictable phone access and prison transfers; having a husband, wife, sibling, parent, child, friend, or other relative behind bars can be a devastating emotional experience. Your loved one can’t help you through this – in fact, he or she may be part of the problem – so it’s important to learn to give yourself the care and support you’ll need throughout this trying time. here are some of things your can do to support your loved one and taking care of yourself during this difficult time [Find link]

10 Ways to Support Friends and Family Members in Prison

Alan Lopez give us his experience and insight on how to support friends and family members who are incarcerated. But this is knowledge I’ve (Alan Lopez) learned over the past few years in supporting, or failing to support, people in my life.

Send Money If Possible I know it sounds so simple, but in practice, it’s a step that many of us don’t take. Sending people money in prison is important because without money, it becomes incredibly difficult to get access to stamps, envelopes, or phone cards, which are all used for communication. Sometimes, a person in prison needs to send a lawyer a written statement. How else would the person do it without a phone card, or access to paper, stamps, and envelopes? In addition, money is also helpful in buying tuna, microwavable soups (which are upscale alternatives to the food received in prison, so I’ve heard), toothpaste, brushes, and so on. The first time I deposited money into someone’s account, I had to chase down their full name, their booking number, and how much the person already had in their account so that I wouldn’t exceed their maximum funds’ limit. However, once I located all this information, it took less than five minutes to process the deposit. Don’t fear the process.

Answer Their Calls Did you know that if someone who is incarcerated is calling you, and you are able to answer without paying anything, it means that the inmate has paid with their own money for that call? I didn’t know that. Heck, I didn’t even know that I could open an account to receive calls and not have my family members, friends, or mentors waste their money. When I first began being present in the lives of community members who were incarcerated, I would always hesitate in answering calls. The reality is that I didn’t want to not have something to say. This means that I was making the situation about me and my discomfort to not have the right words as opposed to about the ways in which my community was oppressed by the prison industrial complex.

Write Them Letters Because calling is expensive – and not everyone has the money to deposit money into the beast that is the prison industrial complex – writing letters is a fantastic alternative. The first time I wrote a letter to a friend, I sketched a photo, painted the photo, and mailed it out. A week later, the letter was returned. Apparently, I had violated the rules by using a chemical formula that is most commonly known as paint from the 99-Cent store. Before you write letters, make sure you visit the website of the facility where your family member, friend, mentor, or community member is housed. Some facilities will have more nuanced rules than others, but generally, they are equally bureaucratic. In your written letters, catch them up on your life, ask questions, and share local and national news.

Visit Them in Prison People need intimate human interaction, visit [https://everydayfeminism.com/2017/02/support-friends-family-in-prison/] for more on Alan Pelaez Lopez story.

Parenthood in prison

Sometimes fathers and mothers are incarcerated, but this does not end their role as parents. How do they, and their children, deal with this situation?

In addition, in South Africa mothers of infants are allowed to keep the child with them. How do they experience this, as well as perhaps eventually having to separate from the child? What are the advantages and disadvantages for the child? And what about non-South African women who are incarcerated in South Africa or South African women who are incarcerated abroad?

Here are some resources collected by Olibile Mosimanekgosi and Eduard Fourie to help family members of people who are in prison:

(1) Youtube video - Sesame Street: Little Children, Big Challenges: Incarceration - Animation: Visiting Dad in Prison [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3sf7O5mrlY]

(2) A child's experience of her mother going to prison by Ross Anderson [http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-17627258]

(3) The Night Dad Went To Jail: Shocking children's book explains what happens when a family member gets arrested By NINA GOLGOWSKI [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2241898/The-Night-Dad-Went-Jail-Childrens-book-explains-happens-family-member-gets-arrested.html]

(4) My Daddy's In Jail Paperback – Large Print, June 30, 2015 by Anthony Curcio [https://www.amazon.com/My-Daddys-Jail-Anthony-Curcio/dp/0692470433/ref=pd_sim_14_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=61s28KhfZzL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&psc=1&refRID=998VYAVR8BGVZWFE2VEZ]

(5) My Mom Went To Jail [http://therainbowproject.net/my-mom-went-to-jail/]

(6) My Daddy Is in Jail: Story, Discussion Guide, and Small Group Activities for Grades K-5 Paperback – November, 2003 by Janet M. Bender [https://www.amazon.com/My-Daddy-Jail-Discussion-Activities/dp/1889636487]

(7)A Mom who is raising a baby within a correctional facility at Washington's (USA)largest corrections center for women, 871 inmates are serving their sentences. YouTube video-Born behind bars: inmates raising children in prison [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11U6Lh5Fo2Q]

(8)International initiatives on solutions or programmes for Incarcerated Fathers. Please visit http://www.fatherhood.org/fatherhood-program-corrections for more on research and evidence based reentry program InsideOut Dad® and a variety of other resources such as the InsideOut Dad® Guide to Family Ties and InsideOut Dad® Christian help to break the intergenerational cycle of incarceration and lower recidivism rates [http://www.fatherhood.org/fatherhood/ky-doc-shows-fatherhood-training-reduces-recidivism-and-improves-behavior]

Role of the Correctional Official and Officer

The Primary Responsibility of the Psychologist

The primary responsibility of the psychologist in the Department of Correctional Services is the management of a psychological/mental health programme where the offender is assisted to adjust in a correctional centre, learn new coping skills and to prevent re- offending behavior. For more information please visit DCS site on psychological services [http://www.dcs.gov.za/Services/PsychologicalServices.aspx]

The Primary Responsibility of the Social Worker

The Primary Responsibility of the Social Worker in the Department of Correctional Services is to assess the offenders and provide needs based Programmes and Services in order to enhance the adjustment, social functioning and reintegration of offenders back into the community.For more information please visit DCS site on social work services [http://www.dcs.gov.za/Services/SocialWorkServices.aspx]

Children in incarceration

When it matters not whether one is guilty or innocent: Narratives of female children awaiting trial (by G. Mkhize & N. Zondi) [find]

Volunteering in Corrections

A Student’s Reflections

My volunteering experience with Inside-out Outside-in Interest Group After 10 weeks of learning theory in class, it was time for me to do hands on, experiential learning and I chose to work with an organisation named Inside-out Outside-in [http://insideoutoutsidein.co.za/] . Inside-out Outside-in is an interest group that is interested in the world of corrections. The organisation is involved in many projects related to corrections which are, Books project [http://insideoutoutsidein.co.za/books/], Wiki project [] and Mapping Corrections project. I was so lucky to be involved in all these projects. For the Mapping corrections project, I had to compile a list of dissertations and theses related to corrections both completed and ongoing from 2016 up-to-date. I achieved this by using the Unisa repository and it helped me gain knowledge on internet-based research. I also compiled a list of articles, inaugural lectures, ongoing staff projects, community engagement projects, courses and modules that are recommended to offenders. I enjoyed networking with staff from other departments in the process, they were very helpful which made my assignment easy to do. The books project was very rewarding, I helped pack and capture books into a system for the books to be taken to different correctional centres. I also got to interact with other volunteers hence helping me with my team building skills. It was fulfilling to work with such a dedicated team. Every team member has a role to play and they are very passionate about volunteering and research within correctional centres. The only challenge I faced whilst volunteering at the Books project was not being able to take Danielle Steel novels and keep them for myself, I had to keep telling myself that they were going to people who need them most and this inner voice kept me in check. I would say, the Inside-out Outside-in Wiki page is the cornerstone of the organisation. I was able to understand the whole organisation through this webpage because it contains everything that has been gathered so far by the organisation. I enjoyed reading all the work done by team members and it gave me an overview of the organisation. The Wiki page therefore was a good solid step to help me with my placement. The most memorable moment was when I co-wrote a report with one of the team members, Mbongiseni Mdakane, titled, “Narratives of the marginalised voice” []. It was a pleasure to attend such a powerful seminar and I learned not to judge offenders before hearing their stories. I was touched by the narrative of a woman who was abused most of her life by her husband and the time she tried to fight back she ended up in prison because she had killed him. This taught me that not everyone in prison deserves to be there, we must listen to everyone’s story before reaching conclusions. My journey as part of the Inside-out Outside-in team has helped me to grow personally and professionally. I have learnt to be more independent and it has also boosted my confidence because I had to meet up with my supervisors and present to them the work I had done and challenges I was coming across. These meetings also helped me to reflect on everything I was doing at the organisation and in my life.

To conclude, I was glad to work for such an organisation and the work I did relate well to what I had learnt in class. I have improved my skills on report writing, online data collection and presentation skills.

Turning Policy into Practice

Studying in prison