Minister Pieter Groenewald’s Department of Correctional Services (DCS) runs at least five rehabilitation programmes as part of efforts to ensure successful re-integration of prisoners into the wider South African society once they are released.
He told Seeng Mokoena, uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) Chief Whip in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), that needs based programmes were administered by DCS psychological, social work and spiritual care services to inmates and those under correctional supervision.
The aim, his response to the Mokoena question reads in part, is to improve psycho-social and emotional wellbeing and assist in rehabilitation and integration into communities. This includes cognitive behaviour, education, skills, recreation, art, culture and sport (SRAC), substance use disorder treatment programmes as well as correctional and pre-release preparation programmes.
Groenewald highlighted three – cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), substance use disorder treatment (SUDT) and skills development/career technical education (CTE) – to further illustrate his response.
CBT programmes are designed to help offenders change patterns of behaviour that led to criminal activity. They provide forms of therapy to address rehabilitative needs—such as criminal thinking and anger management – that, if left unaddressed, can increase the likelihood of recidivism.
SUDT focusses on helping inmates treat substance use disorders, avoid relapsing and re-integrate into society. Unlike other rehabilitation programmes which are voluntary, SUDT requires inmates caught using alcohol or illegal substances while in prison to attend SUDT programmes.
As far as improving rehabilitation programmes is concerned DCD is formalising partnerships with service providers who have own programmes to support rehabilitation by way of memoranda of understanding (MoU) or service level agreements (SLAs). This ensures all DCS programmes are quality assured.
The Department has increased the number of full-time schools that are accredited by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) for deserving young offenders from only one in 2009 to 18 in 2024. The Department has also established partnerships with external stakeholders such as the Departments of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and DBE to support learners.
Career Technical Education, meanwhile, sees training in upholstery, cabinet making, vehicle repair, welding and agriculture, among others.
Additionally 13 DCS non-therapeutic correctional programmes raise awareness, provide information and develop life skills to assist offenders in coping once released.
Pre-release and employment preparation programmes provide employment skills including job readiness and job search techniques, for prisoners up to six months prior to release to assist with “transition into society”.
“The Department also provide offenders with sport, recreation, arts, culture and library programmes. These programmes and services are provisioned in such a manner that they add value to lives of participants and are central to the Rehabilitation Plan of each offender in order to assist them to re-order their lives in a positive manner, taking their social economic and cultural background into account. These programmes aim to provide work opportunities to offenders for keeping them active, provide skills to be gainfully employed upon release,” Groenewald concluded.
