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HOLISTIC APPROACHES TO CORRECTIONAL EDUCATION THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS

CHAPTER 3: REVIEW OF LITERATURE

3.7 HOLISTIC APPROACHES TO CORRECTIONAL EDUCATION THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS

Education in correctional centres (as embraced within corrections and development key principles) is a challenge not only in developing countries like South Africa, but also in the developed world. “Recent studies in the USA, Russia and Serbia reveal that educational needs of prisoners are compounded by the absence of appropriately skilled and experienced teachers or other educational professionals in prison settings” (Jovanic, 2011: 80). There are various reasons why this is so. Many countries boast of their legal and policy frameworks, including South Africa, but reports indicate the lack of political will in implementing laws and policies. The DCS is left with this mammoth responsibility alone. The situation is such that stakeholders that should be playing their roles step aside and start pointing fingers to criticise what the DCS is not doing. There are some stakeholders in society, at community, national, regional and international levels that express their willingness to participate in the provision of prison education but are disgruntled and frustrated by the red-tape and security bureaucracy within the DCS. While the DCS’s White Paper (DCS, 2005) encourages collaboration with other stakeholders, through an integrated justice system and through other instruments, the reality of DCS’s security protocol hinders many of the efforts that could otherwise be done through partnerships and collaborations. There are some reports that have indicated cordial relationships and it is perhaps appropriate to look at some examples of the relationships, partnerships and collaborations to see what has been done and what can be done to improve on this. This discussion is not exhaustive, and the choice of sectors and organisations in this section does not reflect any form of value judgment over others not mentioned. The government departments that form the Integrated Justice Support System (DCS, 2005) are the:

• Department of Social Development; • South African Police Services; • National Prosecuting Agency; • Department of Justice; and

• Department of Correctional Services.

Whereas these departments are already clustered, the researcher views integration as a noble ideal that should be linked to tangible implementation. The cluster should collectively have a database system that links them in order to avoid the bottlenecks in the system that hinders smooth progress and tracking of offenders. The problem of overcrowding would not be so rife, if the cluster was able to track offenders. In the cluster above, the Social Development Department would be central in locating offenders with their families and communities. The organisation and coordination of a database of offenders would be possible if the departments were willing to cooperate, work together and create a clear modus operandi. That coordination would greatly minimise the use of resources where departments work in silos.

The key departments in the Social Sector Cluster directly relevant to corrections are the: • Department of Education;

• Department of Social Development; • Department of Arts and Culture; and • Department of Sports and Tourism.

Looking at the cluster above, again the researcher wonders why these departments cannot offer a joint service to offenders in a collective manner, rather than each department going to the same place with different programmes. This is an example that could also be emulated by non- governmental or civil society organisations and institutions of higher education (HEIs) in the list provided below, to collaborate in providing social services to the correctional facilities. Stakeholders as classified in the White Paper (DCS, 2005):

• Highers Educational Institutions;

• Sector Education and Training Accreditations (SETAs); • Faith-based and religious sector;

• Civil society organisations; and • Volunteers and individuals.

There are examples of the institutions of higher education such as UNISA which, through distance education, provides education for prisoners. In 2013, UNISA marked 140 years of its existence and reported on several thousand ex-offenders who are UNISA alumni. The university continues to provide partnerships and collaborations today. Recently a mobile library was provided for offenders in correctional centres in Western Cape (UNISA, 2014). Other institutions like the University of the Western Cape run successful community law projects with various activities including extensive research done by many known scholars in correctional discourse (Muntingh, 2001).

In 2013, the then Minister of Correctional Services, Mr Sibusiso Ndebele told the religious leaders that they should do more to rehabilitate offenders as this was not the sole responsibility of the Department of Correctional Services (DCS, 2013). Notably, the DCS engages the services of volunteers, students, professors and teachers from civil society organisations, churches, international and national local schools and universities. Civil society has played a crucial role in several educational and rehabilitation programmes in various correctional centres. Each province has its own repository of organisations and services that are provided for offenders. Families and communities should go to Correctional Centres for assistance, as well as their municipalities to look for information that can help them to support their family members who are in detention. Another challenge is the lack of coordination of interventions and stakeholders. To reach an Integrated Justice Support System would need a massive overhaul of the sector and considerable time and effort. According to Muntingh (2008), some organisations that have played a critical role in rehabilitation of offenders include the following:

• Khulisa Media and Marketing Programme – provides knowledge and skills in media and marketing to inmates.

• Common Prisoners Rehabilitation Agency (COMPRA) – advocates for the rights of offenders and their rehabilitation programmes.

• National Institute for Crime Prevention and the Reintegration of Offenders (NICRO) – is instrumental in rehabilitation and reintegration programmes for offenders countrywide. They have offices in all provinces in South Africa.

• National Youth Commission; National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) – is a commission with offices in all provinces to provide youths with needed services to enhance their livelihoods.

• South African Prisoners Organisation for Human Rights (SAPOHR) – it advocates for prisoners’ rights during their incarceration and after their release.

• Prisons Fellowship International (PFI) – an international fellowship with chapters in various countries to debate issues on penal institutions/correctional facilities.

• Learn and Eat Trust (LET) – provides literacy and reading (library) skills for offenders in some centres.

• Civil Society Prison Reform Initiative (CSPRI) – a non-governmental organisation focussing on prison reforms by engaging with the government and other stakeholders.

• Young Prisoners Programme within the National Youth Commission – dealing with issues of juveniles in detention and prisons.

• Children’s Rights Project (CRP) – advocating for the rights of the children, particularly those against-the-law and in incarceration.

• Kamros and Kambros – provides services on arts and culture activities to juvenile centres. • Gauteng Rehabilitation Trust (GRT) – an NGO based in Gauteng caters for the rehabilitation

and reintegration of juveniles released from Correctional Centres.

• Victim Offender Dialogue (VOD); Victim Offender Movement (VOM) – provides a forum for victims and their offenders to talk to one another so that true reconciliation can take place between perpetrators and victims.

• Friends of Youth In Prison (FYIP) – a forum of friends of young people in prison.