Key lessons

Each of the case countries considered above have revealed unique approaches to offender rehabilitation that have direct implications for the DCS Correctional Pro- grammes. What follows are some of the key lessons from these countries.

In the Canadian experience, interventions are tailored to meet the needs of the dif- ferent population groups. For example, there is a correction intervention designed specifically for Aborigine women. By addressing cultural diversity, the Canadian model is therefore suitable for Boksburg Correctional Centres, which has a diverse offender population.

On the other hand, the Kenyan case highlights the importance of integrating offender rehabilitation programmes with poverty alleviation and HIV/AIDS programmes at community level. Driven by a non-state organisation, the intervention prepares pris- oners for community life by giving them agricultural skills and social networking skills that help improve their acceptance in the community. This is achieved through the Community Livelihood Improvement Groups initiative.

Another important feature of the Kenyan model is that it capacitates both offenders and programme officials with skills and then assigns them to work on rehabilitation projects in their prisons. This facilitates skills transfer and ensures sustainability of the programme. More importantly, the initiative also put offenders at the centre of curriculum development. In this way, offenders are able to suggest solutions that fa-

cilitate their own learning and development. This also helps to improve ownership of the programme by beneficiaries.

The Maryland case is unique in that it employs modern technology to facilitate elec- tronic monitoring and evaluation of rehabilitation programmes. Electronic M&E sys- tems allow prison authorities to track not only the location of offenders but also their progress in meeting agreed performance goals. Because of its high emphasis on performance-based rehabilitation standards, this programme has received national accreditation in the United States. Accreditation is important here as it validates the quality of the programme in the eyes of offenders and society.

2.9 Implications for the Study

The review in the preceding section has demonstrated that policy implementation is a widely debated issue and that scholarship on the subject is diverse, complex and broad. This has resulted in the emergence of top down and bottom up approaches, which although antagonistic in nature, are somehow complementary. In the case study organisation, it appears that high emphasis has been placed on the bottom-up approach, as evidenced by the Department of Correctional Services’ adoption of a multi-stakeholder approach involving officials, Correctional Centres, Non-profit or- ganisations, physiotherapists, social workers, educationists, skills development agencies, and religious organisations. In terms of policy, this stakeholders are re- quired to work together to ensure effective implementation of the Offender Rehabili- tation Programme (Department of Correctional Services, 2008).

Another vital point revealed by the review is that research into policy implementation has evolved over the years, resulting in the emergence of three generations. While early classical approaches saw policy implementation as a mechanistic, manage- ment driven process, the second generation posited that policy implementation is a complex process. The third generation highlighted the need for understanding the wide range of variables and/or factors and institutions impacting the policy imple- mentation process. This reasoning holds truth for the Department of Correctional Services rehabilitation programmes, which, as suggested above, are influenced by a whole range of public and private actors, including the deteriorating conditions in

some of the prisons, which manifest themselves in many ways, for example, over- crowding, gang violence and HIV/AIDS infections.

Furthermore, the literature also highlighted the potential influence of subordinates on policy implementation. For this reason, it is important for implementing agencies to pay full attention to organisational communications, capacity building, policy re- sources and leadership, all of which play a vital role in the success of policy imple- mentation. As discussed previously, one of the primary objectives of the study was to establish whether the provision of rehabilitation services is consistent with policy goals and whether such efforts meet beneficiaries’ needs and expectations.

During the literature review, it was also established that the 5-C Protocol provides critical variables for studying policy implementation. Policy actors and implementing agencies need to take into account vital issues such as content, context, commit- ment, as well as clients and coalitions; all of which play a vital role in the policy im- plementation process. Taken together, these issues can decide the success or fail- ure of policy implementation. The study considered these issues when assessing the DCS’ Offender Rehabilitation Programme in the case study. Chapter will provide more clarity on whether or not the 5-C protocol is being applied to improve imple- mentation of the offender rehabilitation programme in the case study.

It follows from this review that policy implementation is not a simple and risk-free process driven from the top. Thus, any attempt to assess the implementation of a policy intervention would not be complete without proper consideration of the multi- ple actors, institutional contexts and economic, social and political variables impact- ing the policy implementation process. This thinking shaped the study.

In spite of the raging debate between top-down and bottom-up approaches, there is a clear realisation that these theories of implementation are mutually reinforcing and that they both provide valuable insights and perspectives on the critical issues that implementation of public policy. It is in this context that a formative assessment was undertaken to understand the implementation of the Offender Rehabilitation Pro- gramme in the Boksburg Management area.

Evidence from the three case countries, i.e. Canada, Kenya and Maryland highlights several important lessons for the Boksburg rehabilitation centre. From the Canadian

model, it is evident that offender rehabilitation requires a clear policy framework, as illustrated by the country’s Corrections Strategy. The Kenyan initiative shows what can be achieved when rehabilitation services are aligned with other social interven- tions. Finally, the US experience highlights the need for subjecting offenders to regu- lar performance reviews to improve outcomes.

2.10 CONCLUSION

Chapter two has reviewed the literature on policy implementation. From this process, it was evident that policy implementation is a complex, multi-level process influenced by a wide variety of factors and that inattention to these variables could derail the policy implementation process; which in turn may lead to unintended consequences. It was also found that although there are differences between top-down and bottom- up approaches to policy implementation, however, these complement each other. It was also established that effective programme management is central to success- ful implementation of policy interventions. Certainly, this principle applies to offender rehabilitation initiatives as well. To produce the desired results, policy programmes have to be planned properly and supported with the necessary resources and infra- structure. Programme activities have to be integrated and coordinated to avoid con- flict and duplication. It remains to be seen whether this is happening in the case study organisation.

Meanwhile, the 5C model provides a useful framework for understanding the key variables underpinning the implementation of public programmes. The review showed that consideration of content, context, commitment, capacity as well as cli- ents and coalitions may shed considerable light on the opportunities and constraints facing implementers of public programmes. By utilising these five criteria, the study could unravel the complexities associated with the implementation of the rehabilita- tion programme in the Boksburg Management Area.

The review also highlighted a substantial knowledge gap in the provision of rehabili- tation services in South Africa. Consequently, there is not enough information to

show whether such interventions are monitored and evaluated to ensure accounta- bility, transparency and customer satisfaction. As stated in chapter one, this is one of the concerns that prompted the researcher to conduct a preliminary assessment of the offender rehabilitation programme in the Boksburg Management Area in order to determine if it is implemented as planned, given the generally high expenditures as- sociated with rehabilitation efforts and recidivism. The next chapter focuses on re- search methodology.