Optimising rehabilitation and unit management in the Department of Correctional Services in the Bethal area: A social work perspective

Abstract

In The White Paper on Corrections in South Africa (Republic of South Africa, [RSA], Ministry for Correctional Services, 2005) the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) made a paradigm shift from pure punitive institutions to rehabilitative correctional centres. This shift emphasised the need for rehabilitation as well as the value of unit management in obtaining the rehabilitation ideal ([RSA], Ministry for Correctional Services, 2005:28-29). The goal of the study was to explore and describe how rehabilitation and unit management can be optimised to address the needs of offenders in the DCS, Bethal Management Area, from a social work perspective. The theoretical framework of the study originates from the classical and positivist schools of thought, namely the rational choice theory and the rehabilitation model. The rational choice theory emphasises that the decision to commit crime is taken by an individual after a process of weighing advantages and disadvantages. The rehabilitation model, on the other hand, explains that an individual is influenced to commit crime by negative external circumstances such as poverty, unemployment, negative associations and lack of support. The study adopted the convergent parallel mixed method design and the concurrent embedded mixed methods strategy where the researcher collected both quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative data was collected through a survey where a group administered questionnaire was administered to 544 sentenced offenders who were sampled through stratified random sampling. For the qualitative study, data was collected by means of one-on-one interviews, guided by a semi-structured interview schedule. Participants included 133 correctional and professional correctional officials who were purposively selected for the study. Ethical clearance for the study was obtained from the University of Pretoria. The research findings indicate that offenders have rehabilitation needs that are not met by DCS, such as the need for vocational training and participation in rehabilitation programmes. Furthermore, officials are challenged to fulfil their roles as rehabilitators due to a shortage of personnel, lack of resources, and training needs that are not met. Unit management is perceived negatively by officials because it is not implemented fully, due to challenges such as a shortage of trained officials, a need for professional officials, inappropriate design and lack of infrastructure in correctional centres, and the insufficient provision of vocational training to offenders. The conclusion is that the insufficient implementation of unit management has a direct impact on the rehabilitation standard in a correctional centre. If unit management is not fully implemented, the rehabilitation of offenders is hindered. To optimise rehabilitation and unit management, the study recommends that rehabilitation and unit management should be brought to the attention of newly admitted offenders during the orientation and assessment phase in the Offender Rehabilitation Path (ORP). The aim is to create awareness amongst newly admitted offenders of what rehabilitation and unit management entail, and their role within their own rehabilitation, which will promote their understanding of and participation in the rehabilitation process. The study furthermore recommends that when sufficient correctional and professional correctional officials are appointed and trained and the desired design and infrastructure for the full implementation of unit management have been created in correctional centres, rehabilitation and unit management can be optimised when guidelines on the handling, treatment and referral of sentenced offenders are followed.