Literature Review
Rehabilitation of prisoners is the process of changing offenders’ attitude in order to assist them to become useful citizens so that to allow them contribute positively to society. These encompass changing the criminals’ behaviours and equipping them with skills, through various activities that will occupy their mind once they are realised from custody. They also use these newly acquired skills to earn their living legally once they are outside the prison. Through this process the released offenders becomes very important citizens as they exploit their new acquired skills to earn their daily bread. The rehabilitation and reintegration is very a strategic process such that in some situation it involves trying to understand the offenders past behaviours. This is important because it reveals the offenders past behaviours that helps to determine their reason behind offending, so that they can be assisted accordingly. (Lane.2003, 53).
The rehabilitation process comprises of many activities which includes: Education, Inmates are given the opportunities to advance their educational qualifications, such that they can strive to be responsible and valuable citizens upon their release. Besides providing a conducive learning environment for the inmates, support from individual volunteers in terms of supervising or tutoring them in their weakest subjects is important. This improves offenders’ learning capacity to achieve academic success. Volunteers not only help offenders academically, but also provide the encouragement and motivational support by acting as their mentors and friends. (Lane 2003,67)
The prisoners also receive vocational training on some specific course such as carpentry, masonry, tailoring and computer packages such as Ms Word, Excel and Ms Access. For this process to be a success the Department of Corrections has collaborated with concerned public agencies such as Department of Non-formal Education, Institute of Skill Development, Universities, and other organisations to ensure offering quality programs. Private sectors, particularly local agencies are encouraged to assist and participate in education and vocational courses in prisons, such as computer repair, small engine repair and others such as photographing. The sending of prisoners to work in the industrial zone by Work Release Program is also a good example of another area of cooperation of the correction department and private sector (Lofton, 2004 126).
A part from these trainings the prisoners are also provided with sports and recreation facilities. Here private sector and the community play an important role. This is because professional trainers are invited to teach and train the prisoners various recreation activities such as drama, music and boxing. The department of correction organises completions for the prisoners and the winning convicts are rewarded. The community members are invited to cheer participate or judge prisoners’ competitions. This is a very healthy activity in the rehabilitation process because it makes the prisoners’ feel appreciated and part of the society. (Martin 2003, 25).
For effective rehabilitation of offenders, the department of correction with the support of technical assistance from universities and public sectors have studied and set up treatment specialised programmes for specific group of prisoners to enable the rehabilitation programme meet individual needs for every prisoner. These programmes include programmes for violent prisoners, programmes of offenders against property, drug and sex related prisoners. They have also set up programmes for the elderly that tries to promote physical and mental heath of the elderly prisoners. During the rehabilitation process family members and friends are allowed and encouraged to visit their convicts. This is a very health process in convicts’ rehabilitation process as these visits acts as a sure way for the Convicts to experience the love from their friend and family members. For those prisoners that do not get people to visit them, the department of correction collects their names and organises with local charity agencies to pay them a visit and help them to become useful citizens. In prisons where there are drug-addicted prisoners, Therapeutic Community (TC) program is provided. Within this treatment procedure, family members play a very important role and are occasionally invited to take part in certain activities of the treatment program inside prisons. This makes those prisoners participating in Therapeutic Community programs receive more contact visits than the others prisoners (Lofton, 2004 125).
Spiritual guidance also plays a major role in the process of rehabilitating prisoners. This is because it offers emotional and mental encouragements for inmates that enable them cope with life’s experiences. Volunteers and religious organisations play an important role by offering inmates religious based programmes that are aimed in assisting the offenders’ integrate into society. The spiritual support they receive from these religious programmes acts as an important aspect of offenders’ psychological well being as it gives them mental support to have a positive outlook in life (Martin 2003, 23).
The rehabilitation process is necessary because when the jail term of the imprisoned convicts elapses they are release to go and live in the society with the other members of the community. This is why the offenders are put in specialised rehabilitation programmes to help them reintegrate easily with the society once they are at liberty. Realise of convicts happen in two ways. Release without condition and release with condition. As for release with condition, the prisoners are released under good-conduct allowance system, and are subject to be supervised in the community until the termination of their sentence term. Once the prisoners are realised their supervision is transferred to be under the responsibility of department of probation, where probation officers and volunteers in corrections conduct supervision and assist the offenders to reintegrate into the society. Realise without condition occurs when offenders terminates their jail sentence. The realised criminals are helped by the Department of Corrections with collaboration with public and private sectors through counselling about living in the community, career management, and reintegration into the society. (Doubilet 2002, 33)
References
Doubilet K. (2002). Rehabilitation Programmes in Australia. Prentice Hall New York Pgs 23-43.
Lane, F.S. (2003). How to transform hard criminals to useful people in our society: Chicago University Press. Chicago Pgs 31-75.
Lofton, L. (2004). Offenders Rehabilitation and Reintegration Process. Oxford University: London Pgs 123-237.
Martin (2003). How Sports and Spiritual Guidance assists in Offenders Rehabilitation and Reintegration. Oxford University: London pgs 23.