Abstract
According to comparable statistics, South Africa has one of the highest per capita prison populations in the world. Improvement of the capacity of the Department of Correctional Services to provide prisoners with effective development opportunities is identified as a key objective. This implicate that development needs of prisoners, governmental directives on development as well as the availability of resources must be the guiding principles.
Policy-makers in South Africa during the apartheid years associated themselves with the values and norms of the Western world, resulting in the prison system to predominantly operate from a First World perspective. Realities of the so-called “Third World”, from which the majority of the prisoners originated, were seemingly ignored. Indications are that theoretical models for the development of South African prisoners were repeatedly based on a Euro-centric approach that proved itself ineffective to offer need based development opportunities, or to be applied within the realities of available resources. It appears that the real obstacle that prevented the availing of applicable development opportunities to the broad prison population was not insufficient resources, but the lack of an applicable paradigm for the planning and rendering of such programmes. It should be recognized that the development programmes (mostly based on a therapeutic approach) had generally failed to address the need directed development of South African prisoners, and that a radical re-direction towards a paradigm that can generate need based and accessible development opportunities for the broad prisoners population, mostly from poverty stricken circumstances, is indicated.
Poverty is seen as the single greatest burden of South Africa's people and is believed to be a precursor to becoming a criminal. It also seems that the majority of South African prisoners are from previously disadvantaged population groups, where poverty was a daily reality. Contributing to poverty alleviation by creating opportunities for the empowerment of those prisoners who are not able to provide independently in their own basic needs, and to provide them with opportunities to compensate for inadequate development opportunities due to poverty or other aggravating circumstances, are some of the challenges that face the Department of Correctional Services.
Community development offers applicable parameters to meet the development needs of South African prisoners, in line with governmental directives and international trends in development. It can contribute to the government's aim to eradicate poverty and inequality by generating opportunities for the actualisation of the potential of prisoners and also include them as participants in their own development. Programme delivery can be re-directed from a therapeutic (Eurocentric) to a developmental approach to provide development opportunities applicable to the specific needs of the prisoners. As community development is not the domain of a single profession both professional and custodial personnel can become development facilitators. The task of the psychosocial personnel needs to be expanded beyond the therapeutic model to a social development model to be able to facilitate the development of the broad prison population within the realities of available resources.
The acceptance of community development as model for the development of South African prisoners will position the Department of Correctional Services in line with government's directives on development. It will promote cost effective service delivery as simple solutions can be put into practice at low cost rather than expensive and sophisticated ideas. Equity will be promoted, as development programmes according to the community development model will focus on poverty alleviation elimination of inequality. Ultimately it can be expected that the development of the inherent potential of South African prisoners will contribute to combat crime, and to the reconstruction of the Country.
Prof. Hennie Swanepoel