The role of a correctional facility in the rehabilitation process of inmates in a selected prison in the Western Cape, South Africa

Abstract

The increase of correctional facilities as institutions to punish convicted inmates was a process that developed over many decades from basic beginnings in the early sixteenth century to more contemporary approaches in the 21st century. Over the centuries, various models or approaches were adopted for the treatment of criminals. New correctional facilities emerged with new designs to keep offenders away from society. South African correctional facilities were designed and built according to international standards to accommodate offenders and to accomplish the objectives of punishment, which included retribution, rehabilitation, deterrence and protection of society. The focus on retributive justice changed gradually to incorporate restorative justice, which included rehabilitation. Rehabilitation is the responsibility of both the offender and the correctional official. The research attempts to demonstrate that, in the absence of uniform rehabilitation systems operating at correctional facilities, the expectations rehabilitation is unclear. The researcher investigates the effectiveness of a selected correctional facility in the rehabilitation of offenders. This presents a challenge for the effective management of rehabilitation and development. The data was collected through a self-administered questionnaire, which was the selected survey method. The purpose of the study was to assess the rehabilitation process in a selected correctional facility. The research method utilised for the study, was a survey that were distributed to correctional officials and offenders. Arising from the findings the following recommendations were made, namely that the correctional officials should be trained on how to effectively participate in the rehabilitation process and understand the term ‘rehabilitation’, it should be ensured that rehabilitation programmes take place continuously and that correctional officials should motivate offenders to have a positive attitude towards the rehabilitation programmes being offered by the Department of Correctional Services.