Programmes
and Services
PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
(INCLUSIVE OF REHABILITATION)
CUSTODIAL
ADULT: Re-Entry Programs
After-Care:
There are some inmates who reach their “Earliest Date
of Release” (E.D.R.) and are provided with clothing, and financial-aid. There are also probation (institution)
offices assigned to provide after-care counselling for the ex-inmate. Parole:
The Parole Act passed in 1978 grants an inmate leave from the
Institution to spend the remaining portion (ideally the last two-thirds of
sentence) in the community under the supervision of a Probation Officer.
Community support, level of rehabilitation, time served and criminal history
(type of offence) are some of the factors considered by the parole board
before making a decision to release an inmate. Hostel
Placement: After a male inmate has served at least one year and has no more than
nine months remaining, he can apply for hostel placement at the Howard Hostel
in Reprieve:
This is a
pardon granted mainly to persons who were sentenced to await the Governor
General’s Pleasure (juveniles and criminal lunatics). It is granted by the Governor General, who
may direct the offender to report to a Probation Officer for a period of
time. Parolees serving indeterminate
sentences may also apply for reprieve after ten years. JUVENILE: Re-Entry Programs: Juveniles who are made subject to Correctional Order are assessed and
placed at the appropriate institution.
The Juvenile Act mandates that wards be exposed to an
educational/vocational environment with optimum care and opportunities for
behaviour modification. Statutory Supervision: A ward, on completing the in-school period, is returned to the
community, on licence and is made subject under the statute to be monitored by
a Probation Officer until age eighteen (18) years. Licence: If the juvenile is well behaved,
shows educational and general progress and has good community/family support,
this opportunity for special early release is granted and enables the
juvenile to complete the order in the community. Prior to being granted licence, many
juveniles are granted the privilege of home-leave (during holidays) in
preparation for re-entry. NON-CUSTODIAL
Alternatives to
Incarceration Probation Order: The purpose is to allow the offender a community-based
rehabilitation. Factors considered
before the court issues this order include:
type/nature of offence; circumstances surrounding offence; number of
previous offences; individual’s community support and the offender’s
willingness to comply with probation conditions. Community
Service Order (C.S.O.):
This is an order to complete at least 40 hours of unpaid work in the
community. Clients are assigned
to a public institution to work during their leisure time. Suspended
Sentence With Supervision: This
is an option whereby the court defers the original sentence to allow the
offender to prove himself in the community.
In the event of a new conviction, the offender can be incarcerated for
the original sentence and also begin serving the sentence for the new
conviction. For the three orders
mentioned above, a warrant can be issued to summon the offender back to court
if he/she defies the conditions of the order. Voluntary
Supervision: This is sometimes recommended
by the courts when an offender is deemed to be in need of counselling or
treatment outside of the formal sentencing system. INTRODUCTION
The
Rehabilitation Unit plays an integral role in the Rehabilitation of offenders
as a core function of the Department of Correctional Services. The
Rehabilitation Unit seeks to, through its programmes/activities,
expose its clients to an environment that provides opportunities that will
assist them to develop discipline, self-worth, skill training and
productivity. The
Rehabilitation Unit is guided by the philosophy that with the appropriate
interventions, all clients can become peaceful, productive, law abiding
citizens. When achieved
rehabilitation will impact positively on morale, discipline as well as assist
in reducing crime and over-crowding within our Correctional Facilities,
thereby fulfilling our mission of creating a secure, safe and healthy
environment for the empowerment and rehabilitation of our clients. What
is The National rehabilitation Strategy? The National
Rehabilitation Strategy is a blue print that seeks to guide the Department of
Correctional Services in managing rehabilitation as a core strategic
function. REHABILITATIVE APPROACH
Unlike
dominant practices in the correctional industries of the late 1960’s and
early 1970’s correctional practices of the 21st century have
experienced a paradigm shift. One
reason for this is that both reasonable social scientists and penologists
have struggled to find evidence that punitive correctional programmes either
reduce recidivism or produce other positive gains for offenders. By contrast,
most have suggested that the best bet for reducing recidivism and improving
the lives of those processed through the correctional system is to involve
them in rehabilitative programmes that have therapeutic integrity. This approach is not simply a matter of
doing ‘good’ for correctional clients; it also facilitates public safety. In other
words, rehabilitation is a potentially important strategy for reducing
recidivism and thus preventing the further victimization of society. CLIENT
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT This component characterizes the paradigm
shift in the new approach to client management. It speaks to a customized client
rehabilitation approach that identifies the concerns and problems of each
client and develops a customized treatment programme specifically for that
client. Sub-strategies: -
Risk Assessment -
Case Management -
Internal customized database for Client Information Management Risk
Assessment Risk Assessment is the systematic and scientific assessment of the criminogenic factors (factors causing/contributing to the
commission of an offence). Information
is gathered and analyzed on the individual’s: -
Personal/Family Background -
Criminal History -
Financial, Social, Educational, Vocational Health needs. -
Any previous intervention/treatment -
History of supervision -
Details of current offence (s) Risk assessment
aids in the treatment process and also helps to determine the level and
intensity of treatment for each/individual offender. Case Management
Aids
in the continuity of various forms of treatment and allows individual
treatment provides to work with some level of collaboration and meaningful
intervention practices. This sub-strategy
allows for the identification of needs, therefore developing relevant
programmes for individual clients. Case
Management is developed to address the clients’ needs during incarceration,
while in transition (transferring from institution to institution), and
aftercare (after release). The Case
Management should help service providers to identify and address specific
concerns related to the clients’ family, community, training and educational
needs and other personal concerns. STRATEGIC
ALLIANCES Defining
the Role of Stakeholders One of
the most valuable assets of the DCS is to be found in the strategic alliances
that it has forged with the local and international community. The role played by the local and international partners have
been both invaluable and critical to the correctional services. The main
reason for this is that correctional facilities and programmes are part of
the community and cannot exist in a vacuum. The main
aim of these components is to strengthen existing alliances and to seek new
ones. Major
Objectives: 1. To
monitor and streamline the activities and functions of local and
international alliances. 2. To narrow or close the gap between key
stakeholders and the Department. Task include: 1. Establishing a citizen advisory
committee for the DCS. 2. Establishing a database for external
alliances. 3. Conducting a stakeholder analysis. 4.
Formalizing relationships between the local and international alliance with a
view to solidify and legitimizing the relationships. EDUCATION TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICE This component has responsibility for all programmes of
education, training and development for institutional clients – inmates and
wards. It is designed to streamline
these programmes with the following characteristics: 1.
It
is comprehensive, touching on each significant aspect of the client social,
emotional and professional well-being. 2.
It
is directly tied to a specified intervention programme designed to empower
the client. 3.
It
is scientific in its implementation so that progress can be easily tracked
and measured. The education and training programme in the DCS will
create skills that can help clients to: -
Develop a greater understanding of themselves in relation to the behaviour as
well as socially acceptable versus socially unacceptable attitudes. -
Develop a greater understanding of normal versus abnormal behaviour as well
as socially acceptable versus socially unacceptable attitudes. -
Gain a wider view of responsibility as lawful and productive members of
society. Programmes include: -
Academic Training -
Vocational Training -
Reverence for Life -
External Work Projects -
Projects, piggery, poultry, agriculture, block making etc. HUMAN
SERVICES The
purpose of Human Service is to ensure that clients have access to essential
medical, dental, mental health and religious service in keeping with the
corporate objectives of the Department of Correctional Services. Support areas
includes: -
Chaplaincy -
Medical/dental services -
Psychological services -
Dietary services CLIENT
RECREATION Recreation
within the context is taken to mean those activities which are integrated
into the clients daily routine and consequently a part of the treatment
curriculum that is specific to the purpose of improving the clients’ ability
to use his/her leisure time in a more productive and enjoyable manner. The goal of
recreational programming is to increase positive reinforcement for behaviours
that occur during an individual’s daily life. Recreational
activities should: 1.
Promote
health 2.
Be
an extension or part of learning 3.
Facilitate
skill development 4.
Promote
creative use of leisure time 5.
Promote
stress management CLIENT WELFARE
The
client welfare component is designed to provide clients with critical
information and services that will assist them in leading more lawful and
productive lifestyles. It is developed
on the basis of continuous, dynamic and flexible mix of services and
programmes that vary from time to time and from individual to individual. Not all
programmes and services may be appropriate for, or required by all client;
each one is dependent on the other and the information, knowledge or support
it provides can stand alone. This
component is structured around: 1) Client intake indicators, for example: -
Money management -
Managing conflicts -
Making acceptable life choices 2) Re-integration and stress related situations
for example: -
Finding affordable place to stay. -
Making new friends. -
Re-establishing ties with family. Client welfare
provides clients both with the coping skills and opportunities to adjust to
and cope with institutional life while at the same time provides them with
knowledge and skills to better equip themselves for their re-entry into
society. Client welfare
includes: -
Parole -
Hostel -
Rehabilitation Grant -
Complaints -
Day Release CLIENT AFTERCARE
The
purpose of aftercare is to reduce recidivism among correctional clients who
have either completed their sentence or are on conditional release from a
correctional facility such as a parolee or a probationer. Five principles
for effective aftercare: 1) Preparation
of clients for progressively increased responsibility and accountability in
the community. 2) Facilitation
of positive and healthy client – community interaction and involvement. 3) Working
with the client and targeted community support systems on qualities needed
for constructive interaction and successful community adjustment. 4) Development
of new resources and support system where needed. 5) Monitoring
of clients and community on their ability to successfully deal with each
other. CONCLUSION
The Rehabilitation Unit is faced
with many challenges and opportunities as it provides service to the clients
of the Department of Correctional Services. The
change in the external environment, continue to impress upon the Department
the need to an efficient and effective service. Guided by
the National Rehabilitation Strategy, the Unit is committed to equipping
clients with the necessary skills and intervention, which will empower them
for subsequent integration into the wider society. Rehabilitation Terms:
Client
- A person who has been
voluntarily entrusted into the care of the Department of Correctional
Services. Client
Rehabilitation - A
process of empowering those who have been placed into the care of the
Department of Correctional Services so that they can become law-abiding
productive members of society. Inmate - An individual who has committed an
offence and has been placed b the courts into the care of an adult
correctional facility. Rehabilitation - The process
of empowerment Reintegration
- The process of successfully “fitting” an individual back into the
society.
Stakeholder - Any
individual, agency or organization (public, private) with an interest in the
operation of the DCS. Ward
- A young person who has
been committed into the care of a juvenile correctional facility (12-17 years
old). |
