28 Aug 2023

Botswana Prison Service (BPS) Offender Reintegration Programme (ORP) has yielded positive results.  

 However, it is crucial to continuosly  monitor, review and manage the programme to enhance its intended objectives.

Speaking during the National Reintegration Conference in Tlokweng on Monday, Prisons Commissioner, Ms Dinah Marathe, said there had been a significant decline in reoffending cases since the implementation of the programme.

She said between 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 there was a significant decrease of 21 per cent in the number of convicts’ population.

"A further decrease of 18 per cent was experienced during the year 2022/2023. It is our commitment to ensure that those who leave our custody, do not come back as the experience works against our intentions," she said.

Ms Marathe acknowledged that  since the  inception of the programme  in 2021, a total of  459 ex-offenders constituting 450 males and 9 females have been handed to various committees established across the country.

“Out of this number, only eight (seven males and one female) reoffended, she said adding that 40 had been assisted to find employment in various sectors while 38 were self-employed.

She said while the conference provides an opportunity to monitor, evaluate and assess the effectiveness of the programme, partnership with the community had been key to ensuring a successful offender/victim reconciliation and effective reintegration programme.

The programme was an international practice that focused on sustainable reintegration of ex-offenders by prioritising community involvement and buy-in to meet the requisite processes, she said.

She said the aim was to foster the social reintegration of offenders within their communities, and to accord them the opportunity to lead positive, productive and meaningful lives, free from crime.

The commissioner said currently there were 449 Community-Based Reintegration Committees (CBRC) established around the country, chaired by Dikgosi and coordinated by Officers in Charge of the Prison station within the catchment areas.

"We have employed the rule of the vital few so that all the Committees are represented to ensure that the message is shared across all communities. These are the men and women who have shown determination and swiftly came to the forefront when we called for the nation to partner with us for this very important initiative," she said.

Ms Marathe said the partnership would go a long way in reducing reoffending, as ex-offenders would be dedicated to re-shaping their own lives, providing for their families and contributing to the growth of the country’s economy.

She said the Botswana Prison Service recently assumed the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Chairmanship of the African Correctional Services Association (ACSA).

Ms Marathe said the responsibility compelled the service to contribute immensely to the achievement of the SADC Corrections/ Prisons/ Penitentiary Services Strategic Action Plan (2021-2025).

She said the Prison Service had resolved to implement the Offender Reintegration Programme which translated to the realisation of thematic area three of the SADC Corrections/Prisons/ Penitentiary Services Strategic Action Plan (2021-2025).

“Objective three specifically states that Correctional Services in the SADC Region will effectively and timely prepare prisoners for their release and support their social reintegration while equally promoting buy-in of the community,"”she said.

It was in this light, that the wheels of change started rolling in 2021 when the Prison Service launched the Offender Rehabilitation and Reintegration Strategy, Ms Marathe expounded, citing that the Strategy formed the basis for the introduction of the reintegration programme.

She said the participation of the community in strengthening and enhancing rehabilitation and reintegration was crucial, hence the establishment of the community-based support structures.

Ms Marathe said objectives of the National Reintegration Conference included amongst others, creating a platform for stakeholder engagement and promoting community involvement for sustainable reintegration. It would also allow committees to exchange ideas on best practices as well as to provide a forum for ex-offenders to share their experiences on rehabilitation and reintegration programmes.

“I wish to highlight that the Conference came at an opportune time when President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi recently launched the Mindset Change Programme under the slogan “A re chengcheng”. It is through this programme that His Excellency the President implores the whole Nation to make a radical shift in thought, act and conduct,”she said.

It is anticipated that the conference would come up with resolutions which would assist in improving the programme for the benefit of the country. ends