29 Aug 2023

 Botswana Prisons Service has been commended for developing a comprehensive Offender Reintegration Programme that encourages community participation in reintegrating ex-offenders.

Officiating at the Botswana Prisons National Ex-offenders Reintegration Conference in Tlokweng yesterday, President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi said positive strides had been made in reintegrating ex-offenders into  communities.

“Since the launch of the programme in 2021, out of 459 inmates handed to the reintegration committees, only eight or 1.74 per cent have re-offended. This is an indication that if all prisoners were to go through the same process, there was no doubt in the efficacy of attaining successful reintegration,” he said.

He said the programme through community participation in the form of Community Based Reintegration Committees (CBRC) was chaired by the village leadership for aftercare and continuity. 

 “The reason for such a decision is that in Setswana, dikgosi are key in providing guidance in nation building,” he said.

President Masisi said the reintegration programme was also important as it was purposed to change the way society perceived ex-offenders.

Therefore, he said the programme would positively influence ex-offenders to view life in a different perspective, leading to a reduced chance of re-offending.

He also underscored that Botswana prisons was also one of the departments that were doing well in the implementation of the Reset Agenda.

“I am not surprised that we are gathered here today in a conference of this magnitude, which is aimed at strengthening programmes geared towards promoting a safer Botswana,” he said.

President Masisi reaffirmed government’s commitment to support the Botswana Prison Service in all its efforts geared toward enhancing the delivery of rehabilitation and reintegration programmes.

To that effect, he said the amendment of the Prisons Act would adequately address issues of human rights in prisons. 

“I wish to point out the significant role of the community in this challenging phenomenon. Reintegration takes place in the community, by the community and for the community. The most the state can do is to facilitate and support the endeavours of the community in this regard,” he said.

Meanwhile, Minister of Defence and Security, Mr Kagiso Mmusi said the historic event for the Prisons Service was important for providing platform to appreciate and reflect on progress made since the launch of the Botswana Prison Service Offender Reintegration Strategy in October 2021.

Reflecting on the strategy, he said, the Prisons Service had taken a deliberate move to involve communities in the reintegration programme to create a seamless coherence between offender in-care and aftercare.

He said the reintegration programme was a living example of mindset change that was instrumental to addressing issues of crime-free Botswana by the year 2016.

“We drive this initiative leveraging on pillars two and four of the National Vision 2036 aspirations accentuating on Human Social Development and Governance, Peace and Security,” he said.

Mr Mmusi said the initiative was further important in driving United Nations Agenda 2030 on Sustainable Development Goals, pillar number 16 which focused on promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, providing access to justice to all and building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions.

Botswana Prisons Commissioner Ms Dinah Marathe said it was the first time Botswana Prisons Service convened a dialogue and promised that  more  was to come. 

This conference laid the foundation for social cohesion and acceptance of those who come from custody.

She said the mandate of Prisons Service was to ensure safe custodial care of offenders, whilst ensuring their rehabilitation and subsequent release from prison upon expiration of their sentences.

She said Prisons Service had had evolved with regards to service delivery, human capital, and infrastructure and strived to be an institution of correctional excellence.

Commissioner Marathe said the programme was intended to attain successful special/community re-entry of offenders upon release to accord them the opportunity to lead positive, productive and meaningful life free of crime.

She said there were 447 committees around the country which continued to capacitate through different programmes and actions.

The two-day conference which commenced on Monday has attacted 1 300 participants comprising 898 Reintegration Committee Members from 449 villages around the country, Heads of Corrections/Prisons Services from eight countries within SADC region including Angola, Eswatini, Lesotho, South Africa, Malawi, Namibia, Zambian and Zimbabwe are also in attendance.ENDS