ipl-logo

Re-Imprisonment Rates In South Africa

1055 Words5 Pages

The re-imprisonment rates in South Africa are exceeding high due to various socio-economic and psychological factors as well as the lack on effective programs in place to aid in rehabilitating prisoners into society once they have completed their sentence in order to prevent their re-imprisonment for the same or different crime. This paper will serve to outline the reasons for these high rates and how Industrial-Organizational psychologists (I/O psychologists) can get involved to lower them and hopefully eradicate them completely in the near future using their psychologically based techniques and expertise. For the sake of this paper we will be focusing on the particular area of expertise that involves ergonomics (the scientific field that …show more content…

However, this is seldom the way events turn out. According to Muntingh (2008) ex-convicts are thirteen times more likely to be unemployed than the general population as a result of 80% of prisoners possessing writing skills, 65% possessing numeracy skills, and 50% having literacy skills that are equivalent to or below that of an 11-year old child. This increase their chances of reoffending and being sent back to prison as they cannot financially support themselves or their families ( those who are welcomed back into their families) so they tend to look for currency elsewhere which often involves illegal activities such as the selling of drugs or stolen goods. Others prefer to return to prison where they are guaranteed shelter and meals which they cannot provide for themselves in the “real …show more content…

An I/O psychologist systematically studies the place of work using techniques of psychology and relating them to issues of significant relevance to business, talent management, evaluation, training, recruitment and work-family relationship balance (Kriek, 2012). However, the definition that is of relevance in the context of this paper is that of, I/O psychology being a practical part of psychology which is equally an academic and a pragmatic discipline that focuses on the study of human behavior in relation to work, organizations and efficiency in a certain kind of location ( Schreuder & Coetzee, 2010).
I/O psychology highlights how an organization influences individuals in a particular organization and how the social aspect of the organization affects the people involved thus guaranteeing that people stay motivated, that there are work arrangements in place to improve human productivity, that skills training and development are provided in order to allow individuals to progress and thrive in organizations and

Show More
Related
1042 Words | 5 Pages

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, there are currently over 2.2 million individuals serving time in federal and state prison, with 95 percent of those individuals being released and returning to their perspective communities across the nation. Majority of those individuals returning have needs that was either unaddressed while incarcerated or during the reentry process, which will negatively impact their ability to live a crime free productive life while in the community. Once released from prison, inmates are faced with a myriad of challenges such as finding stable housing, maintaining employment, combating substance abuse, and addressing physical and mental health problems. However, with the help of community support, offenders would less likely return back to prison and are

Read More
640 Words | 3 Pages

When society is not accepting the newly released prisoner, it makes them feel like they don’t belong, so they go back to their old ways,which involves reoffending. For instance, when a person has served a long-winded sentence,it could be hard to convert what society is now versus what it was before. In addition, programs are provided to reduce the rate of recidivism, but the effectiveness of the program is the bigger issue. Programs tend to be generalized and do not meet the needs of an inmate on an individual level. Also, the program could lack the essentials such as funding and proper staffing.

Read More
1329 Words | 6 Pages

There are vocational programs to learn new skills that can help an inmate gain employment when he or she is released from prison. All of these programs mentioned can and will work if the inmate is willing to do them as well as

Read More
919 Words | 4 Pages

Shelter is one of the most basic human needs and rights, particularly in a country as developed as America. What is expected of someone who cannot find a job, stable housing, or receive financial help for essentials to live such as something as simple as food? It is no wonder that people often recidivate after being released from prison with access to legitimate opportunities being so low and social stratification being so high. On top of this, Alexander notes that most felony convictions come with intensive fees and fines. These are difficult to pay when one has trouble finding a job and cannot receive food stamps, thus trapping a person in the systems of corrections due to their debts.

Read More
766 Words | 4 Pages

A finding from a study done by the Bureau of Justice Statistics shows that 67.8 percent of ex-convicts were rearrested. Two-thirds of them spent their time in prison waiting for the release, only to go back into that dirty old cell again. Why don’t they try to get a real job, earn their own living and cherish the second chance we grant them. Let’s step down from the moral high ground for a second. Often released prisoners lack the skills and knowledge to keep up with the pace of society.

Read More
864 Words | 4 Pages

Prisoners, when given the opportunity, can learn so much while in confinement. It can better both their personal and social responses to any situation. Statistics from an article called "Beyond the Prison Bubble" shows, "If we could implement effective programs, we could expect to reduce recidivism by 15 to 20 percent. "(Petersilia 2011)

Read More
1079 Words | 5 Pages

When people get out of prison they are afraid of going back. They don't have a reason to change. Most people don't have a way of even getting a job once there out as stated here, ”I work in a medium security prison in North Carolina that serves young men ages 18 to 25. There is one segment of our population that no program addresses. This is the group that will probably never be able to get a GED, and therefore they do not qualify for many of the programs designed to help with job

Read More
1278 Words | 6 Pages

It can be difficult for past criminals to survive and make a living once they are out of jail (Alexander 2011). One of the first things a person is faced with is the amount of debt they have accrued while in jail. For example, current or former inmates are required to pay any program fees, restitution, child support, and any other fees in order to regain licenses or voting rights (Alexander 2011; Lobuglio and Piehl 2015). They are also forced to check the box indicating to employers that they have been convicted of a felony, making the application process stops there, regardless of what crime the person committed (Alexander 2011; Lobuglio and Piehl 2015). As if those set backs are not enough, former inmates are usually denied any government assistance including food stamps or government housing, forcing felons to stay with family members or desperately try to find somewhere they are allowed (Alexander 2011).

Read More
1372 Words | 6 Pages

Finding a suitable place to live can be further complicated by not having gainful employment to sustain the offender’s cost of living. According to the research of Orrick and Vieraitis, (2015), there are some promising results found in evaluations of job assistance programs that combine pre, and post-release services coupled with agencies incentives for hiring ex-offenders. Notwithstanding income may meet short-term needs of ex-offenders, but Martin (2011) contends that financial literacy and asset ownership should cut down on recidivism. The biggest obstacle is the lack of education and work experience most especially for young offenders (Martin, 2011). The literature points to the lack of income and the inability to attain financial freedom legally as one of the primary variables that cause ex-offenders to reoffend.

Read More
406 Words | 2 Pages

Research strongly indicates that transitional housing reduces the recidivism rates of parolees. Housing for many released inmates is very difficult to obtain for a variety of reasons, including prohibitions against people with drug convictions living in federally subsidized public housing. The state department of corrections has decided to rent a multiple-dwelling unit in a low-income area and to allow 200 inmates to live there six months following their release from prison. People in the neighborhood complain that this parole housing unit will increase crime in an already trouble area, will endanger local children, and will place an undue burden on local police and social service. So now the question is do you open the parole transitional

Read More
439 Words | 2 Pages

Others might argue that inmate benefit from having a job. They become better behaved, they achieve a sense of responsibility and accomplishment, and even their families become proud of them. Studies have shown that prisoners are 24% less likely to return to a life of crime when they participate in the correction

Read More
1247 Words | 5 Pages

In order to outlive the prison experience, inmates are constrained to endure great psychological changes. Noetic harm inflicted whilst imprisonment as well the challenges posed have only grown over the last several decades. These challenges include a much-discussed de-emphasis on rehabilitation as an objective of imprisonment along with rigorous policies and conditions of solitary confinement. Thus, creating prisons more troublesome places to adapt and sustain oneself. Adjustment to advanced imprisonment demands particular mental costs of incarcerated persons; few individuals are more vulnerable to the pains of imprisonment than others.

Read More
538 Words | 3 Pages

A two-year study conducted in Seattle, 819 female victims of sexual assault, were interviewed about their history of psychiatric disorders. The study found that over 10% of these women diagnosed schizophrenia disorders, and an additional 6 percent diagnosed with bipolar disorder or severe depression, were more likely to have been sexually assaulted by a stranger, attacked by multiple assailants, and severely injured during the attacks. These same women were also more likely to have been homeless or to have spent time in jail than those without mental illness. The author concluded that “sexual assaults in women with a major psychiatric diagnosis are common” and “more violent” compared to women without such diagnoses (Eckert, 2002). In Baltimore, data on physical and sexual abuse collected for one year

Read More
728 Words | 3 Pages

Andrews and Bonta (1994) have given a list of factors that may increase recidivism rates. Firstly, offenders may lack the skills required for holding a job and therefore have to resort to crime to support themselves. Secondly, many of them are school dropouts. They therefore lack the social skills that are learnt in schools such as conflict resolution, empathy, and team building. Thirdly, they often belong to dysfunctional families where they do not get much

Read More
422 Words | 2 Pages

Analysis of the participants found that “EMPLOY increased the odds of gaining postrelease employment by 72%” and concluded that “EMPLOY is an effective employment program for released prisoners,” and “offenders who participated in EMPLOY earned more total wages than those in the comparison group,” (Duwe

Read More

More about Re-Imprisonment Rates In South Africa

Related Topics

Open Document