M.A. / Four out of every 1000 South Africans are in correctional facilities and adult males make up the majority of the total prison population in South Africa (Department of Correctional Services, 2005). Most prisoners eventually return to society and returning to criminal behaviour can occur very quickly. Ex-offenders face many challenges when reintegrating into society. Yet despite these challenges and the high rates of recidivism, many former offenders have achieved a socially approved adjustment, overcome their problems and become contributing members of society. Unfortunately one seldom hears the stories of those who have successfully reintegrated into society and there seems to be a lack of research in this area. Existing literature is largely focused on external factors which facilitate successful reintegration. However, there is a paucity of research on the psychofortological factors, such as psychological strengths and posttraumatic growth, which may contribute to this process. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to identify and explore psychofortological factors which may contribute to the successful reintegration of adult male ex-offenders into society. This research was influenced by the paradigm of positive psychology. From this perspective, people should be assessed on both their emotional problems and their strengths. One of the main premises of the strengths perspective is that people are capable of changing (O’Brien, 2001). This change can be facilitated by identifying a person’s strengths and resources, and using one’s strengths may increase success in many areas of life (Compton, 2005). It is important to know what a person has learned from their experiences and what resources they used to overcome challenges (Smith, 2006). This is particularly important in the case of offenders, since these insights may contribute to more successful adaptation. Although there are various ways to transformation and rehabilitation, there may be important similarities in the viewpoints of those who are desisting from crime. Thus there is a need for such research which could ii provide useful information regarding psychofortological factors which may contribute to successful reintegration. A qualitative approach was employed to explore the personal experiences of ex-offenders who have successfully reintegrated into society. The participants consisted of five adult male ex-offenders, who were interviewed according to a semi-structured interview schedule. Content analysis of the interviews was done according to the approach of Miles and Huberman (1994).

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

While extensive research has been conducted on the causes of intimate partner violence in the community, very little is known about rates and predictors of domestic violence perpetrated by offenders who have recently been incarcerated. Some evidence suggests that formerly incarcerated individuals may be at an increased risk to perpetrate intimate partner violence during the transition from prison to the community (e.g., Hairston & Oliver 2006; Hilton, Harris, Popham, & Lang, 2010; Oliver & Hairston, 2008). The primary goal of this dissertation was to examine the extent to which former inmates engage in domestic violence during the transition from prison to the community. A second goal of this dissertation was to determine the independent and interactive effects of selected individual, situational, and social-structural factors on post-prison domestic violence. The current dissertation project involved a retrospective study of data collected from n = 1,137 formerly-incarcerated male offenders who were released from state prison between 2004 and 2009. Data regarding individual-level factors of borderline and antisocial personality characteristics and exposure to family-of-origin violence were extracted from institutional records. Additional individual-level demographic characteristics including offenders' age, ethnicity, education need, marital status, number of children, crime of conviction, length of incarceration, and participation in correctional rehabilitation programs extracted from institutional records were also considered. The situational-level factor of offenders' employment after prison release was also collected from institutional records; and the social-structural factor of neighborhood disadvantage was collected from information available in offenders' community supervision records and Census tract-level data. The outcome measure of post-prison domestic violence was gathered from local law enforcement records. Data were entered into statistical models to predict post-prison domestic violence. Main effects on post-prison domestic violence were examined for each of the individual-level demographic characteristics, borderline and antisocial personality features, exposure to family-of-origin violence, employment, and neighborhood disadvantage. Interactive effects on post-prison domestic violence were examined between borderline and antisocial personality characteristics, exposure to family-of-origin violence, employment, and neighborhood disadvantage. Significant predicted main effects on post-prison domestic violence included age, ethnicity, education need, number of children, violent criminal history, attendance of substance abuse treatment in prison, witnessing interparental violence as a child, and neighborhood disadvantage. Significant predicted interaction effects on post-prison domestic violence included the interaction between physical abuse as a child and neighborhood disadvantage. Implications for policies regarding post-prison supervision sentencing, housing, and the advancement of programming to prevent intimate partner violence during the transition from prison to the community are discussed. Contributions to the literature on intimate partner violence, environmental transition theory, and ecological theoretical frameworks are also addressed.

published_or_final_version / Criminology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

published_or_final_version / Criminology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

The study is a critical analysis from a feminist pastoral care perspective in rehabilitating female ex-prisoners in Zimbabwe. The central research question that the study focused on is: “In what ways can the understanding of the praxis of feminist pastoral care facilitate the rehabilitation of female ex-prisoners for their integration into the Zimbabwean society?” This empirical qualitative study was facilitated through feminist methods to excavate the lived experiences and perceptions of female ex-prisoners and prisoners, which were analysed through three theories. These theories were: feminist theological anthropology which provided the view male and female as equals before God; feminist cultural hermeneutics which assisted in recognising that culture and religion have a significant influence in shaping women’s identity and experiences, especially in the African context and in particular Zimbabwe; and feminist pastoral care which highlighted that all human beings are entitled to care and dignity and that in view of the pervasive gender injustice, it is essential for women to receive nurturing or support, liberation and empowerment during the pastoral care-giving process. Field research was undertaken to collect the narratives of female ex-prisoners and prisoners so as to get a fuller picture of their perceptions and experiences. In-depth interviews were conducted with twenty-eight female ex-prisoners and prisoners. The research findings highlighted central themes that emerged about how the participants perceived themselves, society and God. This data thus represented the subjective reality of the women. Their objective reality was ascertained by examining the gendered identity of women in Zimbabwe, and how this identity has been shaped by patriarchal aspects of religion and culture. The impact of these constructed identities on the lives of women in Zimbabwe is most evident in the areas of education, employment, health, access to resources and family life. The purpose of this study was to identify the rehabilitation needs of female ex-prisoners in Zimbabwe. To achieve this, an examination of the current theories of rehabilitation was conducted, followed by a critical gendered analysis thereof, employing the three theories vii | P a g e underpinning this study. The theories of rehabilitation revealed wide gender disparities and to address this, an African feminist pastoral care theory of rehabilitation was proposed. Using this proposed theory, current rehabilitation programmes, with special focus on those working with African women prisoners and ex-prisoners in Zimbabwe, while also making reference to those in South Africa, were then interrogated. Following on from this, a gender-sensitive programme of rehabilitation was put forward, which took into account first, the subjective experiences of the female ex- prisoners and prisoners of this study; second, the objective reality of Zimbabwean women’s daily lives; and third, the main features of current faith-based programmes and where these fall short in terms of the proposed African feminist pastoral care theory of rehabilitation. The rehabilitation programme that emerged from this process is of potential use to faith- based organisations and chaplains working with African women inmates and released prisoners. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2013.

This study examined the effects of the spiritual component of rehabilitation on female inmates who were in custody during 2002 at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility (LDSCF) and how church attendance relates to recidivism.