Submitted to the Faculty of Arts in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree Mater of Arts in the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 1992. / The prisoner, and especially the "board prisoner", is
confronted with the possibility of becoming
institutionalised. While being incarcerated in the
conventional prison, his life world is of necessity
institutionally ruled and governed- Upon release he
is confronted with a world where he once more has to
make his own decisions; he has to be prepared for his
reintroduction into a free society and for taking up
his responsibilities and obligations as a free
citizen. This entails much more than finding
accommodation or employment - the question arises whether the conventional prison is the appropriate place for this process of reintegration into community life.
The establishment and efficient functioning of transitional havens may be instrumental in preparing the prisoner, who is still under sentence and whose treatment programme makes provision for admittance to such an institution, for reintroduction into free society.
The objective of this study was to undertake an investigation of existing research literature relating to transitional havens, in order to describe the origin and development as well as the structure and functioning of these institutions. Arising from the "reintegration model" with its emphasis on community treatment and community integration, the prisoner is assisted and supported towards returning to society as Cx5
a responsible and accountable person- As a
community-based release preparatory approach,
transitional havens offer a unique opportunity towards addressing the needs of the prisoner.
The creation and development as well as the structure and functioning of transitional havens are described. The rapid expansion of transitional havens was originally based on the theoretical assumption that these havens would lower residivism, ensure more humane treatment and reduce expenditure. Apart from different names given to transitional havens by different countries, or even states within countries, it appears that control of these havens may rest with the state or private welfare organisations. Transitional havens controlled by the state are run at lower cost that those controlled by private institutions. State controlled havens utilise the services of personnel, who also serve in conventional prisons, on a rotating basis.
It has been found that, with regard to the selection
of residents, different criteria is adopted. The
intervention programme includes, inter alia, personal
counselling, family and marital therapy, reality
therapy and social ski1Is training. The transitional
haven is regarded as the focus point for the
mobilisation of community members and community
sources towards addressing the needs of ex-prisoners
by facilitating co-operation with existing organi-
sations, such as training centres, businesses and
service centres. The haven encompasses
Cxi>
the very important possibility that convicted persons may be transferred there directly, allowing them to continue with professions held prior to conviction.
The creation of transitional havens will therefore
serve two important objectives: firstly, it wil1
counteract institutional dependency amongst prisoners
who qualify for admittance and secondly, it will
contribute considerably towards the prisoner's
reintegration into community life- >
Based on this study it is recommended, as a matter of priority, that the creation of transitional havens by the Department of Correctional Services, be considered- / University of Zululand
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uzulu/oai:uzspace.unizulu.ac.za:10530/1041 |
| Date | January 1992 |
| Creators | Urbani, G. |
| Contributors | Potgieter, P.J. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | Afrikaans |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf |
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