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Correctional service centre within the Department of Correctional services

Thesis (MTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: “Restorative Justice Programmes are proliferating internationally and gaining mainstream acceptance as alternative or supplementary justice interventions". Immarigieon & Daly, (1997:13). With the growth of the Restorative Justice approach in the various disciplines, the need to assess the programme - its principal goals, effectiveness and impact on offenders / inmates in Correctional Services Centres / facilities - is imperative.
The thesis investigates the socio-religious factors of the Restorative Justice programme and evaluates their impact, whether it is short-term or long-term, on offenders serving a sentence at Voorberg Correctional Centre / Facility, within the Department of Correctional Services of South Africa. The primary objectives of this research are:
1. To determine if the Restorative Justice programme includes socio-religious factors
or not?
2. To study the impact of these socio-factors and how the programme participants understand the programme in terms of the following: (1) programme attendance; (2) awareness raising; (3) gaining a better understanding and perception of the programme contents.
3. To study these socio-religious factors and activities of Restorative Justice programme within the framework of Harden’s Faith-Based Programme Theory, and to formulate parameters for an Integrated Faith-Based Programme for Restorative Justice within the context of the Department of Correctional Services. One the one hand the programme of Restorative Justice is rendered by the Spiritual Care Division, as a spiritual / religious programme. On the other hand, it is also rendered as a Correctional programme by Case Intervention Officers within the Department of Correctional Services. One Orientation Manual is used by both divisions. The policy of the Department of Correctional Services focuses on the social aspects in order to pursue and meet its objectives.
But the researcher argues that the impact of the programme depends on how it links the socio- and religious characters of Restorative Justice. Building on existing literature on an Integrated Faith-Based Outcome Theory Model of Restorative Justice, the researcher proposes a new programme theory and programme outcomes that include both these factors, namely social and religious, as mechanisms to enhance social and religious acceptance and change. The researcher strongly believes that both socio- and religious factors will assist future programme participants of restorative justice in creating better awareness, knowledge and social acceptance as short term goals of the programme. On the other hand both the socio- and religious factors can contribute in fulfilling the long term goals within the lives of programme participants, such as the reintegration society, and the restoration of their relationships with themselves, victims, families and communities.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/80150
Date03 1900
CreatorsJonkers, Joseph Morris
ContributorsSimon, D. X., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Practical Theology and Missiology.
PublisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
Detected LanguageEnglish
Formatix, 105 p. : ill.
RightsStellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch University

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