Offender rehabilitation : an overview of some effective programmes and initiatives used within prisons

Abstract

Recidivism has been a growing issue within correctional institutions worldwide. Incarceration may not be the best response to crime reduction, where growing literature shows its detrimental effects on prisoners. The shift towards a more humane experience was brought about by penal reformers who emphasised the negative aspects of imprisonment. The rehabilitation of offenders has become a key feature in the modern criminal justice system; having rehabilitative programmes that vary between prisons. Focus was given to three types of rehabilitative programmes: prison education and vocational skills, cognitive behavioural therapy and victim offender mediation, which is a restorative justice based intervention. This dissertation reviews how each programme aids in the rehabilitation of offender, their efficacy on the reformation of the offenders‟ character and on the prevention of reoffending. These programmes where examined in a prison context while prisoners are incarcerated. It is believed that the use of such programmes enhance the experience of imprisonment while aiding in the reformation of the individual. The data has been collected from qualitative secondary sources such as online newspapers and academic journals.