Impact of imprisonment on juveniles: briefing by Hope Prison Ministry

Meeting report

CORRECTIONAL SERVICES PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE
26 June 2007
IMPACT OF IMPRISONMENT ON JUVENILES: BRIEFING BY HOPE PRISON MINISTRY

Chairperson: Mr D Bloem (ANC)

Documents handed out:
None

Audio recording of meeting

SUMMARY
The Hope Prison Ministry briefed the Committee on its work in prisons and the impact of imprisonment on juveniles in conflict with the law and the nature of strategies that are applicable in a quest for a crime free society. The Committee was keen to explore various mechanisms that have proven to be of success in the rehabilitation process. Other concerns were about the environment the offenders were exposed to after their release, challenges in obtaining employment and the accreditation of academic studies.

The Committee also noted the introduction of the Criminal Law (Sentencing) Amendment Bill into Parliament. Given the recent spate of child murders, the Committee discussed their dissatisfaction with current sentencing and the view that child murderers should be given harsher punishment. Some Members suggested that the death penalty should be reintroduced. There was general agreement that the concept of parole should be reviewed and that a life sentence should be served in full.

MINUTES
Opening Remarks by Chairperson
The Chairperson noted that June is declared to be Youth Month due to the political history of South Africa and it is in that context that the Committee had requested Hope Prison Ministry to present on the impact of imprisonment on juveniles in conflict with the law.

He also referred to the killing of children in the country as a disturbing factor that required urgent attention. He made reference to the recent murders of Refilwe in Limpopo and Mikayla in the Western Cape and other killings elsewhere. He called on Parliament as a public representative institution to express anger, call on the perpetrators to be removed from society and that Parliament as a law making institution exercise its power when dealing with the recently introduced Criminal Law (Sentencing) Amendment Bill [B15-2007]. Members of the Committee should effectively use the opportunity presented by the amendment Bill to scrutinise the parole board process and the sentencing of criminals who committed serious crimes. He expressed his views that prisoners who committed serious crimes should complete their sentence before appearing before the parole board and that a life sentence should be mean no less than 25 years. 

In concluding his opening remarks, he invited Members of the Committee to comment on this matter.

Ms S Seaton (IFP) commented that the death penalty should be considered specifically in child murder crimes and be brought back to this country.

Mr N Fihla (ANC) proposed that the Department of Correctional Services should isolate specific criminals that are deemed to have committed serious crimes from criminals who have committed minor crimes. The Department should create different categories for various crimes instead of lumping all the criminals together. Those criminals who had committed crimes that are deemed to be serious should be isolated from society and be housed separately from others, without infringing their constitutional rights.

Ms S Rajbally (MF) responding to the Chairperson's proposal that life sentence should mean 25 years, said that a life sentence was not sufficient punishment for a criminal who had committed a serious crime. She did not think that the 25 years' life sentence served its purpose due to the luxurious nature of prisons. Today prisons were not what they used to be and people committed petty crimes just to get into prison. She suggested that they should focus on the motivating factors and causes why people commit such violent crime. She suggested that there should be a special focus on young offenders in prisons and what they were taught whilst in those correctional facilities. She expressed her concern about child murders, saying that something should be done to stop that kind of behaviour. The Safety and Security Department should investigate whether the syndicates are behind the increase in criminal activities in South Africa. She suggested that the country should explore other strategies of combating crime because there were no valid outcomes to the current strategies.

Mr Mahote (ANC) expressed his disagreement with the justification that people who kill children were sick, and that those criminals did not have respect for other people’s rights. He suggested that the application of parole should be revisited by all stakeholders. Further, some of the criminals were not convicted due to poor investigation and poor collection of evidence. The Departmental officials should strengthen their relationship with the prosecuting arm of the judiciary system. He agreed with the proposal that the Department should create categories for various crimes and criminals that are deemed dangerous to society should be isolated.

Ms Z Nawa (North West) objected to the proposal that government should return the death sentence and indicated that she does not support this. Due to poor investigation or poor evidence collected for court, many people might be convicted incorrectly without having committed that particular crime. Instead she proposed that there needed to be a review of the parole board and that criminals that had committed serious crimes should not qualify for parole before serving the entire sentence.

Bishop L Tolo (ANC) mentioned that some parents were the ones who cause such problems because they exposed their children to firearms. Some criminals brought home stolen goods and their parents kept quiet thus  perpetuating crime in communities.

In closing the debate on the killing of children, the Chairperson said that this had become a nation-wide phenomenon and Parliament should act before the country is overwhelmed by the situation. Parliament would be processing the amendment bill in the next session. He concluded that life imprisonment should be 25 years and a convict should serve all these years and thereafter may be considered for parole.

Hope Prison Ministry presentation
Pastor Jeanine Clayton, Co-Director of the Hope Prison Ministry, introduced her husband, Pastor Jonathan Clayton and their team of 18 people. She explained that significant to their ministry was the fact that  staff of Hope Prison Ministry included ex-prisoners and the Director of the organisation was also an ex-convict. They also had ex-prisoners as volunteers who had committed crimes ranging from rape to murder but had experienced transformation and the Ministry believed there was hope for those prisoners. Her response to the call for the return of the death sentence was that some people could transform given the opportunity.

The Chairperson mentioned that juveniles were a serious challenge in prisons and he would like to find out the cause for the large number of young people in prisons.
 
Pastor Jeanine Clayton said that the Ministry had observed that their target group was suffering from broken souls who had lost hope and were seeking a sense of belonging and recognition in society because they could not get it at home. The other observation was that most of the juveniles were coming from dysfunctional families with no positive role models in their lives. Due to the latter they resorted to drug abuse and criminal activities to get attention while others have been physically and sexually abused. The intervention of the Ministry sought to fill the emotional void that had been created by lack of parental love and that resulted in destructive behaviour through a restorative justice programme. The Ministry also worked with victims of crime through the restorative justice programme. Underpinning the work of the Ministry was the belief that the young men and women would be restored through accepting Christ as their saviour and Lord. There were three operational programmes that led to the total transformation of the juveniles.

Mrs Clayton showed a ten-minute video of the activities and the services they Hope Prison Ministry rendered both to the inmates and warders at Pollsmoor Prison. Their mission as the Ministry was for the effective rehabilitation of prisoners, equiping inmates for life outside prison and reducing re-offending. They helped both the inmates and the prison warders through evangelism, discipleship and counselling.
The role of the Ministry was to deal with the root of the problem and not the symptoms. They worked mainly with juveniles and they focused on both the inmates, their families and ex-prisoners through the restorative justice programme. Their three key areas of ministry were: Evangelism, where different churches worked with prisoners on weekends; Moral and spiritual development through bible study groups and counselling; Rehabilitation, transformation and re-integration through the “adopt a cell group programme” and the after-care programme. The Ministry partnered with Ambassadors in Sport where they worked with juveniles through sport. Pastor Clayton indicated that the programme would not have been successful without the support of the Pollsmoor Prison management.

Pastor Jonathan Clayton, Director of Hope Prison Ministry and Minister, spoke about the role of dysfunctional families on youth and the fact that about two thirds of prisoners came from broken homes. The Ministry would like the cell co-coordinators and counsellors who worked with the young offenders to join with these gangsters and help them redirect their lives. Results showed that about 95% of men in prison had no loving father figures. The Hope Ministry would like juvenile centres to be opened for longer and have programmes in the evenings but they were also aware of the challenges of Correctional Services’ lack of capacity. Another challenge was drug and alcohol abuse and where the drug lords misuse young boys. He gave an example of a 14 year old boy that stole a couple of laptops for a drug dealer who exchanged the goods for R1000 and drugs. Furthermore the physical and sexual abuse outside was another challenge hence the importance of a therapeutic environment. The prisoners came into the correctional facility with baggage and the Ministry had partnered with the workers and found resolutions.

Mr Fihla commented that the problem faced today was the bad environment which inmates were exposed to on their return home after rehabilitation initiatives. He suggested that first time offenders should not to mix with other offenders because when they go there then they graduate in crime. The youth learnt crime in prison from the adult convicts and they were thus drawn to gangsterism. He asked how the environment problem could be addressed.

The Chairperson complimented the Ministry on their good work but asked what happened to the prisoners after the release and what their follow-up initiatives were. 

Pastor Clayton replied that the whole rehabilitation process was important to the Ministry due to the background of dysfunctional families that prisoners came from and they conducted mediation for juveniles in prisons. The Department of Correctional Services was busy with their policy on restorative justice. The Ministry invited family visits approved by the correctional facility and it was then the Ministry would decide whether the person could be released back home or rather be placed in a centre because of the home environment. The Ministry had a therapeutic approach by means of an after-care where they monitor the progress of prisoners after the release. More people would be needed from communities to help with the after-care programmes and counselling the released prisoners since the Department had limited resources for this. The challenge was that there were no after care facilities for juvenile boys except for the rehabilitation centres and this needed urgent attention. Pastor Clayton said that every inmate should be taught responsibility and accountability since many come from broken homes and communities but they should be taught to deal with the challenges of drugs. The communities should also be equipped for this challenging task and incorporate church leaders to care for ex-offenders.

The Chairperson expressed his concern for the large number of juveniles he saw when they visited prisons as a Committee. He requested a comment from an ex-offender who was working for the Hope Prison Ministry on why young people committed crimes especially in the Western Cape. 

Mr John Palm (Ex-offender and Cell Prison Co coordinator) replied that most young offenders did not have a father figure because they either did not know who their fathers were or their fathers were in prison. They have seen a pattern where a child follows in the father’s footsteps. Furthermore there was lack of love from the parents who did not spend time with their children and sometimes swore at them giving a negative view of parenthood. The adopt a cell programme, worked on improving the juvenile’s self-esteem and identity. Most people who visited the juveniles were their mothers and fathers were not present.

Ms Joy September (Aftercare Co coordinator and ex- offender) replied that her personal experience was a broken home with no father figure and the mother had to find work. There used to be no food at home and the children were wandering the streets. She wanted attention, a sense of belonging and love, hence she engaged in deviant behaviour. The children also found a sense of belonging from the drug dealers and gangsters who gave them the attention they needed. She was in and out of prison for fifteen years but then went through the restorative justice programme where she transformed.  

Mr Paul Joemat (Life skills and Literacy educator) stated that most of the problems experienced originated in school. Most of the young offenders they worked with had dropped out of school and the Ministry went back to where the problem started. The state had a role to find out why children were on the street since they had found a correlation between educational level and crime. Parents also had not been fulfilling their role; they no longer question their children when they arrived home with illegal goods. He suggested that all the departments should work together to try and break the criminological cycle.

Ms Lisa Marqua (Restorative Justice programme) mentioned that they had three rehabilitation programmes that included a youth unit and juvenile centre. They also had 19 community organisations or facilities that assisted 23 boys with after care. She acknowledged the huge task the Ministry faced and mentioned that they could not carry out the work on their own. There was a need to network with other organisations in the communities. The Ministry had formed part of network with 54 other organisations that dealt with restorative justice programmes and communities were coming on board to assist with juveniles who came out of prison.

Discussion
Mr Fihla raised a concern about the environment to which juveniles were released because gangsterism was rife in most Western Cape communities. How did the Ministry manage to isolate rehabilitated juveniles from their communities that were infested with gang related activities

The Chairperson agreed with Mr Fihla, saying that the major concern of the Portfolio Committee was the sustainability of rehabilitation of juveniles.

Mr Clayton replied that this concern was a major challenge for the Ministry. As an interim intervention the Ministry used family mediation to assess the environment into which the juveniles would be released. The other service that the Ministry provided to sustain rehabilitation was through the after-care programme and counselling services as supportive mechanisms after the prison rehabilitation has been completed. In addition to the services the Ministry provided, they empower the juveniles to be responsible and accountable so that they take responsibility for their actions.

In addition the Ministry had established a new programme which was called Hope in Community which seeks to lobby churches and communities to support ex-inmates by using church facilities for various activities that the inmates wish to undertake as part of sustaining rehabilitation.

The Chairperson asked if the Ministry had ever interrogated the reasons for the increased number of juveniles in Western Cape prisons in particular.

In response one of the Ministry’s staff member indicated that most of the juveniles commit crimes because they were fatherless and lack parental guidance. The Ministry created a home for many juveniles, in fact others prefer remaining in the programme so that they do not have to return home due to circumstances there. In addition most of these juveniles break their education cycle at an early age so life becomes meaningless to them and schools do not have tracking systems in place to follow up on dropouts and the reasons for dropping out of school. 

The Ministry had also come to realise that it would not overcome the battle of juveniles in isolation, therefore the network with other organisations in the Western Cape who shared common goals. Most of the organisations were working with women and children at risk and they assisted in sustainability of rehabilitation once the juveniles were out of prison. The Ministry was hamstrung by lack of resources and was unable to effectively monitor the impact of their work on the juveniles once they were in their communities. But they were hoping that through the Hope in Community initiative, they would be able to present a tangible statistics that proved the impact or outcome of their work.

Bishop Tolo (ANC) expressed his sincere gratitude to the Ministry and commended the Ministry for their work in Pollsmoor Prison. Bishop Tolo asked whether the Ministry worked with prisons in other provinces.

Pastor Clayton replied that they had received requests from prisons in other provinces however presently they could only focus on Pollsmoor due to the demand there. Instead the Ministry was conducting various programmes for other centres in Pollsmoor so that they could apply intervention mechanism in their centres. 

Mr Mahote enquired about the nature of training programmes that the inmates undertake while in prison and whether they could be accredited so that the ex-inmates could seek employment opportunities or advance their education once they were released. He also asked if the Ministry has partnerships with parole board, community leaders and sport officials so that they could expose the juveniles to future opportunities in professional teams.

Mr Esther Jacobs (Councillor and Cell Prison Co-ordinator) replied that the challenge with most of the juveniles was that they drop out of the education cycle at a tender age and often struggle with basic reading and writing. Education was a small component of the Ministry, and the methodology that the Ministry uses in teaching was ABET which has no practical skills component in it, it only basic reading and writing skills.

In addition the Ministry had established an Ambassador in Sport programme, which focused on young juveniles and created opportunity for juveniles to play with other professional football teams like Ajax and Santos. The Ambassador in Sport programme has a holistic development basis, which includes placing juveniles in churches for safety once they were released and encourage juveniles to complete their rehabilitation. 

Ms Seaton commended the work of the Ministry and enquired whether the Ministry was dealing with the source of the problem or symptoms and if the Ministry could describe the nature of interaction they have with families and gangster members to avoid influx of juvenile prisoners back in prison.

Mr Esther Jacobs (Councillor and Cell Prison Co-ordinator) replied that the ethos of the Ministry was that rehabilitation begins at home and therefore families have a critical role to play in combating or reducing juvenile prisoners. In interaction with families, through family mediation the Ministry promotes the ethos. The Ministry was also extending its services to communities where there was rife gangsterism and interact with gang members, educate them on the repercussions of their behaviour and share the experience of being an inmate. In addition the Ministry suggested that correction officers undertake a training program on youth and child care because often they were overwhelmed by the amount of work and unable to provide appropriate support to the needy juveniles.

Ms Rajbally commended the Ministry for their work and sought information on the Ministry’s approach on changing the mindset of the communities towards ex-inmates. She sought clarification on the monitoring mechanism of the Ministry to assess progress and impact.  She suggested that the Ministry should work with organisations like Child Welfare as the fight against juvenile prisoners required collective effort.

Dr Ilse Appelt (Family therapist) responded that communities were rejecting ex-inmates and access to employment opportunities were the biggest challenge for the Ministry as this state of affairs tended to dilute all the rehabilitation work on the ex-inmate. The church and communities were not supportive in providing shelter for rehabilitated juveniles. Once the juvenile had been released the Ministry interacted with ex-inmate through various forums (motivational talks, public meetings).

Ms Nawa also commended the Ministry for their work in Pollsmoor and sought information on the financial donors of the Ministry.

Rev John Broom (Chairperson of Hope Prison Ministries) indicated that the Ministry received its funding from trust funds in United Kingdom and they had recently been under pressure to solicit funding in South Africa.

Closing Remarks
Mr Clayton expressed his gratitude to the Portfolio Committee for granting them the opportunity to share the work of the Ministry and the Committee’s commitment in improving access to correctional centres for the Ministry and other organisations with a similar goal.

The Chairperson of the Committee also expressed his gratitude on behalf of the Committee and said that the issue of preventative measures to reduce the number of prisoners or juvenile prisoners required more interrogation.