Evaluating the rehabilitation programmes offered to male parolees who were sentenced for intimate femicide in community corrections in the Gauteng region

Abstract

Intimate femicide happens in all settings and amongst all socio economic, cultural and religious groups. Literature also reveals that most perpetrators of femicide are male intimate partners; and I, as a female researcher was inspired by my insider position as a social worker employed by the Department of Correctional Services (DCS). This is a phenomenological study where I explored the lived experiences of male parolees, recruited via purposive sampling in Community Corrections in Gauteng who attended the rehabilitation programmes in the correctional centres. The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of rehabilitation programmes offered by (DCS) to male parolees who were sentenced for intimate partner femicide (IPF). The data were collected from ten parolees using in depth semi structured interviews and analysed via thematic analysis. The findings showed that the rehabilitation programmes offered by DCS are effective even though some recommendations were made by the participants. These recommendations included, among others, that there should be a specific programme addressing femicide and that group work must be an option for offenders of intimate femicide.

Intieme vrouemoord vind plaas in alle omgewings en onder alle sosio-ekonomiese, kultuur- en ekonomiese groepe. Literatuur dui aan dat die meeste vrouemoorde deur hul manlike intieme maats gepleeg word. As ‗n vroulike navorser is ek geïnspireer deur my binnestanderposisie as ‘n maatskaplike werker in diens van die Suid-Afrikaanse Departement van Korrektiewe Dienste (DKD). Dit is ‘n fenomenologiese studie, waar ek die geleefde ervarings verken het van manlike paroolgangers in Gemeenskapskorreksies in die Gauteng-provinsie wat die rehabilitasieprogramme in verskeie korrektiewe sentrums bygewoon het. Die studie was daarop gerig om die effektiwiteit van rehabilitasieprogramme wat deur die DKD aangebied word vir manlike paroolgangers wat aan intieme vrouemoord skuldig bevind is, te evalueer. Die data is van tien paroolgangers ingewin deur middel van semi-gestruktureerde diepte-onderhoude, en deur tematiese ontleding ontleed. Die bevindings het getoon dat die rehabiltasieprogramme wat deur die DKD aangebied word effektief is, alhoewel etlike aanbevelings deur die deelnemers gemaak is. Hierdie aanbevelings het ingesluit dat daar ‘n spesifieke program moet wees wat op vrouemoord fokus en dat groepswerk ‘n opsie moet wees vir oortreders wat vir intieme vrouemoord gevonnis is.

Ukubulawa kwabesifazane kwenzeka kuzo zonke izimo naphakathi kwawo wonke amaqembu ezenhlalo mnotho, amasiko kanye nezenkolo. Imibhalo ikhombisa ukuthi iningi labaphehli bokubulalana kwabesifazane ngabantu besilisa abathandana nabo. Njengomcwaningi wesifazane, ngagqugquzelwa isikhundla sami sokuba wusonhlalakahle oqashwe uMnyango Wezokuhlunyeleliswa Kwezimilo eNingizimu Afrika (UWK). Lolu wucwaningo olwenziwa ngendlela enzulu lapho ngike ngahlola khona okwenzeka kwabesilisa abakhululwa ngoshwele ekujezisweni esifundazweni saseGauteng ababethamele izinhlelo zokuhlunyeleliswa kwezimilo ezikhungweni ezahlukene. Lolu cwaningo lwaluhlose ukuhlola ukusebenza kahle kwezinhlelo zokuhlunyeleliswa kwezimilo ezinikezwa yi UWK kwabakhululwe ngoshwele besilisa ababegwetshelwe ukubulawa kwabesifazane ababesondelene nabo. Imininingwane yaqoqwa kwabayishumi abaphume ngoshwele, kusetshenziswa izingxoxiswano ezijulile ezihleliwe futhi zahlaziywa ngokuhlaziywa kwendikimba. Okutholakele kubonise ukuthi izinhlelo zokuhlunyeleliswa kwezimilo ezihlinzekwa yi UWK ziyasebenza nakuba ezinye izincomo zenziwe ngabahlanganyeli. Lezi zincomo zazihlanganisa ukuthi kufanele kube nohlelo oluthize oludingida ukubulawa kwabesifazane nokuthi umsebenzi weqembu kumele kube yinto ekhethwa yilabo abephula umthetho abagwetshwe ukubulawa kwabantu besifazane. Amagama abalulekile: