A penological study of the role of nongovernmental Organisations in the Rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders

Abstract

The usage of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in criminal justice can help to alleviate the problem of overburdening professionals like parole officials and probation officers. They can also help with a task that requires a high level of professional knowledge and competence in order to reduce the demands on professional people's time. Department of Correctional Services must acknowledge the significant impact that an outside role player can make. The Department of Correctional Services must improve its capacities and rely on non-governmental entities to provide services due to its limited size. Several nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) in South Africa work both inside and outside of correctional institutions with convicts, ex-offenders, and their families. The researcher discusses the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders in South Africa and foreign correctional systems in three countries: Canada, the United States of America, and Namibia. In the rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders into penal systems, each country makes use of external role actors such as NGOs. Several correctional institutions rely on non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to support personnel in various programs for offender rehabilitation and reintegration. The fact that the South African Department of Correctional Services does not place a strong emphasis on aspects such as reintegration to work, and that Non-Governmental Organizations play a decisive role in such matters, necessitated research into the role of non-governmental organizations in the criminal justice system. Effective reintegration programs are time-consuming, expensive, and require skilled personnel. The White Paper on Corrections and the Correctional Services Act 111 of 1998 do not provide rules that educate policies that control the role of non-governmental organizations in rehabilitation programs so that all NGOs are aware of their responsibilities. Its open-door strategy does not help it gain additional funding from nongovernmental organizations. There is no provision for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with professional skills and their functions in the Department of Correctional Services, the professional society for NGOs in criminal justice, and so on. This study involved an extensive literature review that looked at the role of NGOs in the criminal justice system on a global and national level, as well as standards for the treatment of criminals and a variety of rehabilitation programs offered by NGOs.