Keeping them out of prison : A restorative justice education intervention with prison inmates in Lesotho
Author | Ntholeng Molefi,Geoff Harris |
DOI | 10.17159/2413-3108/2022/vn71a12731 |
Published date | 01 November 2022 |
Date | 01 November 2022 |
Pages | 35-43 |
2 – 35
SA CRIME QUARTERLY NO. 71 • 2022
Keeping them out
of prison
A restorative justice
education intervention with
prison inmates in Lesotho
South African
This research project involved planning and implementing a restorative justice education programme
with prison inmates in Lesotho aimed at restoring their self-worth and dignity, and to evaluate its
outcomes. The project began with focus group discussions with first-time offenders, repeat offenders
and ex-inmates to identify the main challenges faced by ex-inmates. It was found that these were
stigma, rejection by their families and communities and the harsh socio-economic environment.
The study then utilised restorative justice education materials from a South African NGO, Phoenix
Zululand, which were translated into Sesotho and modified to suit local conditions. The programme
involved discussion groups led by a facilitator and culminated in a conference involving inmates and
their families held shortly before release. An evaluation conducted 12–18 months after release found
very positive outcomes for the ex-inmates and their families concerned but there are reasons to be
conservative in what is claimed in terms of programme success.
CR I ME QUA RT E R LY
Ntholeng Molefi and Geoff Harris1
ntholengmolefi@gmail.com
geoffreyh@dut.ac.za
https://doi.org/10.17159/2413-3108/2022/vn71a12731
No. 71 | 2022
The effectiveness of two of the conventional
justifications for imprisonment – deterrence
and reformation – can be tested using rates of
repeat offending as a performance indicator.
The evidence on recidivism, typically defined as
the proportion of prisoners who are re-arrested,
reconvicted or reimprisoned within two years of
release, is unequivocal, although many countries
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