An Investigation of Effectiveness of Rehabilitation in the Correctional Centre, Eastern Cape. A Phenomenological Study

At Middledrift Correctional Centre in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, the role of social workers and effective psycho-educational programmes that are rendered impact positively on the well-being of inmates, although overcrowding, influx of drugs, poor living conditions and rape are regarded as factors hindering rehabilitation process. In the qualitative, cross-sectional research study conducted among 8 offenders and 2 senior correctional officers, who were purposively selected, the ethics followed prior the study comprised informed consent from the DCS, confidentiality and privacy. The research findings revealed that recidivism is relatively low and offenders’ stress level decreases because of the exposure to role plays and group- sessions by social workers, school- enrolment and family support. Recommendations are that there should be recruitment of social workers and psychologists in the DCS to empower the prisoners so that upon release they may be fully functional. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n14p61