ADDRESSING RECIDIVISM: AN EVALUATION OF
Date
2011-06-23
Authors
UMANAH, TEBOGO ELIZABETH
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Measures to address the issues of juvenile crime and the problem of young people in
trouble with the law are areas of international concern. Violent crime is mostly
perpetrated by young people between the ages 14 and 25. The entry of these youngsters
into the corrections system is worrying, as some of them will be equipped to become
worse criminals partly due to them sharing cells with hardened criminals. It has been
argued that it is a fruitless exercise to keep young offenders in prison as they tend to
relapse upon release. Consequently, various approaches such as rehabilitation, minimum
sentences and restorative justice have since been introduced as alternatives to traditional
ways of imprisonment. Drug abuse, peer pressure, a lack of commitment on the part of
offenders to change and corruption amongst DCS personnel are some of the factors
leading to recidivism. As far as juveniles are concerned, rehabilitation therefore means
helping young offenders to become responsible citizens.
Description
MM - P&DM
Keywords
Prisons, Crime prevention