Unisa Press
An African Panopticon
| Author:
| Dr Lineo Johnson and Prof Kofi Quan-Baffour |
| Published:
| June 15, 2022 |
| ISBN:
| 978-1-77615-122-6 |
| This book is not available in electronic format |
About the book
The prevalence of crime that results in the offenders’ incarceration is a manifestation of social ills in our communities that can be remedied by education. Education is the panacea for crime, and this could catapultour neighbourhoods to be in a utopian state of being crime free. Therefore, it is incumbent upon our government to ensure that no one is left behind as far as education is concerned. Since crime is a perpetual phenomenon in society, correctional education is indispensable. That Africa is now democratised also necessitates a paradigm shift in which the focus should be on the rehabilitation of criminals to contribute their skills to the nation instead of retribution. More importantly, the focus needs to be inclined more on restorative justice anchored on African values of Ubuntu and human rights in which forgiveness has pre-eminence over vengeance. This book seeks to provide ways in which correctional education could be improved. Therefore, the whole correctional system needs to prioritise the empowerment of offenders through skills and education they will use to make a living once they are released from custody and reintegrated back into society. Moreover, more funding is needed to improve correctional facilities to have the relevant building infrastructure that supports the implementation of correctional education without compromising safety and security. Proper classrooms equipped with relevant educational technology and provision of learning materials like those in schools and institutions of learning outside prison and employment of qualified educators and administrators, among others, are essential to providing quality correctional education.
