Picture: Conflict Criminologist affiliated to the NWU’ School of Philosophy, Dr Casper Lotter/Supplied
By REGINALD KANYANE
The North West University (NWU)urges the newly-appointed Minister of Correctional Services, Dr Pieter Groenewald to improve the country’s correctional service system. Conflict Criminologist affiliated to the NWU’ School of Philosophy, Dr Casper Lotter said it is indeed a wonderful time to be in criminology, when the possibility exists that a government in the developing world is more likely to listen to alternative voices than those in the developed world.
Lotter said this is the opportunity presented by South Africa’s new Government of National Unity (GNU) after the May 2024 elections.
He further said under the previous administration, unethical actions such as the BOSASA tender and supply chain scandal, the violent suppression of prison unrest (often exacerbating the serious underlying problems) and the Thabo Bester escape debacle (possibly with the help of corrupt wardens) were par for the course.
“Our new GNU has the potential to usher in a dispensation of transparency and renewed confidence in the authorities. With this in mind, I have compiled a short wish list for our new Minister of Correctional Services.
“I offer ten items for consideration and possible implementation. It is well known that South Africa has one of the highest and most unsustainable recidivism rates in the world at around 86-94%,” he said.
Lotter added that this is higher if compared to Japan’s 48%, China’s 6-8% (two countries that embrace integrative shaming rather than stigmatising shaming practices) and Finland’s 31%. He said the United States, yet another stigmatising shaming culture, has a recidivism rate of 77%.
“This means that about 9 out of every 10 offenders in South Africa reoffend. In my own PhD, I looked at this problem (also known as the penologist’s stone) and I concluded that the emasculating stigma against ex-offenders is the single most important factor in why offenders are unable to reintegrate into the communities from which they were removed before their incarceration.
“The Australian criminologist John Braithwaite famously described stigma as “counterproductive” and “criminogenic”, in the sense that it drives ex-offenders away from mainstream society and into the arms of welcoming criminal subcultures,” said Lotter.
He said the government’s “criminalization and marginalization practices” (in the words of the British criminologist Eugene McLaughlin), should therefore be urgently scrutinised. Lotter said the foothold that the prison-industrial complex (PIC) gained in South Africa during Zuma’s tenure is evidence of this.
“In addition, I have argued that the stigmatisation of ex-offenders, directly and the profit motive as it has come to be embedded in the PIC, indirectly are important, though certainly not exclusive, drivers of South Africa’s unsustainable rates of incarceration and recidivism.
“If our new Minister were to tackle just this one issue of the stigma that fuels reoffending and cements criminal careers, he would have made a huge impact on our unsustainable rates of recidivism and carved out an enduring legacy for himself. How is this to be done? By outlawing the stigmatisation of ex-offenders, including significant civil and criminal consequences for any proven act or practice of discrimination, marginalisation and/or stigmatisation,” he said.
Lotter said but more importantly, a massive public awareness campaign by the DCS on the dangers of stigma, in terms of crime prevention, should perhaps be highlighted in its budget planning. He said it is vital that the public be educated about the societal costs of stigma [in terms of recidivism rates] if they are serious about creating safer communities.
“No stone should be left unturned to bring the South African correctional system into the admirable position of Finland’s in terms of blunting the impact of stigma through integrative shaming measures.
“This is bound to have a positive impact on both socioeconomic and recidivism rates. It is worth noting that John Burton, one of the giants in the field of conflict management, has contributed significantly to the theory that meeting basic human needs (respect, dignity, employment opportunities, etc.) will prevent prolonged social conflict,” said Lotter.
The Guardian 