NCJ Number
172972
Date Published
1997
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This article describes a February 1996 visit to the prison system of South Africa by four prison officials from Great Britain.
Abstract
The group decided to visit South Africa as a result of their perception that the prison system of Great Britain was rapidly changing. They chose to visit a prison system with a visible and urgent agenda for extraordinary change. Their focus was on South African priorities, methods of bringing about change, and coping strategies. They discovered that South Africa was moving away from a highly militaristic prison system, which had aspired merely to control and contain large numbers of prisoners. Organizational changes focused on four areas: demilitarization, affirmative action, the empowerment of correctional personnel, and the development of the Canadian model of direct control. Much of the agenda for change was set by the Transformation Forum, a disparate group of people with the common goal of transforming corrections. Members included representatives of a service organization, the Correctional Service, attorneys, former inmates, trade unions, and correctional reform groups. The visit also revealed that major obstacles to progress and change are the organizational culture, power groups, the large inmate population, the increase in reported crime, and the need for personnel training. Aspects of the correctional reform process that appeared particularly relevant to Great Britain included the introduction of community supervision for less serious offenders, the massive commitment to training, and several other elements. Photographs