PARTICIPANTS’
PAPERSRESOURCE
MATERIAL SERIES
No.84
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IN OFFENDER TREATMENTCOUNTRY REPORT – BOTSWANA

Keamogetse Letsatle*

I. INTRODUCTION
Rehabilitation and restoration of the offender have over the years superseded safe custody and security
in becoming the most important aspects of the offender’s experience in prison. Offender treatment has
become a strong focus and it is used to target factors that interact to increase the likelihood of the offender
engaging in criminal activity. The type of community one grows up in, or is a part of, is regarded as a risk
factor for an offender’s initial crime or recidivism, although it is not a straightforward connection. Even
more influential to the criminogenic factors is the individual’s immediate social environment (family, school,
neighbourhood, etc).
These factors, when considered, indicate clearly that there is a need to include the community in theprocess of rehabilitating the offender. The community can be a very important resource in the treatmentof the offender and there is abundant information that shows that they can be a significant catalyst in
the altering of the offender’s character and criminal ways. Botswana as a country recognizes all of theabove, but as this paper will show, actions to incorporate this knowledge into the offender rehabilitation
programmes by the criminal justice system have been extremely slow. To start the discussion though, thepaper will give a brief history of offender rehabilitation in Botswana (most of it will concentrate on the prison
system as that is currently where most of the rehabilitation work is done). Then it will outline community
involvement in Botswana, including the successes and the challenges. The paper will also discuss how thechallenges to community involvement in the treatment of the offender can be addressed.

II. BRIEF HISTORY
The Botswana Prison Service (BPS) introduced rehabilitation as part of its core mandate in 1979 when
it realized that the heavy emphasis on safe custody and security was not yielding desired results in terms of
curbing and preventing further crimes by offenders. Similar to other prisons in the world (but perhaps a little
behind the times) the department was moving away from being punitive, to ensuring that the offender was
rehabilitated through psychosocial treatment, education and training in various skills.
Different professionals were introduced to the BPS to offer vocational training to the offenders toequip them with a means of taking care of themselves after release from prison. The next year (1980)
professionals from sectors including Social Work, Chaplaincy, Health and Adult Education were also
introduced. These professionals were responsible for ensuring that on release from prison, offenders would
be changed people, no longer interested in criminal activities and also able to provide for themselves andtheir families utilizing the trade skills that they learnt while incarcerated.
The programmes introduced by these professionals have grown, but despite having the highest numberof professionals, the Prisoner Administration and Rehabilitation Office (PARO) is facing many challenges.
These include shortage of skilled staff which results in the use of unskilled manpower, high attrition, pooror lack of facilities and poor funding. The Division therefore struggles to offer rehabilitation programmes tooffenders.

* Coordinator, Psychology Unit, Botswana Prison Service, Ministry of Justice, Defence and Security.

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III. CURRENT SITUATION OF COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IN OFFENDER TREATMENT
The government agencies that make up the criminal justice system in Botswana were previously locatedin different Ministries but have been all recently moved into one Ministry (Ministry of Justice, Defence andSecurity). The BPS, which was previously under the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs, has been the
major stakeholder in offender treatment as most sentences in Botswana are custodial. Given this background,community involvement in offender treatment for Botswana has been a serious challenge for the criminal
justice system. Generally, there is a culture of ‘‘out of sight, out of mind,’’ and Batswana have been satisfied
with knowing that an offender had been arrested, tried, and given a custodial sentence. (A situation that has
seen the country have the third highest rate per 100,000 of its incarcerated population (Tkatchuk, 2003)). The
public (it would seem) believed that offenders were getting their just desserts and trusted that the BPS would
do their job with no interference/assistance from them. This attitude from the public was supported or rather
perpetuated by the guarded culture that the BPS has had in the past. The department emphasized Security and
Safe Custody over Rehabilitation . Safe Custody and Security were perceived as more important because, as it
has popularly stated “who will you rehabilitate if the prisoners are not there or have escaped” . The emphasis
on security often meant that the community was kept out of all activities carried out by the department as it
was believed that any involvement could lead to a security breach.
The environment described above had an impact on the BPS’s ability to engage the community in theprocess of rehabilitating the offender. This however did not deter everyone in the community as there
was still a small number who were determined to assist the prison service. These were mostly religiousorganizations and associations, though there were individuals that have become involved in offender
treatment.
In the past two years, the department has seen a dramatic change in the community’s level of involvementin the treatment of offenders. This change can be attributed to the current Commissioner Colonel Silas
Motlalekgosi, who values the important role that the community can play in helping the department rehabilitate
offenders. Commissioner Motlalekgosi strongly believes that Rehabilitation and Reintegration are just as
important as Safe Custody and Security and this has influenced the current focus on community involvement
in offender rehabilitation. This has seen a paradigm shift in the department where there has been an effort toequalize all the support (e.g. management support for projects, funding, infrastructure, lobbying for politicalsupport etc.) given to aspects of the BPS’s mandate. The Commissioner has started with lobbying the Bogosi ,1private businesses, non-governmental organizations and faith-based organizations as well as artists, athletes andother individuals that are seen as key stakeholders. The Commissioner has held a series of events (breakfast
meetings, Kgotla2 meetings etc.) that were aimed at sensitizing the community to the needs of the department.
The BPS has started a strong campaign in the community targeting all stakeholders, including those
who are deemed especially important to the rehabilitation and reintegration process. In fact, stakeholder
involvement has become an important part of the department’s strategic plan for 2010-2016 (Botswana
Prison Service 2010). The Strategic objective P1 states that “The Botswana Prison Service will strengthen
partnership with the communities, volunteers and other stakeholders in order to provide coordinatedsupervision of programmes” (Botswana Prison Service 2010). Another strategic objective P3 statesthat “Botswana Prison Service will improve communication in order to strengthen partnership with thecommunity, volunteers, and other stakeholders to intensify effective and efficient two way communication”(Botswana Prison Service 2010). These strategic objectives clearly indicate that the department is dedicatedto the involvement of the community in its treatment programmes for offenders.
The Prisoner Administration and Rehabilitation Office (PARO) Division, as the spearhead of rehabilitation
efforts, is committed to ensuring community involvement in its programmes, as evidenced by its plans
to introduce case management and restorative justice to the department. Case management will help the
department determine the individualized needs of the offender and therefore make it easier for us to determine
the areas in which the community can assist us. On the other hand, taking a restorative justice stance willallow the department (and the criminal justice system as a whole) to start involving victims in the treatment ofoffenders. Victim and offender reconciliation is an area that the country is lagging behind in but the department
1 “Bogosi” is a Setswana word referring to the chieftainship. Botswana has been very successful in including its chieftainshipin the Criminal Justice System.
2 “Kgotla” is where Chiefs hold their meetings and “Kgotla” meeting refers to a public meeting.

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is determined to incorporate it into its programmes.
To ensure that this happens, the PARO Division is in the process of devising a new rehabilitation policythat will make community involvement an integral part of its rehabilitation programmes (PARO, 2010). The
BPS is planning to introduce a rehabilitation system that allows for individualized plans for each offenderthat will start from initial contact with the prison to time of release. With this will be the introduction of casemanagement, restorative justice and aftercare. At the heart of all these strategies is the idea of involving thecommunity as the department has realized that rehabilitation efforts have a better chance of succeeding if
the community is involved.

A. Examples of Community Involvement in Offender Treatment
1. Religious Community
Religious groups in Botswana (especially the predominant Christians) have been providing assistance forthe treatment of offenders. Churches not only visit the prisons to hold regular services but also provide forother needs that the offenders may have, such as spiritual counselling, clothing and toiletries for those whohave no or little family support, and also connecting with the families of the offenders to offer them support
as well. Recently we have had churches donate television sets to the prisons along with satellite dishes sothat they can access free channels. Pastor Justine of World Community Counselling Centre donated eight
television sets and eight DVD players while the Seventh Day Adventist Church donated television sets anddecoders to all the prisons in the country (Chaplains Unit, 2009). This has enabled the offenders to watch
personal growth channels that cater to their spiritual needs as well as provide much-needed entertainment.
The Christian Fellowship has also been very active in visiting prisons and providing spiritual counsellingto the prisoners. One of the members (Pastor Tonic) has started an after-care programme for ex-offenders
that provides follow-up services. There is also Pastor Reddly in Palapye in the Central District who
conducts services at Serowe New Prison (Chaplains Unit, 2010). Pastor Reddly has also started a gardening
programme for ex-offenders by providing land where the ex-offenders can grow their own vegetables tosell and feed their families. These services that are provided by the community have greatly helped as thedepartment has not yet established after-care programmes for ex-offenders.
2. Industries and Vocational Training
Vocational training has been slow in coming up with programmes to assist prisoners in using these skills tocreate jobs for themselves and other Batswana once they complete their sentences. Community involvementin this regard has also been sparse with only a few private companies and individuals offering their assistance.
Examples are Line Feed (Upholstery) and Western Furniture (Carpentry) which hire ex-offenders in theirworkshops. The Department has however realized that unemployment and low socioeconomic status are ahuge risk factor for recidivism. To address this problem, the department is in the process of introducing the‘Kick-Start3’ programme. The aim of the programme is to assist offenders who have been released from prisonby allowing them the use of prison workshops, providing them with materials for production. Ex-offenders will
be encouraged to use the facilities and materials supplied to make some money so that they can eventually
start their own businesses. The department has also engaged other government agencies that offer financial
assistance and training to help by coming up with packages that will assist the ex-offenders in setting up theirown businesses. This programme will also be encouraging the community to help where they can by theirfacilities available to ex-offenders (e.g. vocational training centres and brigades).
3. Social Welfare
The Social Welfare Unit is responsible for liaising with local authorities to ensure that offenders are offeredassistance after release and to ensure continuity of care for those that have been receiving treatment. For
instance, ten prisoners received clemency from the president at the beginning of the year. All these offenders
had served long sentences (all had served over 20 years) and had participated in the rehabilitation programmes
and responded well to the treatment programmes. Offenders were, upon their release, handed over to theirlocal Kgosi ,4 social worker, health authorities, and families. This was done to ensure that these offenders would
reintegrate well into their communities, which was expected. Prison Social Workers who visit them monthly
3 The Kick-Start programme started as a response to President Lieutenant General Seretse Khama Ian Khama’s plea forgovernment departments to improve service delivery. The programme is in the planning stages and is currently awaiting approval
from the Ministry of Finance and the Attorney General’s Chambers.
4 “Chief” in the Setswana language.

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have found that these offenders are settling well and getting a lot of assistance from the community.
4. Health
Health is a big problem in Botswana as the country is one of those most affected by HIV and AIDS with aprevalence rate of 17%. Prisons have also been affected and have a prevalence rate of 14% (Health Unit Annual
Report). Tebelopele5 has been assisting the service and comes once a week to provide HIV counselling andtesting for inmates and officers. According to the Health Unit Annual Report (2008/2009), of the 2,586 people
that received counselling, 1,909 agreed to be tested for HIV. Of this number only 272 tested positive for HIV.
This has made it easier for the Health Unit (in collaboration with the Ministry of Health) to offer antiretroviraltherapy to prisoners.
The Health Unit has also been successful in engaging the family of offenders with HIV and AIDS in theircare. It introduced a Home Based Care programme for offenders who terminally ill. In this programme theinmate is handed over to their family so that they can look after them at home. The prison health staff andsocial worker continue to look after the offender by doing home visits to offer the family support in looking
after them. Care for offenders who are HIV positive continues after they are released as the health workers
ensure that they are referred to community health services so that they can continue their treatment.
5. Young Offenders
Juvenile offenders (14 to 18 years) in Botswana are generally not given prison sentences but despite
this there is one juvenile detention centre, located in Molepolole (Ikago Centre). The centre is operated
by the Department of Social Services and caters for young offenders between the ages of 14 and 18. These
young offenders are given vocational skills while receiving psychosocial assistance from social workers.
Unfortunately this facility only caters for male offenders and thus, female offenders do not have any
custodial facility.
Other juvenile offenders are given probation instead of being sent to Ikago Centre and are placed under
the care of probation and after-care officers in the Department of Social Services. The probation officer
liaises with community service providers such as psychologists and social workers as well as other youth
organizations to ensure that the juveniles get the necessary assistance.
All other young offenders above the age of 18 are generally sent to Moshupa Boys Prison6 (again there isno female equivalent). This prison has a number of challenges such as shortage of staff and poor rehabilitation
resources (including facilities, materials and infrastructure). Fortunately, we have the support of Boikhutso
Khubamang, a young professional boxer who has been engaged with the department for a few years now.
Mr. Khubamang helps the boys’ development, not only with boxing skills, but also by engaging otherprofessionals in programmes to develop music skills, entrepreneurial skills and even to provide mentoring
and counselling (Mr. Khubamang in a private conversation, 2010). He has also engaged other local agencies
such as the Local Entrepreneurial Agency, and the Citizen Entrepreneurial and Development Agency to helpin empowering the young boys with business skills as well as funding (upon release). The department is fullyusing Mr. Khubamang’s services and he has recently embarked on a roadshow funded by the Ministry ofYouth, Sports and Culture that allowed him to extend his service to other prisons in the country. The roadshow
started with prisons in the northern region of the country and included boxing matches and music from local
artists and the local entrepreneurial services that will be available to the offenders. In the next year the roadshow will be taken to other prisons in the southern region.
6. Publicity
The public relations office has been very active in trying to engage the community in the treatment
of offenders. The unit has been participating in a number of talk shows on the national television channel(Botswana Television), and has also been engaging with various stakeholders to teach them about theimportance of taking part in offender rehabilitation. The Commissioner of Prisons, Col. S. Motlalekgosi, hasalso started a project titled “Working with the Community to Empower the Offender” (Organising Committee
Draft Report, 2010). The aim is to sensitize the community to offender rehabilitation and treatment needs by
5 Tebelopele is a non-governmental organization that provides voluntary counselling and testing for HIV.

6 Moshupa Boys prison started operating in 2009. Before then there was a boys prison in the capital Gaborone but this has
since been turned into an adult facility.

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showing them that even during imprisonment, offenders are still part of the community and therefore deserve
some compassion, assistance and acceptance. The project aims to involve local artists, businesses, and civilsociety in general to highlight to the community that it is imperative that offenders be transformed into better
citizens before they go back to society. It is also aimed at improving the inmates’ chances of reintegration backinto society once released from prison. In Botswana it has been observed that some offenders deliberately
commit crimes so that they can go back to prison where they are sure of care and this makes this project
absolutely essential. It is also hoped that the project will promote reconciliation and reconnection of prisoners
with the society by engaging the community in interventions that will improve the attitudes, and (criminal)
behaviour of the offenders.

B. Challenges
Rehabilitation and reintegration are a serious challenge for the BPS. As stated before, the nation of
Botswana has historically had an “out of sight, out of mind” mentality to those who enter the prison system.
The nation however is not the only stumbling block in this endeavour as the department has challenges thatare idiosyncratic to it. The organizational culture (which emphasizes a paramilitary leadership) is a serious
challenge to rehabilitation in Botswana. According to a needs assessment by Tkachuk and Mason in 2003,
this culture is a hindrance in engaging the community and other stakeholders. This culture makes it hard forthe community to trust the department.
The reserved culture has also made it difficult for the community to know about BPS’s rehabilitation
efforts and is therefore making it hard for them to believe offenders are capable of change. This issue has
also contributed to the poor reintegration of offenders as the community is not willing to assist them byhiring, accommodating, or even believing that they have been rehabilitated. The media has also been aproblem as they tend to run only negative articles about the department or offenders, thus making thecommunity fear them.
Poor coordination within the department has also been a problem as there have previously been noprocedures or policy to guide the process of community involvement. This left the department vulnerable
to losing potential partners, as well as in some cases, being exploited by partners. Additionally, correctional
facilities are not a top priority for governments and are therefore poorly funded (as compared to other criminal
justice departments) and this is no different in Botswana. Lack of funds has often resulted in the few membersof the community that were concerned with helping offenders losing interest because of the lack of funds.
There has also a serious problem of shortage of skilled manpower as well as poor deployment of therehabilitation staff. Lack of human capital has meant that some of the programmes that were meant torehabilitate offenders have been poorly executed. It has also meant that there has been no office that was
directly concerned with the involvement of the community and other stakeholders.
Legislation has also been a problem in Botswana as we do not have any statutes that support offender
rehabilitation. For instance, we do not have legislation that allows for community service sentences. This
could be one way of showing the public that not all offenders are dangerous and that they can be of service tothe community. The section that talks about rehabilitation in the Prisons Act (ss. 90-91, Botswana Prisons’Act 2000) is very short and vague. It does not talk about any form of rehabilitation in any specific terms andmerely states that they will be given training and treatment. There is no mention in the Act of engaging thecommunity. It must be stated for the record that the BPS is currently in the process of changing the PrisonsAct.

C. Way Forward
The BPS has undergone a shift in the way it perceives offender treatment and has over the past two
years made changes that signify its commitment to offender rehabilitation that is not only effective, butinvolves the community. To address the challenges that it is facing (e.g. staff shortage, poor deployment,etc.) the department has revised its organizational structure7 and the new structure will be supportive of all
rehabilitation efforts, including community involvement. However there is still some work that needs to bedone to make this a reality, including:
7 The organizational structure is awaiting approval by parliament before it is implemented.

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Rebranding to improve the organization’s image and reputation in the community.

•

Improving the department’s policies and procedures to make it conducive to community involvement.

•

Benchmarking with other countries (especially African and other developing countries) that haveachieved community inclusion in their rehabilitation of offenders.

•

Legislating to allow for community sentences and community-based rehabilitation.

•

Increasing funding of all rehabilitation programmes.

•

Collaborating with civil society to start halfway houses and other community-based treatment
facilities.

•

Increasing public awareness efforts aimed at engaging the community in offender treatment, especially
utilizing the print and broadcast media.

•

Government policies in general need to be changed, e.g. the BPS and the Department of Social Services
policies that target offenders need to be aligned so that there is no duplication of duties or any blind
spots.

IV. CONCLUSION
Community involvement in the treatment of offenders is no doubt very important to the outcome of therehabilitation efforts of the prison service. The Botswana Prison Service recognizes this issue and is making
efforts to incorporate it into its operations. There are however many challenges to this as has been discussed
in the paper and a lot of effort is going to be needed for community involvement to become a reality. There ishope however, as the department has a strong management that is committed to offender treatment in general.
As discussed in the paper the strategic foundations of the department clearly indicate this. There is a strong
belief that in the next few years, Botswana society will know that offenders do not cease being a part of thecommunity when they are sent to prison. The community will be made to see that when offenders see thecommunity believing in them and assisting them then change becomes easier and more enduring.

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REFERENCES
Botswana Prison Service (2010). Draft Strategic Plan: 2010-2016 . Ministry of Justice, Defence andSecurity.
Chaplains Unit, (2009). Botswana Prison Service Annual Health Report . Ministry of Justice, Defence andSecurity.
Health Unit (2009). Botswana Prison Service Annual Health Report . Ministry of Justice, Defence andSecurity.
Internal Organising Committee (2010). Draft Committee Report Community Involvement in Offender
rehabilitation . Botswana Prison Service. Ministry of Justice, Defence and Security.
Khubamang B. (2010) A private conversation, 8 November 2010.
Prisoner Administration and Rehabilitation Office (2010). Botswana Prison Service Draft Rehabilitation
Policy . Ministry of Justice Defence and Security.
Prison Act, (2000). Laws of Botswana Chapter 21:03 . Government of Botswana.
Tkachuk B. & Mason B. (2003). Needs Assessment Report: Botswana Prisons and Service . International
Centre for Criminal Law and Reform and Criminal Justice Policy, Vancouver.

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