Offenders taught to regain self-respect
About 100 offenders graduated in a basic life skills course that gives the offenders non-religious basic moral codes by which they regain their self-respect.
Around 100 offenders at the Krugersdorp Correctional Services graduated in the Criminon programme.
Steven Khlopha, admin manager for Criminon Africa says this is a basic life skills course that gives the offenders non-religious, basic, moral codes they can use to regain their self-respect.
A learning improvement correspondence course and a handling suppression correspondence course also were done in which skills such as how to educate themselves further in life as well as training them in how to choose their associates and friends were taught.
“We have incredible success with our programmes in prisons where we have been working with inmates for the past 15 years. Last year alone we graduated nearly 600 students in workshops and correspondence courses in the five prisons we currently service on-site,” says Khlopha.
“We have combined about 23 facilitators (also offenders) whom we have trained to be supervisors and to run workshops. This figure unfortunately changes as the offenders get transferred or released.”
He says they have had many success stories through the years.
After some entertainment in the form of a pantsula dance, Criminon lead superintendent Themba Malinga took to the stage and explained the work done by Criminon.
“Criminon accomplishes its work by providing services designed to improve self-respect and the relationship skills to break the destructive habits.”
He says the course provides basic life skills to inmates and former offenders the opportunity to restore their personal integrity and essential goodness.
“I know from personal experience that the Criminon programme eliminates factors that produce and precipitate criminal behaviour. It also restores self-respect to the criminally minded individual and promotes a safe environment for all.
“These courses have the tools to break the chains we have tied ourselves with – they can teach us that no matter where we are or how thick the bars may be, we have the keys to our freedom.”
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