Crime victims must be treated better, seminar is told
"Each victim is unique and so are their needs."
More needs to be done to help both the victims and perpetrators of crime, a seminar hosted by the Department of Correctional and Unisa has decided.
“Victims need to be treated with more compassion and understanding,” said correctional services national commissioner Makgothi Samuel Thobakgale in his keynote speech.
“They have suffered life-changing events that require specialised interventions. Each victim is unique and so are their needs. We as stakeholders need to ensure these needs are being addressed.”
The seminar was held at the Kgosi Mampuru correctional facility in central Pretoria.
Speakers from various disciplines addressed topics regarding the effect crime has on society.
Thobakgale emphasised that rehabilitation does not stop at the end of an offender’s sentence. Rather, it is a continuous effort that must go beyond prison walls.
Members of the Department of Social Development and the police also attended.
“It’s becoming clear that harsher sentences have little impact in the grand scheme of things. The rate at which offenders return to the system after release shows that even though we have made significant strides, more work needs to be done,” he said.
Other speakers included the Gauteng social development regional commissioner M Mashibini, clinical psychologist Baatseba Mothoa, NPO Revival’s David Heritage, survivor Mpho Chuma and Unisa prof Thabiso Matshaba.
Mashibini emphasised the need for collaboration among stakeholders, saying the onus cannot solely be on the corrections department.
It was also announced that 14 information hubs are now fully functional within Gauteng correctional facilities.
These hubs allow inmates access to learning equipment and other technologies that can help in rebuilding their lives.
Chuma features in the Showmax documentary The Woman Who Lived which depicts her harrowing survival story of escaping the man who stabbed her 26 times in a vicious attempted murder.
Matshaba, who has over 18 years of experience working with inmates, said the rehabilitation must start immediately upon the entry of the offender.
“It should not be left toward the end of their sentence as this is likely to increase the chances of reoffending,” said Matsheba.
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