Creating pathways to integration: The impact of community-based intervention in Gugulethu

Section 36 of the Correctional Services Act describes the purpose of imprisonment as “enabling the sentenced prisoner to lead a socially responsible and crime-free life in the future.” But interviews with 48 young ex-prisoners in Gugulethu revealed a stark discrepancy between rhetoric and reality. Analysis outlined obstacles to integration, both psycho-social and material in nature, which community-level organizations were unable to fix on their own. To construct viable pathways to integration, and satisfy its legislative mandate, the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) must initiate large-scale coordination with civil society organisations.