Guest : Betzi Pierce| National Institute for Crime Prevention and the Reintegration of Offenders operations director|

South Africa has one of the continents highest incarceration rates & are notoriously
overcrowded, this coupled with lack of rehabilitation and almost no support once
released results in a very high recidivism rate.
A high percentage of South African criminals are members of street gangs which
complicates attempts at rehabilitation as the gangs provide a support structure once
released that makes it very difficult to turn their lives around.
A couple of years ago a proposed resettlement social grant for unemployed ex offenders
for a transitional period was suggested but this idea was rejected. As it stands
most released prisoners are almost certain to find their way back to jail due to a lack of
alternatives.