Offender reintegration : a challenge to the Uniting Reformerd Church in SA, Porterville, in its ministry of reconciliation, restoring and healing to the relaesed offender in the local community

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: People re-entering society after a period of incarceration often experience an identitycrisis regarding their life orientation. Society is reluctant to receive perpetrators backinto the community after their release. Stigmatized offenders thus face a myriad ofchallenges after having been imprisoned. For instance, they struggle to findemployment, which in many instances translates into family separation andostracization. The undergirding assumption of this research is that restoration anddevelopment of the released offender and his/her family is possible. They can also behelped to find their appropriate place in society through the assistance of their faithcommunity. The researcher consequently focused on the involvement of the URCSAin its holistic mission to released offenders and their families in the community ofMonte Berta, a suburb in the town of Porterville. It was assumed that thetransformation development approach, within the framework of practical theology, canassist the church in its holistic mission, contributing towards the enhancement ofhuman development, fostering spiritual transformation, dignity, self-worth, justice,participation, freedom and hope. Based on Osmer's methodology of practicaltheology, the researcher evaluated the rehabilitation process of the released offenderwhilst incarcerated, as well as reviewed development theories and approaches, andexamined the relevance thereof for the church's mission in support of releasedoffenders and their families. She further proposed an integrated model to sustain therehabilitation process and promote the reconciliation, restoration and healing ofreintegrated offenders.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University