Prison Journalism: Re-integrating offenders into society

Prison Journalism: Re-integrating offenders into societyWesley Leong was incarcerated at the age of 15 in 1996 at Pollsmoor Prison. He is currently part of Restore's research and reintegration project.

by Wesley Leong

03-01-2024 09:32

in Prison Journalism

Prison

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Systems to offender, do you copy over? Do you read me, over? Imagine that a government/community that has a system in place for an ex-offender, post/pre-release, to provide assistance with the main fundamentals to prevent repeating crime and allowing you a more positive reintegration into your society.

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So, It Is Time for Your Release You served your time, completed all the requirements and courses in order for your social worker/case management officer to compile your file to go to the parole board. Hopefully, all is in order, and you are granted a date for your release. That is only the beginning of a very long and challenging journey for an ex-offender; you are going to be challenged in ways that you have to be prepared for.

The Awareness and Structure as It Stands The course you are required to do is personally of no utter use. There is nothing that grants you a safe and positive passage on your long road to recovery and reintegration. The whole system needs to be restructured in a new manner, and it must include a new set of methods to provide assistance. Ways to find means to reintegrate ex-offenders and find a way of living. We all are aware of the existing systems already in place, and they are not doing anything in regard to my question for change for ex-offenders.

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What Can Everybody Do? Really? Is this even a legitimate question at all? Most would say that it has nothing to do with me! Others would tell you about how we are all struggling? Partially it means that life is too busy for us to consider the real problems in our communities and deem it fit to accept the fact? I have news for you, and as for the remainder of the people that so graciously and proudly say, we need to do something about this, or it will never change!

Apply Yourself to make Yourself Concrete Three rules say: 1. You need to get up and show up 2. Head in the direction of your happiness and success 3. Always try and lend a helping hand to somebody. The words of becoming successful in life.

As for my ethics, the Chinese people firmly believe there is no source of wealth in having useless friendships. Also, you will never become wealthy if you give it away. I did believe so until I don't believe but most importantly, I understand it. So, empower yourself, for yourself in order to, at the end of it all, empower somebody else.

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I, like yourself, are either at a point in your life where either you are concerned about the wellness and what is going around you. Or you sadly but simply don't really care about it. Only the people in High Power, we know who,' including the community alongside others being helping hands can start this revolution of change. Or, hastily, by the time we all snap out of the false dream, it is going to be late to do nothing to help steer a different move towards change and provide a bright future ahead for us all. Take time to think about it!

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DISCLAIMER: Submission published as received

RESTORE is an NGO based in Cape Town, South Africa, providing inmates at Pollsmoor Prison with restorative justice opportunities.

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