Battling recidivism of parolees: Challenges and coping strategies of social workers at community corrections offices

Abstract

Effective parolee rehabilitation and reintegration into society are essential to reducing recidivism. This article presents the challenges and coping strategies of social workers responsible for the rehabilitation and social reintegration of parolees within the Department of Correctional Services (DCS). The study was qualitative in nature and the researcher employed a phenomenological design with elements of exploratory, descriptive and contextual research designs to understand social workers' challenges and coping strategies when working with parolees within the DCS. Nineteen (19) participants were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through face-to-face and telephonic interviews as the study was conducted during COVID-19. The ecological framework was used to analyse the challenges experienced by social workers. The findings revealed that parolees do not comply with parole conditions and are not motivated to attend social work programmes in the community and that social workers do not have adequate resources. Social workers cope in different ways to deal with the challenges, for example, by working weekends to reach more parolees. Recommendations include that services should be accessible to parolees, their needs be addressed, and stakeholders work as a team to win this battle.