. 2017;2(1):464-485.
ABSTRACT
Offenders released from confinement face a
variety of challenges that may hinder their
ability to become law-abiding citizens. A
key feature of successful reintegration is the
attention to the reintegration programmes
for ex-prisoners into the community and the
development of interventions designed to
reduce the levels of recidivism. The purpose
of this study was to establish factors
influencing performance of prisoner’s
reintegration programmes focusing on
women prisoners in Meru Gk prison. The
study sought to determine the influence of
capacity of prison officers, employment
opportunities, substance abuse, and
education programmes on performance of
prisoner’s reintegration programmes among
women prisoners in Meru Women Gk
prison. The study is grounded on relapse
prevention theory, supported by the
empowerment theory and the public
participation theory. The study adopted
descriptive survey research design. The
target population for this study comprised of
all the 1259 inmates and 317 officers in the
prison according to prison records. The
sample size for the study was 309. Primary
data was obtained using self-administered
questionnaires. Further, the study used
simple random sampling to pick the
respondents in each stratum. Data was
analyzed using Statistical Package for Social
Sciences (SPSS Version 22.0). Descriptive
statistics such as frequencies, percentages,
mean score and standard deviation were
estimated for all the quantitative variables
and information presented inform of tables.
The qualitative data from the open-ended
questions was analyzed using conceptual
content analysis and presented in prose
form. The findings show that capacity of
prison officers, employment opportunities,
substance abuse and prison education
programmes greatly influence performance
of prisoner’s reintegration programme. The
study recommended there should be
adequate budgetary allocation of resources
to various GK prisons which will in turn
lead to efficient reintegration programmes.
This should also lead to efficient
reintegration programmes. An improved
Scheme of Service and Establishment
Structure for the Prisons Department needs
to be put in place to facilitate the
recruitment, promotion and retention of
adequate and relevantly trained/skilled
personnel.