Attitudes towards the rehabilitation of offenders

• In Event: Public attitudes towards crimes, punishments and policies

Abstract

The study sought to extend the literature on attitudes towards the rehabilitation of offenders from a non-western country – Ghana, where very little is known about attitudes towards rehabilitation. The objectives of the study were to examine what respondents thought should be the emphasis on Ghana’s prisons and to explore the effects of gender, previous victimisation, education and religious salience on attitude towards the rehabilitation of offenders among 298 respondents comprising of criminal justice practitioners (n=121) and the general public (n=176). Results indicated an overwhelming endorsement of offender rehabilitation among respondents. Males expressed significantly more favourable attitudes towards offender rehabilitation than their female counterparts. No significant difference was realised between criminal justice personnel and the general public's attitudes towards rehabilitation. Education emerged as the most important predictor variable of offender rehabilitation attitudes, with individuals with higher education expressing favourable attitudes. Respondents also expressed more favourable attitudes towards the rehabilitation of juvenile offenders than adult offenders. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Author

• Thomas Akoensi, University of Kent