Five inmates serving life sentences face the psychological weight of indefinite incarceration, sharpening the Prison Service’s focus on counselling, rehabilitation and keeping hope alive behind bars.
GAZETTE REPORTER
The Botswana Prison Service currently has five inmates serving life sentences, Commissioner of Prisons and Correctional Services Anthony Mokento has revealed.
Keeping Hope
Mokento said the inmates face unique psychological and emotional challenges associated with spending an indefinite period behind bars, making continued psychosocial support an important part of their rehabilitation.
He was speaking in Tlokweng this week during the signing of a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Botswana Prison Service (BPS) and Boitekanelo College.
Psychosocial Strain
According to Mokento, prisoners serving life sentences can experience distress and lose hope as they contemplate spending the rest of their lives in prison. He said this makes continuous psychosocial support and counselling necessary to help them cope with their circumstances.
Mokento stressed that a life sentence does not necessarily mean an inmate will remain incarcerated until death, pointing to established mechanisms such as parole and considerations linked to good conduct. He said understanding this possibility could help inmates maintain hope and remain committed to rehabilitation.
Five-Year Partnership
Mokento identified inmates’ psychological and developmental needs, together with capacity constraints within the Prison Service, as challenges confronting correctional facilities. He said the complexity of these needs strengthened the case for partnerships with institutions that have specialised health, counselling, training and research capabilities.
Under the MoU, BPS and Boitekanelo College will collaborate for five years to improve correctional health, mental health and rehabilitation services across Botswana’s prison system. The partnership will expand access to counselling, trauma debriefing, pre-release counselling, case management and cognitive behavioural therapy for inmates and prison personnel. It will also introduce health screenings, health education and wellness initiatives.
Training and Research
Boitekanelo students in nursing, counselling, public health and allied health disciplines will receive structured opportunities to undertake practical placements within correctional facilities.
College founder Dr Tiro Mampane said the two institutions will also conduct joint research, programme reviews and evaluations intended to generate evidence that can improve correctional practices. “It is our hope that partnership will not only change lives, but also restore hope, dignity and purpose among inmates and correctional personnel,” he stressed.
For BPS personnel, the partnership will provide refresher training as well as mental health and psychosocial first-aid programmes, including train-the-trainer initiatives and opportunities for specialised certification.
Reintegration Focus
The agreement also places emphasis on rehabilitation and successful reintegration into society. The partners intend to strengthen restorative justice initiatives and establish post-release psychosocial referral pathways to assist former inmates as they return to their communities.