READER LETTER | Ex-convicts deserve a second chance

There is an ancient saying that goes: “Sometimes a second chance works out even better than the first chance because you have learnt from your mistakes.”

African-American actress Tia Mowry once said: “Having a second chance makes you want to work even harder.” 

This quote crossed my mind when I saw the photos of inmates in the Central Karoo district using their skills to refurbish a house of one of the victims of gender-based violence. The initiative was an arrangement between mayor Gayton McKenzie, himself a former convict, and the department of correctional services who agreed to have inmates contribute effectively to society as part of their rehabilitation.

I think this should be extended to other areas as it allows inmates to exhibit their skills and help build the country, free of charge. Our correctional facilities are not traditional jails aimed at punishing people for their crimes but rather institutions to help rehabilitate them.

Most of these inmates are not proud of their crimes, that is why when they get to prison, they try to change their evil ways and become better members of society. Seeing offenders honing skills that they will use to sustain themselves is pleasing to the eye as it means crime will decline.

On this note, let me also point out that if people are released because it is believed they have been rehabilitated and can be reintegrated into society, having them on the criminal record list does little to help them.

If someone gets out of jail a qualified lawyer, teacher or with another qualification and they do not get work due to the criminal record, then it means the rehabilitation programmes were a waste of time if they can't help empower ex-convicts.

A second chance, as the quote above says, has a way to inspire people to work even harder. Ex-convicts deserve that too, to show they can fix their past errors by working diligently to make society a better place.

Malphia Honwane, eManyeleti, Mpumalanga