Education In Penal Institutions Within The Democratic Republic Of The Congo: Challenges and Strategies
Professor BANZA NSOMWE-A-NFUNKWA Eustache
Faculty of Psychology and Educational Science, University of Kinshasa
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Associate member of the UNESCO Chair
1. Introduction
Education in penal institutions within the Democratic Republic of the Congo remains a mystery to many people who consider that prisoners do not have any rights when it comes to education, training, the development of abilities and multi-sector support; mostly, this is due to the absence of essays establishing this form of education within these environments, which are generally considered as highly sensitive, high-risk and non-penetrable.
Benefiting from a process for fine-tuning strategies for the national education sector within the Democratic Republic of the Congo, we have deemed appropriate to address the sensitive problem relating to education in prisons in favor of the “have-nots”, who are, in fact, members in every aspect of our society and can contribute, even if just a tad, to the promotion of the community’s well-being, notwithstanding their current situation.
Based on observations, prison visits, interviews with prison management and members of society, we have detected that for some, there was an information deficit while for others, ignorance was the issue when it comes to education in prisons and its impact on a joint peace of mind.
This observation has motivated us to search and understand, in depth, the challenges facing the introduction of education in prisons and, as much as possible, elaborate some strategies that could facilitate this innovation within prison environments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
2. Current Situation
As indicated above, education in prisons within the Democratic Republic of the Congo has not yet seen the light. However, it is important to know that the time has come to defend a cause of this nature for people who are at risk, by encouraging the road to education as well as their reintegration after prison.
Furthermore, let us remember that in the prisons within the Democratic Republic of the Congo in general and those within the province of Kinshasa in particular, a lot of youths from the urban crime scene can be found. In most cases, these youngsters stand out because they have left school early on, without obtaining any certificates or diplomas. They are illiterate, have experienced learning difficulties, come from troubled families and poor environments, are exposed to drugs and live in the streets after having been chased out of their homes for reasons no one wants to share.
These children, in their quest for survival, end up doing unacceptable things, from marks of extreme violence, to extortion of goods and killing people.
The police and specialized services, in their mission for the protection of people and their goods, apprehend these youngsters who, after all the administrative and judicial procedures, are thrown in jail.
In accordance with the Law, once their sentence served, these condemned children are granted their freedom and return to their natural environments, with all the frustrating consequences as from the beginning, and are then ready to re-offend.
For a few known cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, some young ex-prisoners share, with whoever lends an attentive ear that they wish to return to prison because there, at least, food is a sure thing.
In approaching a few young ex-prisoners for an interview, we learned that most of them did not have any training or background allowing them to find employment and take control of their lives.
We have also quickly learned that it is high time to take a close look at the connexion between the lack of education, the absence of jobs, the frustration and all of the consequences that stem from this. In other words, a good quality education facilitates employment and increases self-confidence, which, once basic needs are met, puts the youngster back into a position for development.
With this conviction under our belt, we took the firm decision to meet with the director responsible for prisons within the justice department in order to submit an official authorization request for research within prison environments.
A quick and positive reaction from the director responsible for the prisons granted us quick access to the central prison of Makala (in Kinshasa), where a productive interview took place. Following this interview, some statistical data was provided concerning the number of prisoners and the different infraction categories for the years 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 (data which was greatly outdated, but that could support our need for education in prisons). Challenges were also raised.
3. Statistical data: number of prisoners and infraction categories
3.1. Number of prisoners and infraction categories: 2006
Year | Number of Prisoners | Infraction Category |
2006 | 800 | Rapes |
435 | Robberies | |
533 | Thefts | |
356 | Scams | |
876 | Other infractions |
3.2. Number of prisoners and infraction categories: 2007
Year | Number of Prisoners | Infraction Category |
2007 | 720 | Rapes |
535 | Robberies | |
640 | Thefts | |
480 | Scams | |
1105 | Other infractions |
3.3. Number of prisoners and infraction categories: 2008
Year | Number of Prisoners | Infraction Category |
2008 | 847 | Rapes |
535 | Robberies | |
670 | Thefts | |
450 | Scams | |
1698 | Other infractions |
3.4 Number of prisoners and infraction categories: 2009
Year | Number of Prisoners | Infraction Categories |
2009 | 555 | Rapes |
991 | Robberies | |
889 | Thefts | |
903 | Scams | |
1105 | Other infractions |
The data, delimited in the four charts that respectively represent the years 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, amply evidence the need for multi-sector and multi-form support for these youths, always striving for survival and satisfaction of their primal needs.
4. Challenges
As indicated above, education in prisons does not yet exist within the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and its introduction is halted by several obstacles. For example: the absence of official essays establishing and recognizing education within Congolese prisons, a lack of qualified teaching and administrative staff for this type of education, a lack of educational programs in prisons, a lack of appropriate infrastructures and environments conducive to education in prisons, failure to identify the need for education within prisons, a passive and/or negative attitude towards education in prisons, a lack of sufficient information on the subject of education in prisons, ignorance from the community regarding the importance of education in prisons…
5. Strategies
In order to achieve best results with this innovation in such a highly sensitive sector as is a prison:
- We have opted for an approach that implicates every player, namely the government, the scientific community, the population, the prisoners, etc.
- We have initiated a plea with the Government from the Democratic Republic of the Congo through the Ministry of the Interior in order to obtain the authorization and the necessary funds required for a first look at the state of prisons across the country.
- We have initiated meetings with colleagues who are professors within the higher education and university sectors in order to debate on the question of urban crime and education in prisons.
- We have begun sensitizing the Congolese population through television media.
- We have conducted a survey with the students from the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences of the University of Kinshasa in this regard (the results of the survey will be available soon) in order to prepare them in taking an interest in this sector, mainly on teaching and administration aspects.
6. Conclusion
Education in penal institutions within the Democratic Republic of the Congo does not yet exist, but the plea is currently in the hands of government authorities, the population and every player on a national level. We hope that this cause will soon be included and supported by all, in everyone’s interest, before moving onto the next phase of this long road toward an effective introduction for education in penal institutions and the positive consideration of the rights to education from marginal representatives and these outcasts, namely the prisoners.