Rwanda Correctional Service (RCS) has for the first time developed a curriculum that will guide adequate rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners into their families and communities once released.

The curriculum was validated on July 20, 2022.

This curriculum was developed as a response to a complex challenge of reintegrating prisoners, especially those sentenced for genocide crimes, who have been under incarceration for more than twenty years, officials said, explaining that the curriculum was developed to address a number of identified challenges.

The challenges include the absence of a standardised curriculum, particularly in relation to psycho-social preparation of inmates about to be released and lack of a strong coordination framework of different actors working on that matter.

According to baseline research conducted prior to the development of this curriculum, the existing programmes are not uniformly implemented across all correctional facilities.

"There were rehabilitation and reintegration services but they were not coordinated and harmonized. We were working with partners in rehabilitation and reintegration services but there was no common guidance on how it should be done and it was not coordinated and harmonized,” Juvenal Marizamunda, Commissioner General of Rwanda Correctional Service (RCS) said.

He said that some services were not reaching all inmates due to lack of coordination.

"Now the curriculum will be inclusive for all inmates and all stakeholders who will be playing a role in rehabilitating and reintegrating the inmates will use the curriculum as a common guidance,” he explained.

The curriculum has eight modules according to developers.

These include interpersonal skills and conflict management, physical and mental wellness, career development and entrepreneurship, drug and substance abuse education, human rights and legal awareness, family dynamics, civic education and genocide ideology as well as safe return and connection with family and society.

He said the curriculum looks at different categories of inmates depending on types of crimes, age and sentences which requires joint efforts and continuous improvement in the implementation.

There are 13 correctional facilities and two TIG (works for public interest) camps for inmates   across the country.

He said the facilities accommodate for 80,000 inmates of whom seven percent are women and over 440 children that are  living with their mothers in prison.

"Over 75 percent of the inmates are serving sentences that are not more than 30 years, 3.6 percent are serving over 30-year sentences while 9.9 percent are serving life imprisonment,” he said.

He said 26 percent of the inmates are in prison for genocide related crimes, 17.2 percent for robbery, 11.4 percent for drug abuse, 11.2 percent are jailed for beating and injuring.

He said 10.3 percent are in prison for child defilement crime among others.

 About 57 percent of the inmates, he said, are less than 40 years old.

"80 percent of the inmates never attended formal school and those who tried completed only primary school. Each category of the above will be trained with particular methodology and resources,” he said.

Reintegration into society

Marizamunda said considering that every year a high number of inmates are released, the curriculum will ensure released inmates are reintegrated into society with good mental and behavioral status as the community is also prepared to welcome them without stigma.

"What they will learn under the curriculum must benefit them in their entire life once reintegrated into family and society. We must make sure that what they will learn will help them to avoid recidivism that could take them back into prison,” he noted.

The curriculum for rehabilitation and reintegration is a five-month certificate programme (220 hours) that will take up a minimum of 2 hours per day depending on the schedule of the prison.

 According to Bishop John Rucyahana, Chairman of Prison Fellowship Rwanda, the curriculum will benefit the whole society once it receives well rehabilitated and reintegrated inmates.

"The local leaders and communities have also to be prepared,” he noted.

The Interpeace Great Lakes Regional Representative, Frank Kayitare said that if they are not well and adequately prepared, there are high risks of recidivism, social insecurity, mental health impairment, and isolation.

Around 20,000 prisons are released every year.

Released ex-prisoners may also exacerbate social tensions by triggering fear and anxiety in communities, particularly among genocide survivors. In many cases, family members and communities are not well prepared and ready to receive ex-prisoners.

"Using a holistic approach to prepare both inmates and communities, the curriculum will help to strengthen social cohesion, unity and reconciliation efforts achieved, 28 years after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, which were likely to hindered by the above-mentioned challenges caused by inadequate rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners,” he said.