Exploring the Ties of Incarcerated Fathers with Their Families and Communities in the Western Cape—The Perspectives of Care Professionals

ABSTRACT

It is often argued that incarcerated men who stay connected with their families are less likely to reoffend. Despite the growing literature on non-residential fatherhood in South Africa, little research has been conducted on incarcerated men in South Africa. In this article, we draw on the expertise and perspectives of three research participants who used to work closely, as care professionals, with incarcerated men in the Western Cape. By drawing on Bronfenbrenner’s human development theory, the journeys of incarcerated men as fathers are explored here. The diversity and the nature of offences are important when the links between fathers, their children and other family members are considered during their entry, stay and release from correctional facilities. The care professionals are all attuned to the agency of the individual men, the close ties some have with deviant communities, the complexities of family environments and the socioeconomic pressure under which many incarcerated fathers and their families live. The context of a society, with a violent past and present, is also highlighted.

KEYWORDS:

• Fatherhood
• incarceration
• Western Cape
• South Africa
• Bronfenbrenner’s human development theory
• care professionals

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Although the term “person of colour” is more readily associated with the USA, it is used here to avoid the term “Coloured” that is still used as one of the racial categories (together with African/black, Indian/Asian and white) in official South African documentation to gauge redress within these racial apartheid categories. This research was undertaken in the Western Cape where large groupings of so-called Coloured people live and where some people self-identify as Coloured. Yet, many people also reject this term due to its political connotations and a grand narrative of similarity it evokes for a diverse group of people. Although the concept “person of colour” does not address the diverse experiences and backgrounds at all, it is more neutral in the South African context. This specific participant used the term “brown people” (bruin mense in the original Afrikaans interview) when referring to his own racial identity—a common phrase in the Western Cape.

2 A popular type of street food in Cape Town, which consists of a sandwich with rich fillings.