Stratégies de resocialisation et compétences psychosociales des mineurs de la prison Centrale de Yaoundé

Abstract

As colonial heritage, the Cameroonian prison institution is nowadays established as one of the tertiary crime prevention systems. It assumes two essential missions: that of retribution and that of re-socialization. This ambiguous double mission gives it a social function, that is to promote living together and social cohesion. However, the fate of those leaving prison remains a major concern of penal policies, particularly with regard to measures aimed at providing them with the resources necessary to live free from delinquency and consequently to reduce the risk of recidivism. A worldwide phenomenon, criminal recidivism is one of the scourges that fuels prison overcrowding. It is more significant among juvenile prisoners for whom a first conviction augurs a rich and varied delinquent career, if the risk factors associated with taking action are not neutralized in an institution. The high proportion of repeat offenders calls into question the social function of the prison, and more precisely its rehabilitative mission. As a result of the dynamics of individual-environment relationships, both recidivism and primary delinquency are assimilated to social maladjustment. From this observation, our study leans on the failure of resocialization in an institution; and more precisely, the adequacy between the strategies of resocialization in an institution and the acquisition of psychosocial skills of the detainees. Thereby the anchoring on the concept of psychosocial skills is due both from the one hand to the effectiveness and to the missions assigned to education and to psychosocial support and risk prevention systems in the order hand. The main question of this problem is: do the resocialization strategies develop the psychosocial skills of minors in the YCP's minors' quarter? The general objective is thus to provide a reading of the facts that contribute to the justification of this failure through Bronfenbrenner's PPCT model. The general hypothesis therefore postulates that: “resocialization strategies develop the psychosocial skills of minors in the YCP's minors' quarter”. The theoretical framework made possible the identification four dimensions of the main variable, namely: the quality of interpersonal relationships, the action mechanism, support activities and the system of responsibility. Data collected through a questionnaire from a sample of 83 adolescent volunteers, from a population of 115 juvenile detainees, were analysed by Pearson’s r test. These led to the following statistical outcomes; HR1: The quality of interpersonal relationships is not significantly correlated with the psychosocial skills of minors in the YCP's minors' quarter (Sig. = 0.313 > α= 0.05 and rcal= 0.112 < rlu = 0.217); HR2: The participation in the means of action are strongly correlated with the psychosocial skills of minors in the YCP's minors' quarter PCY (Sig. = 0.005 > α= 0.05 and rcal= 0.306 > rlu = 0.217); HR3: The practice of psychosocial support is not significantly correlated with the psychosocial skills of minors in the YCP's minors' quarter (Sig. = 0.861 > α= 0.05 and rcal= -0.020 < rlu = 0.217); HR4: the responsibility system is not significantly correlated with the psychosocial skills of minors in the YCP's minors' quarter (Sig. = 0.193 > α= 0.05 and rcal= -0.144 < rlu = 0.217). The results show that only the action plan, and in particular participation in lessons, recorded a significant correlation with psychosocial skills (rcal = 0.306> rlu = 0.217 and Sig. = 0.005> α = 0.05). The indicators of the dependent variable for which this result is significant are: problem solving and social skills. Autonomy did not record any relevant results with all the indicators of the independent variable. The re- socialization strategies, at least, as operationalized in a prison institution, do not make it possible to produce the desired behavioural response, that of providing those leaving prison with the psychological and social resources necessary for their harmonious interaction with the environment and to cope with marginality. Education is offered as a tool, a means to forge change in the primary delinquent. Associating it with a psychosocial support system for the life project would constitute an asset in terms of social reintegration, for people less fortunate in education, in social qualifications, and therefore radicalization in delinquency is the means of dealing with social exclusion.