The cracks children fall into when

Children in the criminal justice system struggle to access consistent education, which hobbles them. But there are cases when rehabilitation works and students can realise their dreams

For a 14-year-old who has committed a crime and is behind bars, being a pilot one day and an astronaut or a marine biologist the next is a far-fetched dream. But thousands of children land up behind bars every year — for crimes ranging from murder to assault and theft — and the education system has to give them the tools to realise their dreams.

But the system often fails these future scientists, who are called “children who are in conflict with the law”.

The department for social development has 31 child- and youth-care centres across the country, in which about 2 000 children are housed and rehabilitated. The department of correctional services runs a further 14 centres across the country.

For children, who need consistency to thrive at school, this division of departments and responsibilities means they find it difficult to receive that consistency.

The Mail & Guardian visited the Soshanguve Secure Care Centre in Gauteng to speak to some of these children.

At that point, Lungelo* had been at the centre for more than a year, after she was caught stealing from her grandmother. This was not the first time. Lungelo, who has short hair and feisty eyes, explains that, when she was arrested, she was heartbroken.

“I had disappointed my family and I knew I had done something wrong that I could not get away from. My mother was so disappointed that I went to such lengths to get nice things,” she said.

The now 18-year-old was sentenced in August last year.

Because Lungelo was sentenced for two years when she was a minor, she will serve out the rest of her sentence at the facility, which caters for children between 14 and 18 years old.

“It’s painful being here. There’s not much to do,” Lungelo said.

After her arrest, she was placed at the Walter Sisulu Child and Youth Care Centre to await her trial. While she was there, Lungelo wrote her grade eight exams and passed. “But then I had to stop. Just like that.”

Lungelo spent close to a year without education while serving her sentence at the Soshanguve centre, which houses about 70 children. The social development department did not respond to questions regarding the education system used in secure centres.

That problem has now been fixed for education at that centre. Lungelo wants to be a lawyer or a pilot one day.

But the wider problem persists. The M&G understands that the curriculum and exam papers for the students are provided by the department of basic education.

How children then receive education varies. In one case, a child who was recently detained at the centre while writing his high school exams was able to continue with them after the centre got in contact with his school.

The head of the Soshanguve centre, Patricia Ramere, said that when the children arrive at the centre from police stations, or after being sentenced, they have been treated as criminals — but she tries to change that. “We understand that they are children, even if they have committed some of the most heinous crimes ... like murder. But we understand that they didn’t do it because they wanted to kill a person. After assessments, we learn that it’s mostly the circumstances that have got them here.”

One of the children in her centre, Michael*, was awaiting trial and said he has big dreams for his life and wants to be either a marine biologist or a cricket coach.

The 14-year-old has been in the “system” for the past four years. First, he was moved from one secure home to the next because his father had lost his job and had turned to drugs. He named a handful of places he has had to call home, including the Don Mattera children’s home and the Walter Sisulu Child and Youth Care Centre.

This was all before he was charged with alleged theft.

When Michael talked about his career dreams, he lit up — the only time during the interview that he did so. He smiled and used his hands to explain how the national cricket team has been battling to gather momentum.

Mthetho Mqonci, a senior official at the department of social development, explained to the M&G that the centre has faced a few challenges, including a court case compelling the department to provide education for the children.

“We have a lot of centres where