A former BPS Warder speaks out: The Prison environment breeds recidivism
Behind the formidable gates of Moshupa Boys’ Prison, a poignant question lingers in the air: are these young lives being genuinely rehabilitated, or merely concealed from society’s view? As of December 2025, 191 boys found themselves confined within these walls. Among them, 91 had been convicted, while 98 remained in a judicial limbo, awaiting their turn in court, a daunting threshold at the outset of a fraught journey.
While the Botswana Prisons Service insists that Moshupa is not overcrowded, true capacity cannot be measured solely by the number of beds. Rather, it hinges on the availability of meaningful opportunities for transformation. Presently, such opportunities are scarce. The facility admits its vocational workshops are too limited to accommodate all inmates, leaving many boys idle at a time when they should be acquiring vital skills, skills that could steer them away from a cycle of reoffending.
The road to Moshupa is often paved with trauma, long before a judge’s gavel falls. In the shadowed corners of police stations nationwide, the principle of the “best interests of the child” is frequently neglected.
In July of last year, the Ikago Rehabilitation Centre in Molepolole was formally transferred from the Ministry of Local Government and Traditional Affairs to the Ministry of Child Welfare and Basic Education. This shift was the result of a Presidential Directive aimed at relocating detained children from correctional institutions to environments better suited for rehabilitation.
Research by Stepping Stones International Botswana, commissioned by the Ministry of Justice and titled ‘Assessing the state of the child-friendly justice system in Botswana: Qualitative Situational Analysis for Reform,’ reveals a disturbing pattern: children are often treated as hardened criminals. They are apprehended by squads of uniformed officers in marked vans, a public spectacle that shames them before any trial has commenced.
For many children, interrogation rooms become chambers of isolation and dread. Despite legal protections, numerous youths are questioned without a parent or guardian present. In some cases, by the time a frantic relative arrives, the police have already completed the statement.
The report paints an even darker picture at the Ikago Centre. Children recount being held for hours in rooms crowded with strangers. More distressingly, six out of eight children interviewed reported physical assault during their arrest. One boy shared a haunting memory: handcuffed, he was beaten with black power cables beneath his feet; a brutal violation of the very justice system meant to shield him.
The report also highlights a systemic failure that mirrors domestic collapse. In Botswana, the disintegration of family structures plays a significant role in the rise of juvenile crime. When families break apart, single parents often find themselves overwhelmed, struggling to provide the guidance and care children need to navigate a challenging world.
In response, the prison service has turned to technology, introducing “Video Visitation” to help boys maintain a digital connection with their parents, an effort to keep a thread of humanity alive despite the physical divide.
Botswana’s struggle is not unique, but it stands at a crossroads. Globally, UNICEF estimates that over a quarter of a million children are detained, many treated as adults rather than the vulnerable youths they are. From the United States to Botswana’s borders, the tension between punishment and rehabilitation persists. International standards emphasize that incarceration should be a last resort, reserved only for cases where education, therapy, and community support have failed.
Until Botswana reconciles its fragmented laws and builds the specialized facilities these children deserve, the “Juvenile Dilemma” will endure. For the 191 boys at Moshupa, hope rests on the system’s ability to see beyond their offenses and recognize the adults they might yet become; if given a fair chance at renewal.
In an interview with this publication, a source who wished to remain anonymous, once a prison warder, laid bare the grim reality inside Botswana’s prisons, revealing how the environment itself fosters reoffending.
He lamented the inadequacy of rehabilitation programs, stating, “Our prisons are hell. It’s more of a punishment. First, there are no psychologists; in fact, the few that are there are officers in uniform, even the chaplains. The result is that they are Prison Warders before they become priests and counselors. So, when these young offenders look at them, they see punishers instead of rehabilitators.”
He criticized the focus on security over rehabilitation and called for a comprehensive transformation of the Botswana Prison Service. “The problem is we employ people who are not trained in rehabilitation. Some have the passion and drive to change the system, but the department should hire psychologists and social workers because what they tell you now is not reality.”
Research by Monkie Ketlhaotswe and colleagues highlights ongoing debates within social work, noting that many practitioners lack the knowledge, skills, and confidence to uphold child welfare laws effectively. They argue that some social workers become disengaged, falling short of the profession’s expectations.
The research also notes that social workers are often viewed as lenient and soft, particularly in juvenile cases, where they uphold rehabilitative and restorative approaches, contrasting with police who favor punishment and retribution.
“The social work profession is vital, providing a holistic approach to social change and fostering solidarity within society around core values of empowerment,” the research states.
The core mandate of social work, it adds, revolves around respect for humanity, fairness, and equity, aimed at enhancing welfare through social justice, human rights, collective responsibility, and respect for diversity.
“From this foundation, social work draws on both theory and indigenous knowledge to explain phenomena like juvenile offending and to develop intervention models. The profession encourages community systems to collaborate, reducing vulnerability and improving problem-solving in human relationships, both within and between people.”
The Stepping Stones International Report concludes with a recommendation that the government consider Ikago as the primary custodial rehabilitation center, reserving Moshupa Prison for serious offenses alone.
Picture credit- https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/federal-judge-is-reprimanded-for-handcuffing-teen-spectator-in-scared-straight-approach