Cronje-Peacock Acta Criminologica: Southern African Journal of Criminology 30(4)/2017 Special edition: Corrections: Sites of harm reduction, rehabilitation and professionalism __________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 109 AN ASSESSMENT OF THE SELF-ESTEEM OF A GROUP OF RECIDIVISTS WITH SPECIFIC REFERENCE TO THE CORRECTIONAL ENVIRONMENT Matthew Cronje 1 and Robert Peacock 2 ABSTRACT International research has demonstrated the impact of prison conditions on the levels of self- esteem of inmate populations. Despite the evaluative aspects of the self in relation to the correctional environment, a dearth of research remains notable within the South African context, notwithstanding the critical aspects thereof in relation to behavioural motivation and possible reduction of recidivism. Guided by a Rogerian theoretical framework, a quantitative analysis was conducted of the level of self-esteem of a group of recidivists. On the one hand results indicated that the self-esteem scores of a group of South African repeat offenders were negatively affected by vicarious experiences of victimisation within the correctional facility, and on the other, findings showed also increases in self-esteem in terms of prolonged exposure to the correctional environment together with positive perceptions of satisfaction with the conditions in the correctional centres. Contrary to popular belief, this shows that not all offenders in the correctional context necessarily experience low levels of self-esteem but these findings also highlight the importance of the impact of witnessing victimisation on the self- esteem within the correctional environment. Keywords: Recidivism; self-esteem; witnessing victimisation; Corrections; prison; Zululand. INTRODUCTION The notable dearth of research on repeat offending behaviour along with the complete lack of official recidivism statistics in South Africa can be said to justify the need to explore the factors associated with recidivism. One such factor, often identified as an important variable in behavioural motivation, is self-esteem (Greenwald, Banaji, Rudman, Farnham, Nosek & Mellott, 2002: 20; Maderthaner, 2005: 87; Van der Hoven, 2001: 68). The notion that offenders have a low self-esteem that requires development in the correctional environment is one that has influenced the approach to corrections and is specifically referred to in the White Paper on Corrections (2005: 71). It is therefore important to develop an understanding of the level of self-esteem of recidivists in South Africa as well as the impact of the correctional environment in order to more accurately influence the development of rehabilitative interventions. The term self-esteem refers to the evaluative aspect of self-perception. It is the subjective and introspective assessment of one’s own worth and capability (Coopersmith, 2002: 5). The manner in which individuals perceive themselves is often an important part of how worthy they feel as human beings. The role which the social environment plays in self- evaluation is therefore also pivotal as value systems are often shaped through interactions with primary reference groups (Cervone & Pervin, 2008; Cronje, 2012: 1). The self-value of individuals is usually reflected in their behaviour and therefore, it does not surprise that self- esteem has been cited in numerous texts as an important factor in behavioural motivation (Greenwald et al, 2002: 20; Maderthaner, 2005: 87; Van der Hoven, 2001: 68). Such interaction should be no different in the case of individuals who display problematic, deviant or criminal behavioural patterns. ___________________________ 1. MA Graduate. Department of Criminology and Forensic Studies. University of KwaZulu-Natal, E-mail: mattcronje07@gmail.com. 2. Professor. Dr. Department of Criminology, University of the Free State, E-Mail: peacockr@ufs.ac.za