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PROCEDURE FOR INSTITUTIONAL REHABILITATION: THE CASE OF

BORSTAL INSTITUTE BUEA
by
Dr. TAKANG KELLY TABE (Psychologist)
MR. NJIE FIDELIS EWUMBUE (Social Welfare Inspector)
4th February, 2020

BACKGROUND OF BORSTAL INSTITUTE

Creation

Borstal Institute Buea (BIB) was established by the British in 1965 as a re-education
centre. Prior to its creation, minor and major criminals were all heaped or gathered in
the same cells and under the conditions in the Buea Production Prison. Later on the
minors were separated from the majors and taken to Kanu and Enugu in Nigeria
where special prisons for minors were run by the British. This exercise did not last
due to the distance, cost and risk involved in the transportation of minors from this
part of Cameroon to Northern Nigeria.

Borstal Institute effectively and officially went operational under the care of Social
Educators in 1975, following a presidential decree No. 73/115 of 22nd March 1973
relating to the organization and functioning of the Borstal Institute Buea.

Geography

Borstal institute is located behind the Buea Army (Military) Camp, along the road
leading from clerks’ quarter to Bokwango, through the Buea Regional Hospital
Annex. The Institution is bounded on the West by the West Farm quarters, South by
the road leading to Bokwango, East by Camp Sic and on the North by Woteka village
small soppo. It covers a total land surface area of about 6.5 hectares from the original
13.69 hectares due to Land encroachment.
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Rationale

Borstal Institute Buea (BIB) has as a major objective to implement government social
policy within the framework of the fight of juvenile delinquency, social
maladjustment, irresponsible parenthood and non-respect of the right of the child as
enshrined in the United Nations convention on the right of the child (adopted by the
UN general assembly on November 20, 1989) to which Cameroon is a signatory. BIB
is concerned with the protection, re-education, rehabilitation, and reinsertion of
juvenile delinquents, socially maladjusted youths, abandoned or street and destitute
children aged 12-17 years whose moral upbringing, security and or education are
likely to be compromised.

Organisation of Services

In order to meet up with its objectives, the institution has been organized and
subdivided into 5 main sections. These include;

-Educative and Re-socialisation sector: It ensures the production,

reeducation/rehabilitation and social reinsertion of trainees

-Professional Training Sections: Provide trainings, skills development and the

promotion of self-employment in the areas such as wood work, motor mechanic and
driving, welding, livestock, agriculture and information technology.

-School Section: Offers academic, civic, and moral education to trainees and children
of the surrounding neighborhoods.

-Medico-Sanitary: Takes care of health need of the trainees and staff.

-Documentation Section: Collects, conserves and provides data and relevant

information on the institute to the public and researchers.
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PROCEDURE FOR INSTITUTIONAL REHABILITATION AT BORSTAL

There are three distinct procedures for institutional rehabilitation at Borstal Institute
Buea: Admission Procedure, Intervention Procedure and Follow-up Procedure at the
end of placement.

ADMISSION PROCEDURE

Admission procedure takes into consideration eligible criteria to be admitted at BIB.

This criterion includes the category of persons to be admitted, the mode of admission
and admission files.

Category of persons admitted at BIB

-Juvenile Delinquent: This is a youth between the ages of 12 and 17 years who has
committed an offence punishable under the Cameroon Penal Code.

-Socially Maladjusted Youth/Status Offender: This is a young person whose

behavior patterns are likely to lead him to delinquency and so necessitate adequate
measures of prevention and treatment. Example of such behavior includes:

 Truancy in School
 Vagabondage
 Unacceptable sexual behavior
 Nocturnal Outings
 Family Violence
-Delicate social cases: These include children in special social situations which may
be considered as high risk cases. They include:

 Orphans
 Abandoned children
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 Run away or street children

Generally, Male youths who fit with the above category of persons and are between
the ages of 12 and 17 years old with normal intelligence and normal health can be
admissible into BIB. However, delicate social cases are admissible only briefly during
which steps are being taken to refer them to the appropriate services or institutions.
This therefore implies that juvenile delinquents and socially maladjusted are the
principal category of persons who undergo complete rehabilitation at BIB.

Mode of Admission at BIB

Trainees at BIB are basically admitted through the referral system. The two referral
systems include Judicial Placement and Administrative placement.

-Judicial Placement: Judicial placement is effected by the presiding magistrate of a

competent court for a young person of age below 18 years who has been duly tried in
court for the Commission of an offence punishable under the Cameroon Penal Code
and regulated by the criminal procedure code, but who by virtue of his age and in
accordance with section II from Article 712-728 of the criminal procedure code,
cannot be sentenced to a jail term but should benefit from special measures of child
protection and education.

-Administrative placement: At the initiative of the family or the social welfare

services of the locality, a socially maladjusted child, status offender, a delicate social
case (orphans, abandoned child, and family runaway) that is considered to be at high
risk, can be recommended for admission to the Borstal Institute Buea. The
determinate of whether or not to place the child in Borstal Institute is made by the
head of the Regional or Divisional Social welfare services based on the findings
contained in the Social Enquiry Report.
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The Admission File

The admission file contains the following:

-A hand written application addressed to the Director of Borstal Institute Buea

-A certified copy of Birth Certificate

-A medical certificate of physical and mental fitness

-A social Enquiry Report

-A placement order issued by the court (Judicial Placement) or by the Divisional

Delegate of Social Affairs (For administrative placement only) who should equally
inform the competent court authority within 48 hours.

-A school attestation (for those attending school)

-A legalized parental engagement

-04 Passport size photos

-Parents participation fee (these include: Insurance, Uniform, Excursion, Health Care,
Caution etc.)

INTERVENTION PROCEDURE

The intervention procedure at Borstal Institute is sub-divided into stages which

include: Arrival, Period of Placement and End of Placement stages of intervention. In
order to achieve the mission of BIB, the institute has put in place an Intervention Plan
to follow. This intervention plan presents stages, objectives, Actors, Activities,
Techniques, Methods, Approaches and Tools as Illustrated on the table below:
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Stages of Main Specific Role of Activities to Techniques Method of Approach/ Tools of Results
Intervention Objectives Objectives Social be carried of Work Psychotherapy Work
Educator out Intervention

Arrival -Adaptation -Make him to -Parent -Reception -Interview -Case -Psycho- -Placement -Acceptance
accept his Work education file of Placement
-Assessment placement -Resource -Interview -Educative
person talk -Behavior -Interview -A clear
-Instill -Installation contracting Report perception of
confidence in - -Counseling (behavioral the centre
Facilitator -Cross -Internal
him therapy)
Examination Reports
-Provide -Model and
Nutritional Presentation
and physical of the child
security
-Orientation
-Provide him
with a bed

Period of -To stabilize -Monitor -Guardian -Control of -Individual -Case work -Cognitive -Follow-up -Full
Placement or restructure morning presence in and group Behavioral Form integration in
the tasks - the centre,
counseling -Group Therapy (CBT) the group
personality Counselor classroom, Work -Record of
of the trainee -Reinforce workshops, -Educative -Token Activities -Execution
his presence -Executor talk - Economies meetings of morning
etc
-Shed off in the centre Progressive (Operant and tasks
- -Observation method
BAD -Follow-up of conditioning Interviews
Protection
HABITS and -Start a academic and therapy) -Average
professional of Group -Monitoring -Plan of autonomy
incorporate vocational
cohesion -Modeling youth
GOOD and training evolution -Education
(Behavioral activities -Respect of
ACCEPTED
-Increase his -Making the - therapy in internal
behavior
participation trainee which the
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in the group responsible Sensitization trainees learn regulations

desired
-The child -Initiating behaviors by -Inter-
must and follow- watching others dependence
recognize the up of socio- perform those with
placement of cultural, behaviors) members of
others and sporting and the group
should agro-pastoral -Beck’s
acquire a activities Cognitive -Self-
method of Therapy (CT) affirmation
work -Enable the (Identifying
trainee to -Decisive
and changing
-Ensure his accept the inappropriately -Emotional
academic Law/Decision negative and and
make-up of the self-critical Affective
Majority patterns of control
thoughts)
-Shares of
responsibility

End of -Social -The child or -Manager -Associate -Role play -Group -Guidance - -The child
Placement Reinsertion trainee child in group Work Observation must be
should have activities -Psych- (Educational Report prepared to
-Stabilised the capacity drama -Case guidance, reintegrate in
personality of self- -Ameliorate Work vocational -Behavioral his family
evaluation and increase -Expose guidance and Evolution milieu
his personal and Form
-Educative
-Capacity to knowledge social (personality
-Contribute
lectures
work alone guidance) evolution to self,
chart) family,
-Capacity of community
objective -Report of and nation
judgments synthesis building
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FOLLOW-UP PROCEDURE AFTER PLACEMENT

The follow-up procedure after placement is a step taken to ensure that trainees are
fully integrated, are responsible and accepted in their community after social
reinsertion. Follow-up procedure is a big challenge to the Institution as there are
limited funds to ensure that treatment/rehabilitation received at Borstal Institute is
effective.