Pilotage systémique en milieu carcéral et perspectives de réinsertion socioprofessionnelle durable des ex-détenus mineurs au Cameroun.

Abstract

The objective of this work is to analyze the impact of systemic management based on the New Public Management on the socio-professional reintegration process of former juvenile inmates, whose recidivism rate is estimated at 80%. However, the prison system is experiencing organizational and functional dysfunctions due to the inadequate implementation of prison management tools. This has led to the establishment of a system for supervising juvenile detainees in Cameroon. Dysfunctions within this public institution may be attributed to an overreliance on prohibitions and sanctions within the prison environment, which can impede educational supervision and hinder sociability and socio-professional reintegration. The study utilized a qualitative approach, with former juvenile inmates and prison administration staff (including social workers, prison administrators, educational social center coordinators, and prison guards) participating in interviews. The interviewees were selected using a non-probabilistic purposive sampling technique, followed by snowball sampling, specifically for ex-minors. The data collected was analyzed using the thematic content analysis method. The results show a lack of strategic vision in favour of systemic management in the prison environment, a failure to consider management tools, and a lack of planning for educational activities due to an excess of prohibitions and sanctions. The overcrowding observed in prisons is due to several factors, including the absence of a post custody follow-up system, the weight of criminal records, the excess of stigmas, the lack of a prison project to promote social and professional reintegration, as well as coercive management and a legal system focused solely on custody. In any case, it is essential to reorganize the prison system to address current dysfunctions and meet new requirements of public management. This is necessary to ensure organizational performance and achieve proven emergence by 2035.