Madam,
Reading the Times of Eswatini publication, I was shocked to note that a 42-year-old woman had appeared in court for the 13th time for theft and shoplifting. This startling history, spanning 18 years of arrests and incarcerations, made me wonder if this behaviour was truly intentional or if it points to some form of underlying disease.
While the court is correct to seek the restoration of public confidence by treating this as a repeat offence, we must ask a difficult question: If 12 previous sentences and numerous options for fines failed to rehabilitate this individual over nearly two decades, why do we believe a 13-month prison term will yield a different result now? As a concerned observer, I believe it is time for our justice system to stop scratching the surface of ‘habitual’ crime and start digging deep into the clinical patterns that drive such persistent and self-destructive behaviour.
I am not a medical doctor, but one does not need a degree to recognise that when an individual is trapped in an 18-year cycle of the same specific crime, we are likely looking at a psychological crisis rather than a simple criminal enterprise. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5, the international gold standard for mental health professionals, kleptomania is a recognised impulse-control disorder. It is defined by a recurrent failure to resist urges to steal objects that are not needed for personal use or for their monetary value. Unlike the ‘bashushuli’ syndicates who steal as a calculated livelihood, a person suffering from kleptomania is often driven by a biological malfunction in the brain’s reward system that overrides logic and fear of punishment.
For someone trapped in this disorder, the act of stealing follows a specific and agonising neurological loop. It begins with an uncontrollable build-up of tension or anxiety, followed by a fleeting sense of gratification or a rush during the theft and inevitably ends in crushing guilt and remorse once the impulse subsides.
If our rehabilitation officers do not address the ‘why’ behind this long-term pattern, we are essentially sending an ill person to a warehouse for a year only to release them with the same untreated condition. True rehabilitation must involve a shift from a purely disciplinary track to a clinical one that acknowledges the role of mental health in recidivism.
May I urge His Majesty’s Correctional Services to use this one-year custodial sentence to conduct an enquiry that goes beyond personal circumstances and into the realm of mental health.
This should include formal psychiatric screening to distinguish between criminal intent and impulse disorders, followed by Cognitive Behavioural Therapy designed to help the offender identify triggers and learn to ‘ride out’ the impulse without acting on it. In many cases, medical consultation is required to determine if brain chemistry imbalances need pharmacological support to stabilise these urges.
Furthermore, establishing post-release support groups for those struggling with these impulses is essential to prevent a 14th appearance in court. If we continue to lock people up without treating the underlying disorder, we are not solving the problem; we are simply pausing it. Let us use this case as a turning point to move our justice system towards a more scientific, effective and truly restorative form of rehabilitation.
A 42-year-old woman had appeared in court for the 13th time for theft and shoplifting.
