NCJ Number
85789
Journal
South African Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology Volume: 5 Issue: 1 Dated: (1981) Pages: 3-15
Date Published
1981
Length
13 pages
Annotation
Crime prevention in South Africa can be facilitated through decriminalization, social measures, victim identification, efficient law enforcement, and prophylactic psychological treatment. Rehabilitation would be facilitated by more information and research on corrections programs.
Abstract
The majority of offenders and crime victims in South Africa are black, and any meaningful program of crime prevention must be aimed at this segment of the population. Crime can be significantly reduced by simply decriminalizing many petty offenses and victimless crimes which apply primarily to blacks. Crime among blacks can also be reduced through social measures, such as improving the standard of living and social services, expanding diversionary activities, and engaging in humane planning and design. Victim studies can help identify types of persons at high risk of victimization so that they may be instructed in ways to avoid victimization. Prophylactic psychological treatment can be used to recondition people who are or are likely to become offenders. While radical early intervention in the lives of those identified as at high risk for becoming offenders is unacceptable, counseling and guidance can be used in the schools for those students with problems. While there is current scepticism about the effectiveness of offender rehabilitation efforts, rehabilitation should not be discarded as a major goal of corrections. While rehabilitation effects are minimal when measured by recidivism rates, there may still be positive effects from corrections programs in other areas of offenders' lives not currently measured. Further research on various rehabilitation processes and the measurement or rehabilitation effects is needed. A total of 131 footnotes are listed.