n SA Crime Quarterly - Editorial

Abstract

The emphasis shifted from the criminal justice system to social development as the key solution to high crime rates. While we have not heard anyone saying that a functional criminal justice system is not vitally important, there is an increasingly vocal group of specialists and ordinary citizens who argue that fixing the criminal justice system is not enough if the intention is really to impact on violent crime. This approach seems to be gathering momentum. The coming together of a large network of organisations and individuals under the banner of Action for a Safe South Africa (now chaired by Jayendra Naidoo), at the end of August, was evidence of the shifting discourse around crime.