Acta Criminologica: Southern African Journal of Criminology - latest Issue

Over the past decade, poaching and wildlife trafficking have devastated wildlife populations around the world. Environmental threats, such as climate change, deforestation and other forms of habitat destruction, have also had a large-scale impact on ecosystems. Given the combined effect of the conservation crime threats of poaching and wildlife trafficking – not to mention badly managed legal trade in wildlife – they have the potential to drive many species to extinction in the very near future. This situation is being further exacerbated by the involvement of organised crime in the illegal wildlife trade.

Intersectionality was used as a lens in this article to analyse the recounted experiences of 20 former female inmates (prisoners) of correctional centres (prisons) in South Africa. It was found that if stratification identifiers such as race, class and gender are simultaneously analysed in conjunction with female crime, distinctive trends of criminality can be identified. Fraud and shoplifting were the two most common offences for which women in this study were sentenced and the majority of them had relatively short sentences. It was found that the types of crime women have committed and their experiences whilst being incarcerated were influenced by their access to financial resources which, in turn, was simultaneously influenced by their educational levels and racial category. Multiple positions of power and hardship were revealed in this study.

Accessing the criminal justice system is a basic human right protected internationally by the Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). However, one group within the broader disability sphere who finds accessing the criminal justice system particularly challenging is those with little or no functional speech (LNFS), as they cannot rely on spoken language to meet their needs. The aim of this research was to identify the factors that assist persons with LNFS, who had been victims of sexual crime, to access the criminal justice system in accordance with the contextual factors listed in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Twenty-five participants took part in the research. A qualitative research design was used and three semi-structured in-depth interviews and three focus groups were conducted. A conventional qualitative analysis was used to identify themes. The findings suggested that although persons with LNFS are particularly vulnerable victims of sexual crime, personal and environmental factors can be facilitated to successfully access the criminal justice system. Our research suggests the development of a Disability Resource Toolkit to be used as a guideline and best practice model to ensure equal access to the criminal justice system for persons with LNFS.

This study sought to determine whether a relationship exists between murder and the policing of illegal firearms by the South African Police Service (SAPS), particularly in high crime areas. The study used a case series approach that examined and retrospectively compared trends in the number of annual cases of murder and illegal possession of firearms and ammunition (IPFA) across 132 high crime police precincts in South Africa for the period from 1994/95 to 2014/15. The data for these two crime categories, which was drawn from the SAPS’ crime database, were then displayed as line charts and thereafter a trajectory pattern analysis was undertaken by means of visual inspection. The trajectory pattern analysis showed that there was an apparent consistent inverse association between the murder and IPFA trajectories in close to 40 per cent of the sample. The article emphasises that an interdisciplinary approach, one that draws from both public health and criminological frameworks, is essential to a more informed understanding of the relationship between firearm controls and firearm murders.

Pervasive and suffocating corruption and dishonesty have become commonplace in South African society. Determining the integrity of employees, both prospective and existing, in the workplace is of cardinal importance for business owners, managers and human resource practitioners alike in order to optimally administer human capital/industrial relations, and to protect their assets and the reputation of their enterprises. To this end polygraph examinations are frequently employed in South African corporate society to facilitate, amongst others, job applicant vetting, routine staff integrity screening and/or the testing of employees suspected of being involved in workplace infidelity. Unsurprisingly, polygraph testing has generated considerable scientific and public controversy. Lie detector tests, as they are commonly referred to in colloquial speech, have become a popular cultural icon — from crime dramas to comedies to advertisements — the portrayal of a polygraph stylus agitating on a moving chart is a readily recognised symbol. As the application of polygraph techniques grow in public visibility and use in corporate society, specifically as an investigatory mechanism, the vexing question is whether the polygraph, when applied in a workplace setting for specifically personnel screening, has the potential to victimise employees (candidate or existing)? This article, instead of rigidly focusing on validity and accuracy issues of the polygraph examination per se, examines certain utilitarian issues relating to this question from a metaphysical and discursive standpoint. Such focus seeks to reveal areas where potential prejudice, harassment or victimisation of aspiring and current employees exists. The incremental value hereof could well expose the potential victimisation impact of polygraph application during personnel vetting and retention exercises and is intended to serve as a caveat regarding the unmitigated usage of polygraph. This article, therefore, seeks to apprise the more obscure and undervalued dynamics underlying screening tests leading to a better understanding of the conundrum that presents in this arena and ultimately serving as a caution against grasping for overzealous cures.

This article explores the path that has been travelled in ensuring that the relationship between the police and other partners, through implementation of sector policing has been achieved. It probes who the partners are and what their role is in ensuring the re-enforcement of partnership policing. The article focuses on two police stations in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. An intensified partnership in terms of policing will increase interaction and understanding between the partners thus eliminates any confusion on different roles to be played by partners. The article aimed at coming up with recommendations on identified gaps in partnership policing and how to better the achievements of sector policing. The article investigates if Sector Policing strategy cannot be used as a vehicle to revitalise the partnership policing concept/strategy. Partnerships in policing and most specifically in crime prevention is essential and encouraged in all sectors including political sector as a solution to crime escalation in South Africa. In political environment actors had come up with Community Safety Forums (CSFs) that are supposed to activate working relationships amongst all crime prevention players in a particular locality. In order to achieve the objectives of this article, a qualitative research design was followed. One-on-one semi-structured interviews with station commanders, sector commanders and community members (identified partners) at Paulpietersburg and Ulundi police stations in the province of KwaZulu-Natal were conducted. Research of this nature is important in that it put policing strategies in line with what is taking place in other sectors that try to minimise crime and maximising the number of roleplayers. Sector policing is intended to fight crime in a specific geographical area whilst a Community Safety Forum is aimed at doing the same thing at a particular municipality. This therefore indicates that crime prevention strategies by South African Police Service (SAPS) can be useful if implemented properly. Research of this nature is vital to SAPS as it can come up with some amendments in how sector policing can be implemented for better results.

The research focused on the evaluation of the implementation of the South African Police Service sector policing, in Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The aim of the research was to obtain a better understanding of sector policing and to provide practical guidelines to the sector and station commanders in the process of implementation of sector policing. The research managed to obtain different views and perspectives on the implementation of sector policing, as well as also taking cognisance of the specific dynamics that prevail at local level. The research area was in the Eastern Cape, from where the research sample and participants were drawn. The findings indicated that, although minimum sector policing standards were achieved by a larger portion of many stations, there remained some stations that had not yet attained the policy goals in terms of optimal implementation of sector policing in the Eastern Cape Province. The research identified that farm/rural and remote police stations were not complying with the minimum standards as laid down in the National Instruction 3/2009 (on sector policing). The problem of non-compliance largely emanated from the constraints associated with the lack of resources at these police stations.

Generally, over the years rural crime in South Africa has been largely ignored and/or under-researched by academics, particularly from a criminological perspective. With the recent exception of a focus on wildlife poaching in rural areas (or more specifically the poaching of rhino), and to a lesser extent on stocktheft as a rural crime, most of the attention on rural crime in South Africa has been directed towards the so-called ‘farm attacks’, which have, more often than not, been taken out of context and/or politicised. Part of the problem in researching rural crime in South Africa has been of a definitional nature. For instance, in farm attacks, who are the ‘farmers’ and what constitutes a ‘farm’? An example of the semantic confusion has been the fact that Gauteng Province – the smallest of the nine provinces in land area, but the industrial and economic heartland of South Africa – has the highest number of registered ‘smallholdings/plots’, but many of the owners/residents of such properties live there because of a lifestyle choice and not for any commercial or for-profit-farming enterprises. Also ignored in the analysis of rural crime are many of the ‘other’ victims of farm attacks, namely the farm workers and members of their families. Overall, as a rural crime, stocktheft in fact represents the biggest economic and crime impact on rural economies even though the usual range of violent crimes also occur in rural areas. This article seeks to broadly unpack rural crimes – with an exploratory focus on ‘farm attacks’ and stocktheft – within the context of South African areas outside of the major urban areas, inter alia touching on such aspects as the demise of the Commando System of rural protection and its belated replacement with a National Rural protection Plan in the late 1990s. From a number of the reports on farm attacks it was generally found that the primary motive for farm attacks was robbery and that such farm attacks should be dealt with and policed inclusively with all other forms of rural crime including that of livestock theft, particularly within the structures of the 2011 National Rural Strategy.

Gauteng province has experienced a substantial increase in certain crime categories between 2011 and 2015. These include murder and drug related offenses as well as aggravated robbery. The leadership of law enforcement agencies as well as the provincial government has since realised that the application of traditional policing methods alone will not decrease crime. Hence there is a concerted effort to encourage police law agencies in the province to intensify implementation of e-policing systems and smart policing initiatives. That having been said, it is not yet clear what e-policing and smart policing means for the police. The purpose of this paper is therefore to explore the meaning of these concepts from the point of view of police services in the province, policing experts and representatives of private sector organisations who participated in the research. The paper relied on literature reviewed and semi-structured interviews to collect data. It was found that e-policing and smart policing meant different things to different respondents. Given the dilemma of differences in the conceptualisation of these concepts, this paper proposes a working definition of smart policing in order to enhance the co-ordinated application as well as monitoring and evaluation of smart policing initiatives.

The focus of this article is on xenophobic attacks that erupted in South Africa, particularly in 2008 and 2015, which primarily targeted foreigners. The research was conducted through interviews in a rural community of Malamulele area called Mukhomi village in the Limpopo Province in South Africa. The village was selected for the study, particularly due to the poverty in the area and the influx of migrants. Respondents were probed on aspects of migration, employment and business opportunities and attitudes towards migrants. It is evident that economic hardships and competition for resources play an essential role in the attitudes that participants have towards migrants. Locals blame foreigners for taking job opportunities from them and unfair economic competition that leads to resentment. The article is based on interviews conducted with 35 villagers and highlights precipitating factors such as competition for resources, perceptions about the alleged crime committed by foreigners and land issues.

Children are principle targets in situations of armed conflict, crimes against humanity and genocide. The atrocities committed against them in these contexts fall in the category of international crimes and can be prosecuted either by international criminal courts or national courts. The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (Rome Statute) has laudable provisions geared towards ensuring accountability for crimes committed against children. Thus, when prosecutions take place in the International Criminal Court (ICC), the best interest of child-victims is to a large extent catered for. It is pertinent to note, however, that the ICC operates on the principle of complementarity; it only admits cases when national courts are unwilling or unable to prosecute. This means that the bulk of international crimes committed against children are prosecuted by national courts, and consequently the success of international criminal justice for children depends more on what national courts can deliver as opposed to what the ICC can deliver. Sudan, Kenya and Uganda are notable states where international crimes against children have been pervasive. Using these states as case studies, this article illustrates that there is an impunity gap insofar as accountability for international crimes against children is concerned because procedural and substantive laws of these states are not sensitive to the special needs of child-victims and, they were not written for the specific purpose of prosecuting international crimes against children. The article concludes that national legal reform must remain on the international agenda if international crimes against children are to be effectively accounted for.

In recent times, the trend of drug and substance abuse among youths in Ilorin, Nigeria, has been so alarming that it has generated serious concerns from all quarters in the city. In spite of the efforts of the Nigerian National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) (Ilorin Command), the menace continues to eat deep into the social and cultural fabrics of the metropolis. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine the perceived causes of the proliferation of drug abuse, as well as to suggest tactics and programs that should be employed in curtailing the proliferation of drug abuse in Ilorin (Nigeria). The Social Disorganisation Theory and the Contingency Theory were used to frame this study. This study was purely quantitative. Purposively, four drug-prone areas in Ilorin, Nigeria (Idi-Ape, Oja-Oba, Ile-Film and Gambari) were selected. From these areas, a total sample size of 1 400 was purposively selected (350 respondents purposively selected from each of the selected areas). Questionnaires were used as an instrument for data collection, because of the relatively large number of the respondents. The study found that high concentration of unemployed youths, presence of dilapidated and uncompleted buildings and the presence of law-violating gangs dealing in narcotic drugs in the neighbourhoods were the perceived causes of the proliferation of drug abuse in Ilorin (Nigeria). The study also found that regular patrols of drug-prone areas in Ilorin, as well as putting in place measures to eradicate the cultivation of narcotic drugs, would help in eliminating drug abuse in Ilorin, Nigeria. Based on these findings, the study suggests that any tactics and programs for curbing the proliferation of drug abuse should be contingent on the specific circumstantial factors inherent in the drug-prone areas in Ilorin (Nigeria).

The reasons for and onset of sexual offending behaviour are multi-faceted and fluctuate from social (deviant peers), environmental (violent neighbourhood), to personal (psychological detachment) reasons or criminogenic factors. In turn, criminogenic factors are known to determine the likelihood of reoffending behaviour (recidivism) and future dangerousness, but these factors can also direct effective treatment as they are directly linked to the root causes of offending behaviour. Criminogenic factors related to young sex offenders can range from interpersonal deficits, such as deviant sexual interests and arousal patterns, and deviant sexual fantasies, to socialisation practices and personal associations.

The aim of this article is to establish the criminogenic factors (causes) associated with the sample-specific youth sex offenders. An interdisciplinary-qualitative approach was followed with eleven youth sex offenders participating in the research endeavour. An in-depth case study analysis was utilised to evaluate the criminogenic factors that played a role in the participants’ sexual offending. The findings of the research suggest that factors such as negative peer influence and peer pressure, exposure to pornography, deviant sexual fantasies, substance abuse, own victimisation and inadequate parenting are significant factors influencing the participants’ deviant sexual behaviours.