Hesselink, A.E. 2015. Contemporary Criminological Issues CMY3706. Pretoria: University of South Africa.
1
THEME 5 CMY3706
Contemporary Criminological Issu es C MY3 7 0 6
INCIDENCE OF VIOLENT CRIME
FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO VIOLENT CRIME
1. Period of transition:
2. A violent past
3. Culture of violence
4. Rapid urbanization
5. Vigilantism
6. HIV/AIDS
7. Conditions that are conducive to organized crime
8. Weak criminal justice system
9. Dysfunctional families
10. The cycle of violence and abuse
11. Peer group influence
12. Socioeconomic conditions
13. Gender differences
The period of Political transition:
transition Characterised by instability and violence.
Restructuring of the criminal-justice system, the abolition of certain laws, and the
endorsement of new ones
Weakened criminal-justice functions.
A violent past The state's security forces committed crimes to eliminate the government's political
opponents.
Those engaged in "the struggle” justified certain forms of violence – viewed as legitimate
weapons against the system.
This resulted in a society in which the use of violence to achieve political and personal
goals became widespread.
A culture of Young people getting involved in the "struggle", bred a culture of violence and distrust
violence of authority.
Violence in schools is caused by societal cultures that promote, tolerate and require
violence.
In South Africa, this phenomenon is known as the "culture of violence". (Resolving
problems and conflict through violence).
Violent and aggressive school pupils are modelling what they are directly witnessing.
Rapid Crime rates are higher in cities than in rural areas.
urbanisation Population density leads to competition for limited resources, which, contributes
to greater stress and increased conflict.
Factors associated with urbanization: overcrowding, unemployment and
increased consumer demands.
High levels of gang activity and the easy availability of firearms.
Rapid urbanization
Caused by the end of influx control
Increase in unemployment and poverty.
Urbanisation, has occurred in 17 years, instead of 50 years.
The rate of urbanisation is worsened by urban migration from the whole of
Africa.
Higher levels of urban unemployment.
Conducive to the incidence of crime.
, Hesselink, A.E. 2015. Contemporary Criminological Issues CMY3706. Pretoria: University of South Africa.
2
THEME 5 CMY3706
Urban unemployment is usually more serious than rural unemployment.
In the rural areas, the basic foodstuffs required for survival are readily available
and an extended-family system provides some support.
In urban areas, the family system is sometimes replaced by a peer-group system
with its associated, extravagant, youthful lifestyle.
Prolonged unemployment:
May result in family tension, arguments and fights.
A lack of the necesseties to survive may force people to steal food
May lead to an increase in the exploitation of children, prostitution, drug abuse
and other criminal activities.
Unemployed men tend to develop a negative self-image – often develop a
macho image and lifestyle, which includes alcohol or drug abuse.
Associate with friends who live the same lifestyle and use violence and abuse
to achieve their aims.
They develop the attitude that women are inferior and are only there to fulfil
men's sexual needs.
Relative deprivation
Generates growing needs and the aspiration for a different lifestyle.
In order to afford this, people large amounts of money, despite the fact that they
sometimes lack even the means to buy basic foodstuffs.
Government cannot meet the demand for low-cost housing.
This leads to the development of large squatter camps.
Difficult to police such areas, there are no proper streets, no streetlights and
no clearly demarcated street blocks with easily identifiable addresses.
Shacks:
Difficult to safeguard against housebreaking, theft and robbery (soft targets).
Overcrowded shacks where adults and children live together without any
privacy create very poor conditions for the socialisation of children.
They are exposed to marital conflict and sexual intercourse, which may impact
negatively on their socialisation.
Most children are raped by other children and that they may do this because
they imitate adult sexual behaviour
Vigilantism People often fear crime and feel insecure
Some people lose confidence in the law enforcement structures.
This may cause them to create their own structures to ensure their safety and security –
vigilante groups.
When vigilantes "arrest" suspects, the suspect is guilty and should be punished".
During the "arrest" and punishment, vigilantes will often assault the "suspect".
HIV/AIDS The HIV levels are very high in South Africa.
Increasing numbers of people are dying.
Many police officers and other officials serving the criminal-justice system also contract
the disease and may become demoralised and medically unfit.
Many children have to grow up with either single parents or no parents at all.
Households headed by children are common, because elder brothers and sisters are
often the only family members who are left to take care of younger children. This affects
the socialisation of children
Certain beliefs about HIV/AIDS can contribute to the rape of children. Some people
believe that they can be cured of HIV/AIDS by having intercourse with a virgin or an
, Hesselink, A.E. 2015. Contemporary Criminological Issues CMY3706. Pretoria: University of South Africa.
3
THEME 5 CMY3706
uninfected person.
Conditions The availability of resources attractive to organised criminals (e.g. diamonds, gold,
conducive to ivory, drugs)
the growth in
The existence of markets for contraband goods, especially illegal firearms and
organised
crime drugs
Poorly patrolled borders
Opportunities for money laundering
The sophisticated and well-developed communication and transport network with its
internal links (e.g. the ease of communication via the internet, as well as air travel)
A weak Aim of the criminal-justice system: process criminal cases and offenders speedily
criminal-justice and effectively, and to punish those convicted.
system A functional system can help to deter potential offenders.
South Africa's criminal-justice system is not performing optimally at present.
On average, fewer than 9% of recorded crimes result in the conviction.
Dysfunctional Single-parent homes, "broken homes" and conflict-ridden homes are more likely to
families and produce violent and aggressive, antisocial and delinquent children.
parents There is a strong link between violent and aggressive children and parental domestic
violence, conflict and discord between parents/partners, and abusive parents and
siblings.
The cycle of Perpetrators of violent, aggressive and abusive behaviour and actions have themselves
violence and been the victims of family violence during their childhoods
abuse Highly violent offenders were subjected to more severe and frequent physical and
psychological abuse and punitive parenting during their childhood.
Children who are exposed to violence exhibit violent and aggressive behaviour and
tendencies at a later stage.
Thus, individuals grow up to be abusive and violent because they were abused
themselves, a tendency also referred to as the "cycle of violence"
In schools, weapons, drugs and alcohol are easily available.
Aggressive and violent behaviour by parents, caregivers, and other adults have an
effect on learners' behaviour, academic performance, social attitudes and responses to
threats of violence and other types of behaviour.
Peer group Peer relations contribute to a child's social and emotional development.
influence and During adolescence, there is an increase in susceptibility to peer influence and a
associations
decline in susceptibility to parental influence.
Peer influence is a strong predictor of criminality.
There is a link between peer rejection and involvement in criminal activities.
Factors such as argumentative, inattentive and aggressive behaviour, poor social skills
and social withdrawal are significant aspects that are linked to peer rejection.
Socio- Social problems such as poverty and unemployment are associated with the
economic increase in crime.
conditions
Most violent crimes take place in urban areas.
associated with
violent crime Without a job, people become bored and see more opportunity for committing crime.
Factors such as unemployment, poverty, boredom, the need to hurt others, and seeking
attention through committing crime are all linked.
Informal-farming communities (with high poverty and unemployment rates) experience:
theft, murder, housebreaking, violent attacks, robbery and rape.
Gender Boys outnumber girls when it comes to the commission of most types of crime,
differences and especially violent crimes
violent crime Suggests that being male may be a risk factor.
Hormonal and biological factors (testosterone) may be the most rational
, Hesselink, A.E. 2015. Contemporary Criminological Issues CMY3706. Pretoria: University of South Africa.
4
THEME 5 CMY3706
explanations.
Boys engage in more explicit aggression and direct confrontation as they grow up.
Physical aggression seems to be more prominent among males than females.
Girls are socialised differently and are taught not to be openly aggressive.
Coercive-development perspective (Patterson):
Gender differences with regard to aggression are well in place by the age of
five and continue throughout childhood and adolescence – this is mainly
apparent in boys.
The gender differences can be attributed to different environmental experiences
and reinforcements encountered by boys and girls.
Boys and girls evoke different responses from parents, and that each gender
responds in a different way to the same parenting conditions.
Parents are believed to be more coercive toward boys compared with girls –
this difference appears to be more prominent for highly aggressive boys and
girls.
The gender gap may be closing:
Especially regarding violent crime and economic crime.
Developmental psychologists believe that girls and boys learn different types of
pro-social behaviour, with girls being more accommodating than boys.
Social-learning theorists hold that girls are socialised differently from boys and
are taught not to be overly aggressive.
The closing gap can be attributed to aggression-supporting messages from
the media.
Women are more likely to perceive aggression as a breakdown of self-management
strategies than men are:
To women, aggressive behaviour represents a personal failure
They see aggression and violent behaviour in a negative light.
Men are more likely to perceive aggressive behaviour as a means of
dominance and of imposing control over others; therefore, they see violence
and aggression in a more positive light.
PREVENTION OF VIOLENT CRIME
Primary A strategy of preventing violent crime before it happens
Prevention Precautionary measures such as ensuring the healthy development of the self and of
family relationships, as well as promoting law-abiding behaviour.
Entails:
1. Creative prevention: involves the role of the family as educator, as well as the role of
the school where education programmes are designed to meet the needs of all the
children and to promote sound growth and development.
2. Mechanical prevention functions as a safeguard or security instrument, protecting
individuals and property.
3. Legal sanctions serve as a deterrent to some potential criminals. Deterrence also
incorporates the positive moral values that the law emphasises in its education processes.
Secondary Involves the timely identification of potential criminals and the safeguarding of persons
prevention exposed to acts of violent crime.
This crime prevention strategy may entail the following measures:
therapeutic treatment within the family
reconstructing the family unit
alternative care of the adolescent
treatment by school clinics
