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This study investigates the manifestation of administrative sabotage within the South African policing domain, challenging traditional criminological discourses that isolate corrupt officials as individual bad actors. By adopting a critical victimology lens, the research explores how institutional bad barrels weaponise bureaucratic procedures to facilitate systemic infiltration and silence internal dissent. The analysis incorporates contemporary evidence from the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry (2025–2026) and Parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee reports including testimonies regarding the political disbanding of specialised task teams and the physical coercion of forensic analysts to demonstrate how knowledge sabotage and procedural exhaustion function as structural instruments of victimisation. The findings indicate that the intrusion of political interests into the high echelons of crime intelligence has effectively paralysed institutional neutrality, creating an environment where administrative infrastructure is used to obstruct rather than facilitate justice. The study concludes that existing reactive legal protections, such as the Protected Disclosures Act, are insufficient to counter these proactive structural assaults. Consequently, the paper recommends the establishment of a centralised, independent oversight body with the authority to interdict retaliatory administrative acts in real-time and the mandatory decoupling of policing functions from political interference

Public hospitals in South Africa are regularly faced with safety and security incidents that expose personnel, patients, and visitors to serious and violent crimes such as assault, rape and murder. In addition, theft of valuable assets, is a huge problem in public hospitals. This article identifies the ineffectiveness of security measures implemented in public hospitals and formulation of an integrated security management model. A quantitative study was conducted at five public hospitals in the province of Gauteng. Quantitative data were collected through a survey questionnaire. Additionally, safety and security documents were analysed, followed by observations of security personnel in the control rooms. The findings revealed that safety and security measures implemented by these hospitals do not fully comply with the Control of Access to Public Premises and Vehicles Act, No. 53 of 1985. The research participants identified gaps and shortcomings such as poor implementation of access?control measures that included the searching of personnel and visitors. This results in the loss of assets and the disappearance of patients from hospital premises. The research confirmed that inadequate security systems regarding perimeter fences, closed?circuit television and trained security personnel at the research sites made it difficult to deter, detect and detain perpetrators. This research contributes by highlighting safety and security procedures that need to be followed to keep personnel, patients and visitors in public hospitals safe. Furthermore, the use of an Integrated Security Risk Management Model developed specifically for public hospitals during this research is recommended.

Murders and attacks against women and youth are rising in rural South Africa. The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) enables chiefs and headmen to maintain peace and order; however, violence suggests that traditional authorities and professional law enforcement rarely operate in tandem. This study examines the challenges and provides recommendations on how traditional leadership can foster sustainable crime prevention in the Amathole District of the Eastern Cape Province. A qualitative study design was used to conduct semi-structured interviews with fifteen (15) chiefs, headmen, and ward committee members from varied rural communities in the district. Thematic analysis identified leadership engagement, community participation, and local crime-fighting strategies. Traditional leaders play a crucial role in rural administration, possessing moral and cultural authority that can be leveraged for social control and early intervention. However, insufficient cooperation with the South African Police Service (SAPS), limited resources, and a lack of institutional recognition for community safety initiatives, such as village night patrols and Community Policing Forums, limit their capacity. When urban migrants return home for holidays, crime rates, notably violent assaults and gender-based violence, climb, showing that social dislocation and alcohol consumption worsen tensions. The Chiefs agreed to work with SAPS on community awareness, customary punishments, and CPF reactivation. The study found that rural safety requires a hybrid crime prevention paradigm that combines state and customary authority. Integrating COGTA's governance structure with community-based policing could boost rural resilience, trust, and accountability. The study highlights indigenous governance as a social sustainability mechanism in rural South Africa, supporting Sustainable Development Goal 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions).

The parole system in South Africa is an essential component of the correctional framework, aimed at reconciling the dual goals of criminal rehabilitation and public safety. Although rooted in the Correctional Services Act 111 of 1998, the White Paper on Corrections (2005), and international human rights norms, its efficacy is still debated. This article aims to critically assess the degree to which the South African parole system facilitates rehabilitation while ensuring community safety. The research employs a qualitative, doctrinal methodology, focussing on the examination of statutory provisions, policy frameworks, judicial rulings, and contemporary academic literature regarding parole and criminal reintegration. Additional insights are derived from comparative penological viewpoints and reports from oversight entities like the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services. Research demonstrates that while parole theoretically aligns with rehabilitative and restorative justice principles, its execution is compromised by prison overcrowding, resource constraints, insufficient post-release assistance, and erratic risk evaluations. These elements foster public distrust and occasional shortcomings in preventing recidivism, particularly in prominent cases. However, evidence indicates that structured monitoring and rehabilitative programs under parole can diminish recidivism when sufficiently resourced and supported. The paper asserts that the South African parole system necessitates comprehensive reform, incorporating the use of evidence-based risk assessment instruments, fortified community corrections, and improved reintegration assistance. Its contribution to penological studies emphasises the dichotomy of parole as both a rehabilitative instrument and a contentious arena of public safety, providing avenues for realigning parole practices with constitutional and restorative justice objectives.

This study examines the ideological impact of international prison inspectorates on national correctional systems, concentrating on how these bodies influence the balance between rehabilitative and retributive penological philosophies. While their primary mandate is to monitor prison conditions and prevent ill-treatment, inspectorates such as the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT) National Preventive Mechanisms (NPMs), and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) subtly shape penal ideologies through their engagement and recommendations. The research sets out three objectives: to identify the penological philosophies promoted by selected international inspectorates, to analyse their rhetorical and strategic approaches in influencing prison systems, and to assess the tangible impact of these efforts on national policies and prison practices. A qualitative, comparative case study method is used, incorporating content analysis of inspectorate reports and communications, national legislation, and interviews with key stakeholders. Preliminary findings reveal a consistent promotion of rehabilitative and human rights-based approaches by these bodies. The CPT emphasizes normalization and reintegration, OPCAT NPMs focus increasingly on conditions supporting rehabilitation, and the ICRC advocates humane treatment, which underpins rehabilitative ideals. Impacts include legislative reforms, the introduction of rehabilitation programs, and shifts in official discourse. However, these changes vary across countries and are often limited by political, economic, and cultural barriers. The study concludes that international inspectorates, though often operating subtly, contribute significantly to shifting correctional ideologies toward more balanced, rehabilitative models. It adds to penological scholarship by illuminating the mechanisms through which global oversight fosters internal penal reform.

Correctional officers’ attitudes and perceptions about the treatment of offenders can affect an inmate’s experience within a correctional institution. Correctional officers meet offenders daily, and their influence on how offenders experience their detention cannot be overestimated. The perception of correctional officers towards the rehabilitation of offenders needs to be investigated for the benefit of the department, community, and offenders. The study aimed to determine correctional officers' perceptions toward rehabilitating offenders. The study used a quantitative research approach. A probability purposive sampling approach was used to select the participants. The study found that correctional officers are key in communicating with offenders and providing trustworthy advice to improve their lives. Correctional officers working in correctional centres may assist in rehabilitating offenders by communicating needs and risks to parole officers, parole boards, judges, or probation officers. Offenders should be punished for the crime/s they have committed. Increasing the severity of punishment does little to deter crime. The study recommends that basic training of correctional officers should include issues of the rehabilitation of offenders. Correctional officers who engage offenders in rehabilitation should receive performance management bonuses. Moreover, correctional officers should be briefed on the content of the programmes offered by custodial therapists.

Within the largely rural OR Tambo District Municipality (ORTDM), a significant number of community members continue to experience victimization annually. Crime continues to be a persistent issue for both individuals and society at large, with no resolution or justice achieved in its wake. The prevalence of crime in society significantly impacts individuals' behavior, residential choices, and decisions regarding their social activities, including the selection of locations and timing. Typically, individuals tend to experience an increase in fear of becoming a victim of crime, rather than a decrease. This article is characterized by its qualitative approach and use non-probability sampling methodologies. The study aimed to investigate the involvement of traditional leaders in safeguarding women, children, and the elderly from being victimized within the ORTDM community, encompassing the local municipalities of KSD, Ingquza Hill, Mhlontlo, Nyandeni, and Port St. Johns. The primary objective of this discussion paper was to ascertain the specific categories of criminal activities occurring within the territories governed by traditional leaders. This study further demonstrates the significance of examining rural crime and uncovers obstacles that hinder crime prevention in the ORDM. Fifty-eight traditional leaders were interviewed as crucial informants and custodians of the customs of different groups. Traditional leaders, research participants, and community members shared accounts of rape and murder during Imbizos. These incidents involved school-going youngsters and older individuals, including those as old as 95 years. A number of individuals in the neighborhood had paralysis, while others were deprived of their retirement benefits. Traditional leaders argue that, despite this circumstance, the criminal justice system does not give priority to the rights of the victims. The findings together indicate that traditional leaders are involved in the creation, implementation, and monitoring of crime prevention strategies. Nevertheless, the absence of financial support from the government hinders the implementation of crime prevention activities within its jurisdiction. The analysis confirms that crime prevention is an enduring objective. Investing in traditional leaders has the potential to enhance the overall societal well-being.

It is inevitable and regrettable that inmates continue to commit crimes while serving their sentences. This is rather bizarre because prisons are naturally confined spaces that leave one with little or no liberty to do what one would normally do outside of prison, let alone committing crime.  This raises questions concerning the pragmatic position of scientific theories that are not only formulated to explain, predict, and understand phenomena but are also seen as a bedrock of scientific research. It would not be far-fetched to expect any research paper to include a section on a theoretical framework that is essentially a representation of some level of the application of particular scholarly theories. However,  not much has been documented about the usefulness of scientific theories that normally form part of research papers. This analytic paper evaluated the usefulness of scholarly theories in the criminal justice system field, specifically punishment theories, by reflecting on the crimes committed by inmates while serving their time. This study found that retribution, deterrence, and incapacitation are not useful theories in terms of theoretical scope. The incapacitation theory is not useful in terms of heuristic value, and deterrence, and rehabilitation are not useful in terms of validity.