Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1988. / Also available in print.

Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1990. / Also available in print.

The present treatise is an attempt to come to terms with the, by all accounts, dismal conditions that exist in present-day South African prisons by addressing these conditions as they are reflected in two interviews with individuals intimately acquainted with them, as well as by pertinent media-reports. The study is predicated on the belief that the most suitable methodological approach to a situation characterized by extreme conflicts and tensions in terms of power relations, is provided by (mainly Foucaultian) discourse-theory and the discourse-analysis that it makes possible. Consequently, after an introduction in which the present study is justified, followed by a theoretical section outlining the terrain of discourse theory and discourse-analysis, two chapters are devoted to specific discourse-analyses of interviews with an awaiting-trial prisoner in a South African prison and a warden employed at the same institution, with a view to uncovering the power-relations at stake here. While acknowledging that the implications of the insights thus afforded are not, strictly speaking, generalizable in a positivist manner, and that the power-relations brought to light by means of these discourse-analyses are highly specific, it is argued that various other studies pertaining to the South African prison system indicate that these powerrelations – more specifically the disempowerment of prisoners by the functioning of violently hierarchical discursive practices in South African prisons - are not restricted to the prison in question. In fact, given the SA Correctional Services’ stated policy of rehabilitation, it is striking that there is scant evidence of any such rehabilitation in the prisons concerned – at least in the sense of prisoners attaining a level of moral responsibility that would enable them to live as accountable citizens in a democratic society. In conclusion it is argued that the present state of affairs, far from being conducive to the stated goal of rehabilitation, actually undermines its realization, and that the social and economic inequalities in South Africa, exacerbated by the union between ‘democracy’ and global capitalism, are perpetuated and reinforced by the existing discursive practices in South African prisons.

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This thesis examines Albert Speer, minister of armaments in Germany during World War II, and the charges against him during the trial of the major war criminals in Nuremberg, Germany, 1945-1946. This thesis portrays Albert Speer as a good man enticed by the power of his position and subsequently playing a role in the crimes of the Third Reich. Primary sources included the Nuremberg Trial proceedings published by the International Military Tribunal and Speer's books, Inside the Third Reich; Spandau: The Secret Diaries; and Infiltration. The thesis has six chapters: preface, biography, the charges against Speer, the verdict, the aftermath concerning his time in Spandau Prison, and a conclusion. Albert Speer accepted his guilt, yet came to resent his imprisonment and questioned the validity of the trial.

In order to determine if curricula in postsecondary programs for offenders possess special content included specifically for these students, a comprehensive review of the literature on postsecondary correctional education was conducted, followed by the development of five case studies of offender-related programs. To decide which programs were most appropriate for the study, a panel of national and regional authorities on the subject was assembled to nominate institutions for study. The responses of the panelists were quantified, and produced these nominations: (1) Southeastern Illinois College and its program at the Vienna Correctional Center; (2) The University of Washington Resident Release Project, which consists of inmates living on campus and attending classes; (3) Rhode Island College's Project OPTIONS, which is currently in suspension for lack of funds, although it has the most specialized credit offerings; (4) Hartnell College which, at the state prison in Soledad, California, has a non-credit program with courses specifically tailored to meet inmate needs and interests; and (5) Cuesta College, which has a program managed by a prison educator. The differences which exist in course content are largely a result of administrative planning, but some social science faculty report that they alter their courses to meet student needs and interests. Virtually no elements are added on the basis of a published theory of principle, but most special content exists to integrate the offender into society after a period of incarceration. Although two of the programs studied have been evaluated on the basis of recidivism figures, the studies have flaws. Evaluation is, therefore, an area in need of further study. Several specific types of related research projects might answer questions raised by this study, and the use of establishd curricular theories in planning programs would provide an empirical framework for correctional postsecondary education. Also of particular interest would be basing program mission on the welfare of society in general rather than considering only the needs of offenders.

This study tests the validity of two theories of crime: economic choice (as manifest in the criminal career paradigm) and social control. The test of these two theories is primarily methodological, in that four types of crime data (official and longitudinal (Uniform Crime Reports), official and cross-sectional (Bail Decisionmaking Study), self-report and longitudinal (National Youth Survey), and self-report and cross-sectional (Seattle Youth Study)) and a variety of graphical and statistical techniques are used to compare findings on (1) the stability of the age distribution of crime, (2) the prevalence of offense specialization, and (3) the differences in the causes of participating in crime compared to the causes of frequency of criminal activity among those individuals committing crimes. The findings on the relation between age and crime show the general shape of the age-crime curve is stable across year of the data or curve, type of data, cohort, and age group. The tests for offense specialization reveal that offenders are versatile. An individual's current offense type is not predictable, with much accuracy, on the basis of prior offending. Again, the lack of offense specialization held across type of data, but age, race, and gender distinctions also failed to alter significantly the observed pattern of versatility. Findings on the causes of participation in crime and frequency of criminal activity among active offenders showed only trivial differences in the set of statistically significant predictors for each operationalization of crime and delinquency. Two distinct operationalizations of frequency also showed no substantial difference in the set of statistically significant predictors. Similar to the findings on age and crime, and offense specialization, the pattern of results for the participation and frequency analyses held across type of data. In sum, the results tended to support the predictions of social control theory over those of the economic choice-criminal career view of crime.

Although societal interest in violence is not new, the lay public and legal and mental health professionals have become increasingly interested in distinguishing nonstranger and stranger violence. The importance of the victim-offender relationship is underscored by the fact that society appears to be less fearful of the nonstranger offender than it is of the stranger offender. This research explores the role of the victim-offender relationship in crimes of violence. Inmate self-report, official data, and prison infraction data were used. All data collection occurred within the Arizona state prison system and included 273 inmate subjects who committed violent offenses. The victim-offender relationship was studied in the context of the validity of offender self-report, the prison experience of inmates, criminal justice processing of offenders, recidivism of offenders, specialization of offenders, and offender's perception of victim contribution. Results suggest that the violent offender self-report is valid and reliable, and that stranger and nonstranger offenders are similar in some ways and different in others. In particular, stranger offenders have more disciplinary problems in prison; are charged and convicted of less serious crimes but are given longer sentences; have more extensive juvenile records and histories of drug abuse; are more likely to have been in prison before; do not have more extensive self-reported crime commission rates; are no more or no less likely to specialize; and are less likely to perceive victim contribution than nonstranger offenders. Conclusions and implications for public policy are discussed.

This study operationalized and empirically tested the general propositions of Gottfredson and Hirschi's general theory of crime (1990). Specifically, the core concept of the theory, self-control, is operationalized using two data sets--Richmond Youth Project and Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development--and tested using criteria of reliability and validity. In this part of the study, a methodological question focuses on the pattern of validity change across types of data, namely, cross-sectional and longitudinal data. In the following tests, causes and consequences of low self-control are tested using Richmond Youth Project data. Child rearing as early socialization and individual traits are tested as sources of self-control. Then the measure of self-control is related to crime, delinquency, and analogous behaviors that are, according to the theory, manifestations of low self-control. A research question here focuses on the generality of self-control theory. Overall, the test results support the claims of the general theory of crime. Findings from the validity tests of the self-control index show theoretically expected relations with important individual variables such as gender, race, and delinquent status. In particular, findings from two differently designed data sets are very similar. Test results also show that boys low on self-control are more likely than others to have committed crime, delinquency, and various analogous behaviors. One possible research problem based on the theoretical assumption was also tested and empirically supported. Theory implies that respondents low on self-control are more likely than others to fail to answer questions in self-report survey. Empirical tests support this theoretical implication, revealing that respondents dropped from the index due to missing data are more likely than others to be delinquents. Further research implications are also discussed.

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