Poverty, violence, unemployment, the high rate of HIV/Aids and a lack of resources are some of the issues the South African government is currently trying to address. Victims of crime and violence have special needs that require early intervention. Studies show that if left unattended, victims may show maladjustment in their social, marital and work environments; receiving assistance and support following victimisation therefore holds many benefits for the victim. The Victim Empowerment Programme (VEP) announced by government as part of the National Crime Prevention Strategy is meant to address these needs. The VEP is a comprehensive, multifaceted, intersectoral model that brings together integrated service delivery for victims of crime and violence. One of the mandates of the Department of Social Development as the lead department of the VEP is to provide services that empower and meet the needs of communities and individuals who are considered victims. This study seeks to justify why it is beneficial to use a participatory learning approach when designing and conducting „in-service‟ continuing professional development training courses for state-appointed social workers working within the field of victim empowerment (VE) in South Africa. It also advocates for the theoretical approaches of experiential problem-based learning and psychosocial empowerment, and discusses the use of a crossover of theories from the different disciplines of mainstream psychology, community psychology and social work. The vision of a new South Africa based on post-1994 ANC government policies is outlined and the history of the field of socio-economic development and community development is discussed. Mainstream psychology‟s contribution to community development, and the tenets of community psychology, participation and empowerment, are applied in the design of an „in-service‟ short course. The primary focus of the study is on the range of skills and abilities needed to initiate and maintain successful VE services. These include the following: skills in group process facilitation; skills in intersectoral collaboration (referral and networking) with other governmental departments and other healthcare professionals; knowing how to establish and maintain forums; an understanding of the principles and tools of participatory learning and action; skills required for designing, organising and presenting workshops; project management, and the monitoring and evaluation of VE projects. This study elucidates how critical the „in-service‟ training of VE social workers is within the new social development paradigm in South Africa, and offers key considerations and recommendations regarding future „in-service‟ training programmes/short courses for state-employed social workers involved in VE services. / Psychology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

This study aimed at exploring the impact of emotional and physical abuse that a male partner experiences “at the hands” of his female partner within a marriage or cohabitating relationship. This is accomplished by giving each respondent a “voice” with which he shares his victimisation experiences. Each case is individually analysed and interpreted according to an integrated systems model of abuse of the male victim of domestic violence which forms the theoretical foundation for this study. Through a process of in-depth personal interviews with the participants, researcher was able to compile a qualitative study, using the purposive snow ball sampling method. This information was used in collaboration with supportive literature to assist researcher in gaining a deep understanding of this form of domestic violence. It is hoped that this study will contribute to further research initiatives with regards to the male victim of domestic violence in South Africa. It is also researcher’s aim to inform victimology students and the helping professions about male battering and the unique circumstances surrounding it. / Criminology and Security Science / Thesis (D. Litt. et Phil. (Criminology)

Le 21 mars 2001, la loi relative aux droits des victimes d'infraction pénale 2001-5751 est adoptée. Fruit des mouvements féministes et des associations d'aide aux victimes, cette loi marque la reconnaissance par les institutions judiciaires et législatives de la nécessité d'adopter des droits en faveur des victimes d'infraction pénale en général et d'agression sexuelle en particulier. Elle institue, entre autres, le droit au respect, l'accès à l'information durant la procédure, la défense de la vie privée et le droit à la sécurité (face aux accusés ou à leur famille) des victimes d'infraction. Par ailleurs, cette loi énonce que les victimes d'agression sexuelle bénéficient de droits qui leurs sont propres, notamment celui de présenter leur avis à certains stades de la procédure pénale. Pourtant, cette loi ne possède pas de portée juridique obligatoire. La victime d'infraction pénale reste à l'écart de la justice pénale israélienne, sans véritable rôle autre que celui de témoin. Ce faible rôle de la victime semble reposer sur la particularité du système pénal israélien, qui respecte la tradition accusatoire. Selon ce modèle, le procès pénal oppose deux parties, l'accusation et la défense, qui doivent répondre d'un conflit devant une institution judiciaire impartiale, appelée à trouver la vérité à partir de la présentation de leurs arguments et de leurs preuves. Dans ce contexte, la victime n'est pas partie. Ce modèle s'oppose à la tradition inquisitoire, dans laquelle, la présence d'un juge actif participant à l'instruction et d'un juge de l'audience impartial et indépendant semble plus favorable à la participation de la victime. Pourtant, l'influence de ces modèles est moindre que par le passé, tout d'abord parce qu'il n'existe plus de système purement accusatoire ou inquisitoire, ensuite parce que les systèmes judiciaires respectant la tradition accusatoire dans leur pays ont adapté leur structure aux intérêts de la justice, mais aussi aux droits des victimes, notamment grâce à l'intégration des notions de procès équitable et de Due Process of Law. En Israël, cette évolution est plus mitigée. Ainsi, si le système judiciaire israélien reconnaît la victime comme sujet de la procédure, dans la pratique la rencontre avec les acteurs judiciaires est loin d'être facile, tout particulièrement lorsqu'il s'agit d'une victime d'agression sexuelle. En effet, ce type d'infraction repose souvent sur des préjugés et des stéréotypes contre les femmes. Le parcours de la victime d'agression sexuelle commence par le dépôt de plainte et la rencontre avec la police. Il se poursuit par la rencontre avec le procureur durant la phase d'enquête. N'étant pas représentée, c'est souvent seule ou assistée de simples bénévoles qu'elle se présente devant les acteurs de la justice. Lorsque la plainte n'est pas classée sans suite, le parcours de la victime continue par la rencontre avec le(s) juge(s) au cours du procès, durant lequel elle est interrogée par le procureur et contre-interrogée par l'avocat de l'accusé. Cette étape représente une nouvelle épreuve, et peut provoquer une victimisation secondaire, notamment lorsque l'avocat de l'accusé tente de la déstabiliser par ses questions. Ce parcours se termine par la sentence et par l'obtention, si la cour compétente le décide, d'une indemnisation au profit de la victime. L'enfant-victime bénéficie d'une procédure spécifique adaptée à ses besoins. Pourtant, qu'elle soit adulte ou enfant, la victime reste passive et subordonnée aux autres acteurs judiciaires pratiquement à toutes les étapes de la procédure. La victime d'agression sexuelle pourra-t-elle trouver une place active dans le cadre de la procédure pénale traditionnelle ? L'influence des autres systèmes juridiques qui ont su s'adapter pour intégrer le droit des victimes, et l'émergence de nouvelles pratiques telles que la justice restaurative pourraient permettre une évolution concernant le traitement de la victime d'agression sexuelle. / On the 21st of March 2001, the "Rights of Victims of Crime Law", which acknowledges the existence of victims in the criminal procedure, was passed. This law, which is the fruit of the intervention of the feminist and the human rights movement, finally recognizes the necessity of granting rights to victim of crime in general, and the victim of sexual offences in particular. The "Rights of Victims of Crime Law" included a series of rights for victims during the different stages of the criminal proceedings such as free access to information, the protection of their privacy and the right to be protected inside and outside of the court from intimidation by offenders and their families. Likewise, victims of sexual offences may receive information, and express their opinions, under specific conditions at different stages during the trial and in cases where a plea bargain is struck between the offender and the prosecutor. Despite this new law, the victim's participation in the process remains symbolic. The victim remains on the sidelines of the Israeli criminal justice system, with no active role at any stage of the criminal process. The only real players are the public prosecutor, the accused and his or her lawyers. It seems at first glance that the fact that the victim does not participate in the criminal process is based on the characteristics of the Israeli criminal system as an adversarial system. As an adversarial system of law, the Israeli criminal system consists of two parties only, which are equal: the prosecution and the accused seeking to resolve a dispute before a passive judge, interested in discovering the procedural truth. In this system, there are two parties, the defense and the prosecution, the victims only representation being as a witness. However, we have seen that during the last thirty years, in countries utilizing a similar legal system, a clear evolution in victims' rights based on the Due Process of Law and a fair trial for the accused and for the victims of sexual abuse. In some of these countries, victims have profited from an effective role during the proceedings. The journey of the victims of sexual offences in the criminal court, from the filling of a complaint with the police, to the meeting with the prosecutor and judges, until the sentence, is not easy, considering that he or she is not represented by a lawyer. Moreover, the domain of sexual offences is laden with stereotypes that the victims have to deal with. If "The Rights of Victims of Crime Law", try to ease the process for victims, the victims' participation is weak and depends on the will of the prosecutor. Moreover, the opinion of the victim does not have any bounding value. In fact, this law does not provide standing or remedies for victims rights violation. The traditional Israeli criminal system does not satisfy the need for victims of sexual assault to express human feelings during the stages of the criminal process, and may lead in certain case to secondary victimisation. Therefore, it is interesting to consider if the Israeli criminal prooceedings could be influenced by other systems of law which have succeeded in granting effective rights to victims, and whether the social and juridical evolution of Israeli society might offer progressively a forum to victims, notably with the utilization of restorative justice.

The transformation of the Department of Correctional Services into an institution of rehabilitation and the promotion of corrections as a societal responsibility brought a new dimension to the release policy of South Africa. A new Correctional Services Act 111 of 1998 came into effect and the Department of Correctional Services published a White Paper on Corrections during 2005. The idealistic correctional goal of protecting the community while rehabilitating the offender has served as a reason for conducting research into the parole process from a South African perspective. The qualitative aim of the study is to explore parole as a phenomenon and to describe the process involved in successfully reintegrating an offender into the community. The significant role that Correctional Supervision and Parole Boards play in the parole process and the emphasis they place on community safety, the interest of the victim and the rehabilitation and control of offenders as part of their mission statement are highlighted in the study. / Penology / M.A. (Penology)

This study outlines the results of an evaluation of programmes through a developmental quality assurance process within shelters for abused women and their children in Gauteng Province. The survey obtained the attitudes and opinions of the social workers/social auxiliary workers and shelter managers towards their services. The study reflects empirical findings as well as strengths and developmental areas within these shelters. The results from the study indicate that shelters for abused women and their children are functioning well. However, the Minimum Standards for Shelters are not fully adhered to. Therefore, internal and external evaluations should be used by shelter managers to evaluate their own performance and to improve service delivery. / Social Work / MA(SS) (Social Work)

Le préjudice est une notion qui appartient classiquement à la matière civile. Figuretraditionnelle et incontournable de cette discipline, le préjudice suscite aujourd’hui l’engouement desspécialistes de la matière. Face à ce phénomène, les pénalistes sont légitimes à s’interroger sur laplace du préjudice en droit pénal. Si le concept est peu utilisé dans cette matière, il n’est toutefois pastotalement inconnu. Cependant, l’étude du préjudice en droit pénal devra révéler l’absence de placepour cette notion en droit répressif. Cette différence entre le droit civil et le droit pénal s’explique parles finalités distinctes qui animent les deux disciplines. Alors que le droit civil a pour objectif laréparation des préjudices soufferts individuellement, le droit pénal est guidé par l’impératif deprotection de l’intérêt général par le maintien de l’ordre public.Ainsi, le préjudice n’a, d’une part, pas de place dans la théorie de l’infraction. Il n’est pris encompte ni dans le processus de création des incriminations, ni dans celui de leur qualification. Lepréjudice n’est pas un élément constitutif de l’infraction, et n’équivaut ainsi pas au résultatinfractionnel. D’autre part, le préjudice n’a qu’une place limitée dans la théorie de l’action en droitpénal. S’il apparaît comme une condition de recevabilité de l’action civile exercée devant lesjuridictions répressives, c’est parce que celle-ci se présente comme une action en responsabilitécivile, à vocation uniquement réparatrice. En revanche, le préjudice n’est pas une condition de l’actionpénale en répression de l’infraction. / The notion of prejudice habitually falls within the boundaries of civil law. As a traditionaland inescapable feature of this discipline, prejudice is today sparking off heated debates amongspecialists. Confronted with this new trend, criminal law experts can rightfully wonder about the placeof prejudice in criminal law. If the concept is little used in this law area, it is nonetheless not totallyunknown. However, the study of prejudice in criminal law will have to prove the irrelevance of thisnotion in that regard. This difference between civil and criminal law can be accounted for by thedistinct purposes of these two areas of the law. Whereas civil law aims at seeking redress for harminflicted on individuals, criminal law is guided by the imperative need to protect general interestthrough the maintenance of law and order.Thus, prejudice does not fall within the scope of the criminal offence theory. It is neither taken intoaccount in the process of defining offences by the lawmaker nor in the classification of the offence bythe trial court. Prejudice is not a constituent part of the infringement and thus is not tantamount to itsoutcome. Furthermore, the notion of prejudice plays a limited role in the theory of criminal lawprocedure. If prejudice appears as a condition governing the admissibility of a civil action brought incourt it is because it is perceived as a legal action for damages, for the sole purpose of monetarycompensation. On the other hand, prejudice is not a condition for criminal proceedings with thepurpose of punishing the offence.

This study outlines the results of an evaluation of programmes through a developmental quality assurance process within shelters for abused women and their children in Gauteng Province. The survey obtained the attitudes and opinions of the social workers/social auxiliary workers and shelter managers towards their services. The study reflects empirical findings as well as strengths and developmental areas within these shelters. The results from the study indicate that shelters for abused women and their children are functioning well. However, the Minimum Standards for Shelters are not fully adhered to. Therefore, internal and external evaluations should be used by shelter managers to evaluate their own performance and to improve service delivery. / Social Work / MA(SS) (Social Work)

The transformation of the Department of Correctional Services into an institution of rehabilitation and the promotion of corrections as a societal responsibility brought a new dimension to the release policy of South Africa. A new Correctional Services Act 111 of 1998 came into effect and the Department of Correctional Services published a White Paper on Corrections during 2005. The idealistic correctional goal of protecting the community while rehabilitating the offender has served as a reason for conducting research into the parole process from a South African perspective. The qualitative aim of the study is to explore parole as a phenomenon and to describe the process involved in successfully reintegrating an offender into the community. The significant role that Correctional Supervision and Parole Boards play in the parole process and the emphasis they place on community safety, the interest of the victim and the rehabilitation and control of offenders as part of their mission statement are highlighted in the study. / Penology / M.A. (Penology)

La reconnaissance du droit de participation et du droit à réparation des victimes est l’évolution la plus remarquable des dernières décennies dans le domaine des droits nationaux et dans le cadre de la justice pénale internationale. Les Juridictions Pénales Internationales construisent le statut des victimes. Confrontés à des concepts innovants, les juges doivent créer des précédents et organiser les modalités des droits des victimes. Ils doivent allier la coordination de la représentation légale de milliers de victimes avec les impératifs de la justice. Au vu des premières décisions, la place des victimes est acquise puisque les juges ont accepté leur participation. Cependant, leur interprétation des règles apporte de sérieuses restrictions aux droits des victimes dans la pratique. La participation des victimes n’est pas pleinement effective et leur réparation se révèle exceptionnelle. Ainsi, l’intérêt de l’étude de la jurisprudence réside dans la détermination du statut réel des victimes au sein des procès internationaux et l’importance des droits appliqués. Des évolutions positives sont possibles en faveur de la reconnaissance du statut de parties au procès et de l’effectivité des droits des victimes. / The recognition of the right to participate and the right to reparation to the victimes is the most remarkable evolution of these last decades in the national laws and in the International Criminal Justice. The International Criminal Jurisdictions built the victims’ status. Confronted to innovative concepts, the judges have to create precedents and organise the modalities of the victim’s rights. They have to combine the coordination of the legal representation of thousands of victims with the necessity of justice. In view of the first decisions, the place of the victimes is established since the judges grant them the right to participate. However, their interpretation of the rules brings serious limitations to the rights of the victims in the practice. The victims’ participation is not fully applied and their reparation turns out to be exceptionnal. So, the interest of the jurisprudence study resides in the determination of the real status of the victims in the international trial and the importance of the granted rights. Positive evolutions can be made in favor of the recognition of the status of parties in the trial and the effectiveness of the rigths of the victims.

La présente recherche porte sur les rapports entre droit pénal des mineurs et justice restaurative dans le cadre d’une approche comparative entre la France et la Belgique. Au-delà de la révélation de similitudes et de différences entre les deux pays dans ces domaines, la recherche aborde également les difficultés présentées par la France et la Belgique dans l’acceptation de la justice restaurative en droit pénal des mineurs et de son développement au sein des institutions judiciaires. Par l’étude des raisons qui ont conduit la France à manquer le tournant restauratif et de celles ayant permis, en Belgique, l’implantation de la justice restaurative dans le droit pénal des mineurs, des points d’ancrage sont relevés de nature à permettre son épanouissement dans l’ordonnance du 2 février 1945. Une expérimentation dans un service éducatif de réparation pénale a été menée avec le souci de prendre en compte des problématiques intéressant le service lui-même (logiques actuarielles, prudentielles, financières, idéologies professionnelles, craintes diverses). L’analyse des pratiques souligne que les services de réparation pénale, inscrits dans une rationalité managériale du traitement du phénomène criminel juvénile, sont limités dans la mise en œuvre des démarches de justice restaurative. Il s’avère également que quelques prises en compte du mineur et des modalités de l’exécution de la mesure envisagée par les éducateurs facilitent (approche psycho-criminologique du passage à l’acte inscrit dans une dimension psycho-socio-éducative de la réparation) ou bien inhibent (approche criminologique de l’acte inscrit dans une dimension rétributive de la réparation) des programmes de justice restaurative. Pour autant, quand bien même la pratique facilite une telle expérimentation, lorsque les éducateurs disposent de mission de « réparation-directe » notamment, des obstacles d’ordre idéologique s’observent au niveau de l’accueil, du démarchage et de la participation de la victime. Il demeure cependant essentiel de souligner que, par la présentation des principes et des promesses de la Justice restaurative aux éducateurs rencontrés, les écueils identifiés tombent, principalement quant à la présence de la victime lors de la mise en œuvre de la réparation pénale directe. Une telle évolution des postures professionnelles augure d’une intégration harmonieuse prochaine des démarches de justice restaurative en droit pénal des mineurs. / This research focuses on the juvenile criminal law and restorative justice in a comparative approach between France and Belgium. Beyond revealing the similarities and differences of these countries in these fields, the research also carters to the difficulties encountered by France and Belgium in the acceptance of restorative justice in juvenile criminal law and its development in the judicial institutions. By studying the reasons that led France to miss the “turning” of restorative justice and those enabled, in Belgium enabled, the implementation of restorative justice in the criminal law for minors, anchor points have been identified for its development in the order of 2 February 1945. Subsequently, an experiment in youth justice service on the reparation measures was led considering difficulties which concern the service itself (actuarial logic, supervisory, financial, professional ideologies and fears). Our analysis of practices in the youth justice services on the reparation measures, reveals that the experimentation of restorative justice is limited by a managerial rationality treatment of juvenile criminal phenomenon. Also, some of the minor approaches and their implementation in the measure facilitate (psycho-criminological approach to acting out part and a psycho-socio-educational dimension in reparation) or inhibit (criminological approach to act itself and a retributive dimension in reparation) restorative justice programs. However, even if the practice facilitates experimentation and that educators apply “direct reparation”, ideological barriers remain in dealing with victims. However, it remains essential to underline that, thanks to the presentation of the principles and promises of restorative justice educators met, the identified pitfalls fall, mainly with the presence of the victim during the implementation of “direct reparation”. Such a development professional postures omen a harmonious integration of next restorative justice approaches in juvenile criminal law.