A Research Report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfillment of the requirements of the PhD degree. Johannesburg 2014 / The current study investigates the relationship between stressful life events, personality profile, dissociative experiences, attachment styles and the types of crimes committed among 100 mentally ill offenders and 100 criminal offenders in the South African context. It is motivated by the fact that there are no studies in South Africa comparing forensic patients and criminal offenders and the various factors that may lead to criminal behaviour, and how these may present in terms of the type and/or nature of offences committed. Instead, there is a growing emphasis on observation of patients and assessments for fitness and competence to stand trial with very little focus on understanding the mentally ill offenders and criminal offenders. This study aims to improve the understanding and knowledge with regards to the presentation of each of these groups under study and also to investigate possible differences in the types of crimes committed. It aims to assess possible correlations between the variables of the study (stressful life events, personality profiles, dissociative experiences, attachment styles and the types of crimes). It further aims to inform future treatment interventions in the forensic setting and to offer possible prevention models for the community setting. The study hypothesises that there are no differences between the mentally ill offenders and criminal offenders with regards to stressful life events, personality profile, dissociative experiences, attachment styles and the types of crimes committed. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Committee for Research on Human Subjects of the University of Witwatersrand‟s medical school. The sample size of this study consists of 200 participants (156 males and 54 females). Convenience sampling was used, where 100 mentally ill offenders admitted at the Sterkfontein Psychiatric Hospital and 100 criminal offenders, incarcerated at the Johannesburg Correctional Services in the Johannesburg area at the time of data collection, were involved in the study. The mentally ill offenders from Sterkfontein Psychiatric Hospital were interviewed at the hospital and the criminal offenders from Correctional Services were interviewed in their respective prisons without the presence of a prison guard. Participants‟ ages ranged from 18 years to 60 years. Those people who were not willing to participate were not included in the study. The Biographical details questionnaire, Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS), Stressful Life Events Screening Questionnaire (SLESQ), Multiphasic Minnesota Personality Inventory – II (MMPI-II), Dissociative Experience Scale (DES) and Attachment Styles Questionnaire (ASQ) were administered to the participants of the study as a means of gathering information regarding the variables under study. The types of crimes and diagnoses were obtained from the records. The study attempted to ascertain whether there were any associations, and whether predictions could be made for possible future assessments and treatment strategies. It is a quasi-experimental design with “diagnosis” as the between-participants factor. Independent variables of the study were the type of offender, i.e. mentally ill/clinical/forensic patient offender and criminal offenders, as well as the types of crimes, i.e. violent or non-violent crime. The dependent variables were stressful life events. These variables were measured in terms of low risk to illness, moderate risk and high risk to illness; personality profile; dissociative experiences, measured as either low levels or high levels of dissociation and attachment styles (secure, fearful avoidant, ambivalent and preoccupied attachment styles). The confounding variables were substance abuse, medication and comorbid diagnoses. Descriptive statistics and the discriminant function analysis were performed. Box M was also performed to test the null hypothesis that the covariance matrices did not differ between groups formed by the dependent variables. The Chi Square test for independence was also used to determine whether associations existed between two nominally categorical variables. The results of the study indicated that there were only four female participants in the clinical offender group. A high number of research participants were single in both the criminal (72%) and clinical (80%) offender groups. Furthermore, the majority of the participants in the study were Black, where 93% in the criminal offender group and 75% in the clinical offender group. 65% of the participants in the criminal offender group and 85% in the clinical offender group had no tertiary education. There was evidence that clinical offenders tended to commit more violent crimes (83%), while criminal offenders committed more non-violent (61%) and “other” crimes (21%). 91% of criminal offenders reported homelessness compared to clinical offenders (22%). The Dissociative Experience Scale was statistically significant, suggesting that dissociative experiences were a strong determinant of whether one is deemed a criminal or clinical offender. High levels of stress were correlated with higher incidents of criminal behaviour. In contrast to the literature review, past childhood trauma was not statistically significant in the current study. Clinical offenders reported more psychological problems. When ANOVA‟s were performed, psychological difficulties such as depression, anger, antisocial practices, low self-esteem, psychasthenia and family problems were statistically significant, suggesting that these variables were strong determinants for the likelihood of criminal offending. Dismissive and Fearful attachment styles were statistically significant. In conclusion, dissociative experiences, social re-adjustment, psychological pathology and both dismissive and fearful attachment styles were strong determinants of offending behaviour.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (International Relations), 2017 / Any harm or violence that is perpetrated against a person’s will, and that results from power inequalities based on gender roles continues to be an incessant, focal and universal human rights issue. Typically shrouded in a culture of silence, the continuation of and rise in genderspecific crimes demands the increased necessary attention and action for its decrease and ultimate eradication. This paper explores the impact and efficacy of gender-equality related norms underpinning international instruments aimed at reducing gender-specific crimes. Assessing both the global human rights regime in place at an international level, and how efforts to reduce and eradicate the gender-specific crimes of female infanticide and honour crimes are reconceptualised and adopted at a national level, this paper utilises a conceptual framework of norm realisation to understand the observed variation in the outcomes of the different cases and contexts of India and Turkey. It concludes by evaluating the extent of the realisation of gender-related norms, outlining and analysing the reasons for the observed variation as well as suggesting policy recommendations to increase the success of future combative efforts intended to reduce gender-specific crimes, gender-based violence and gender inequality. / XL2018

Tidigare forskning om arbetet med relationsbrottsdömda saknar studier som är inriktade på behandlingsavdelningar, samt studier om vårdarnas egna upplevelser av dagligt behandlingsarbete. Syftet med studien är att få kunskap om kriminalvårdares upplevelser och känslor av att arbeta på en relationsbrottsavdelning på en klass ett-anstalt. De tre frågeställningarna var: Vilka känslor upplevs i arbetet med denna typ av brottslingar? Vilka egenskaper upplever kriminalvårdare hos relationsbrottsdömda?  Hur upplever kriminalvårdarna de dömdas möjlighet till stöd och behandling på anstalten? Studien är gjord med kvalitativ ansats där nio intervjuer genomfördes. Resultatet visar att känslor som förekommer hos vårdarna är bland annat frustration, glädje och obehag. Upplevelsen av klienternas egenskaper visar på socialt fungerande individer. Resultaten visar också att det finns en upplevd brist hos vårdarna i fråga om kunskap gällande behandlingsarbete men ett väl fungerande behandlingsprogram. Resultaten diskuteras bland annat i relation till om MORM (Multifactor offender readiness model) skulle kunna införas för att utvärdera hur väl klienter är redo för att påbörja behandlingsprogram och i större utsträckning dra nytta utav det.

Previous research has shown there to be a relationship between criminal peers and an individual's antisocial behavior and attitudes. Social literature lacks however empirical support for social identity theory, which suggests social identity serves as a mediator in the development of attitudes. Rather than a direct relationship where criminal peers influences the presence of criminal attitudes, this research suggests that criminal peers actually influences a mediator (i.e. an individual's social identity), which in turn influences their criminal attitudes. Thus, this mediation serves to clarify the nature of the seemingly apparent relationship between peers and attitudes. The current study, then, attempts to test the relationship between an individual's criminal associations and their criminal attitudes by introducing the individual's social identity as a mediator among individuals currently on probation or parole participating in a reentry program. This is done through the application of a survey constructed of three previously validated measures, and analyzed in two steps: firstly at the measurement level through confirmatory factor analysis; and secondly at the structural level through structural equation modeling.

Thesis (MPA) --University of Limpopo, 2013 / The study investigated the management of the social reintegration programme in the Department of Correctional Services in Mbombela Municipality, Mpumalanga Province. The role played by the stake holders in the programme and the department in rehabilitating and reintegrating the offenders. The purpose is to evaluate the effectiveness of the programme; social acceptance and the application of skills obtained in the correctional facility as a deterrent to committing a further crime. Section 50 of the Correctional Services Act, 1998 (Act No. 111 of 1998); provide the following mandates; the objectives of the study is amongst others to afford sentenced offenders an opportunity to serve their sentences in a non- custodial manner, to enable persons subject to the programme to lead a specially responsible and crime free life during the period of their sentence and in future, to enable offenders to be rehabilitated in a manner that best keeps them as integral part of society and to enable them to be fully reintegrated into society when they have completed their sentences. The investigation is both qualitative and quantitative whereby; it would be descriptive; analytical, interpretive and evaluative. The findings of this study have shown that the majority of offenders do not lead a crime free life after imprisonment. However, Correctional programmes rendered are designed to equip offenders with skills to lead a responsible life on reintegration and also the level at which other stake-holders are involving themselves in the reintegration of offenders in order to reduce reoffending. The recommendations suggest the following as research findings: • Offenders should be equipped with skills that can make them employable and self-sufficient in the outside world. • Offenders should also be monitored even after hours; there must be no specific time of monitoring. • More resources should be channelled to the programme. • Correctional Services should employ the aid of external service providers in order to equip offenders with skills in the community and reduces the chances of reoffending. • External stake-holders should continue rendering programmes to ex-offenders who exited the system.

Sixty-five male volunteers from a court mandated domestic violence treatment program were administered a questionnaire to assess for the presence of adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) behaviors. The questionnaire included copies of the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS) and the Attention Deficit Scales for Adults (ADSA), as well as demographic information and diagnostic questions assessing previous professional diagnoses. Results indicated that 93.8% met or surpassed Wender's suggested cutoff score of 36 indicating the presence of ADHD symptoms, and 64.6% met or surpassed the higher suggested cutoff score of 46. Twenty-three percent (15) of the participants met the criteria suggesting the presence of adult ADHD behaviors as measured by the ADSA. A factor analysis of the WURS resulted in participant scores loading on four factors suggesting a combination of ADHD and conduct disorder (CD) behaviors. Results are discussed in light of previous research indicating the WURS' difficulty in clearly discriminating among disruptive behavior disorders. Implications for consideration of adult ADHD as a possible predisposing factor in the perpetration of violence are discussed. Treatment suggestions specifically targeting male DV perpetrators are offered, such as increased use of experiential exercises, minimizing distractions, increasing awareness of potential sensitivity to sound levels, and inclusion of stress reduction techniques. Limitations of this study are discussed in light of instruments utilized, question wording, and study design. Suggestions are made for further research with other DV groups from which results are generalizable to the larger DV perpetrator population. / Graduation date: 1999

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 1983. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 212-219). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 192-207). Also available on the Internet.

This thesis looks at the criminals of Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist as a criminal type: impoverished, unattractive people who lack family roots. It establishes connections between the criminal characters themselves as well as the real-world conditions which inspired their stereotypes. The conditions of poverty and a lack of family being tied to criminality is founded in reality, while the tendency for criminals to be unattractive is based on social bias and prejudice. It also identifies conflicting ideologies in the prevailing Victorian mindset that begins to emerge as a result of research into the criminal type.

published_or_final_version / Sociology / Master / Master of Social Sciences