Thesis (LLM)--Stellenbosch University, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this study is to determine standards or criteria to be used
when deciding on the optimal use of the criminal sanction and to evaluate the
efficacy of such criteria by applying them to an existing crime, namely incest.
Since criminal punishment necessarily impacts negatively on the human
rights of those subject to it, it is submitted that it should only be used as a last
resort where it is absolutely necessary to do so. Relevant constitutional
provisions and other legal sources are examined and used as the basis for
expounding a test for determining the circumstances under which it is
appropriate to criminalise. It is argued that the decision to utilise the criminal
sanction may be tested against certain guidelines: the state bears the burden
of showing, firstly, that the rationale of the crime in question is theoretically
justifiable in that criminalisation serves a worthy state purpose; and secondly,
that criminalisation is reasonable, being both practically desirable and
effective in achieving legitimate state goals in the least restrictive manner
possible.
In the second part of the thesis, the proposed criteria are applied to the
common law crime of incest. An initial discussion of the crime indicates that a
wide range of conduct is punishable as incest, including both extremely
harmful conduct, such as the rape of a child by her father, and completely
innocuous behaviour, for instance private sexual intercourse between
consenting adults who are merely related by marriage.
Next, an attempt is made to ascertain the true rationale for criminalising
incest and then to establish whether such rationale is justifiable. The
conclusion is reached that despite there being good grounds for punishing
certain manifestations of incest, the only reason for imposing criminal
punishment that is valid in all instances, is the unconvincing contention that
the state is justified in prohibiting incest merely because incest is regarded as
morally abhorrent.
And even assuming that targeting and preventing undesirable forms of
harmful or offensive conduct is a justifiable purpose of the incest prohibition, it
is nevertheless submitted that criminalising incest is unreasonable, since the crime as it is presently formulated is both over- and under-inclusive for the
effective realisation of any praiseworthy aims.
After testing incest against the criteria developed, the recommendation is
made that incest be decriminalised. It is contended that there are sufficient
alternative criminal prohibitions available that would adequately punish
harmful incestuous conduct without simultaneously unreasonably limiting the
rights of consenting adults to choose their sexual (or marriage) partner without
state interference. Decriminalisation would not only prevent potential
violations of human rights, but the legitimacy of the criminal justice system as
a whole would be considerably enhanced if it were apparent that the criminal
sanction was reserved for conduct truly deserving of punishment. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die oogmerk van hierdie studie is om standaarde of riglyne daar te stel ter
aanwending waar besluit word oor die optimale benutting van die strafsanksie,
asook om die doeltreffendheid van sulke riglyne vas te stel deur die
toepassing daarvan op 'n bestaande misdaad, naamlik bloedskande.
Aangesien straf altyd 'n nadelige uitwerking op die menseregte van dié
wat daaraan onderhewig is, het, word aan die hand gedoen dat dit slegs as 'n
laaste uitweg aangewend moet word indien absoluut noodsaaklik. Ondersoek
word ingestel na toepaslike grondwetlike bepalings en ander regsbronne, wat
gebruik word as grondslag vir 'n toets ten einde te bepaalonder welke
omstandighede kriminalisasie gepas is. Daar word aan die hand gedoen dat
die besluit om gebruik te maak van 'n strafsanksie teen sekere riglyne getoets
kan word. Die staat dra die bewyslas om aan te toon, eerstens, dat die
bestaansrede vir die betrokke misdaad teoreties regverdigbaar is aangesien
krimininalisasie 'n waardige staatsdoel dien; en tweedens, dat kriminalisasie
redelik is, aangesien dit prakties wenslik is, asook die staat se legitieme
doelwitte dien op effektiewe wyse op die mees onbeperkende wyse moontlik.
In die tweede gedeelte van die verhandeling word die voorgestelde
riglyne op die gemeenregtelike misdaad bloedskande toegepas. 'n Aanvanklike bespreking van die misdaad dui daarop dat die trefwydte van
bloedskande sodanig is dat dit gedrag insluit wat uiters benadelend is, soos
byvoorbeeld die verkragting van 'n kind deur haar vader, maar ook heeltemal
onskadelike optrede soos byvoorbeeld geslagsverkeer tussen toestemmende
volwassenes wat bloot aanverwante is.
Die volgende stap is om die ware bestaansrede vir die verbod op
bloedskande vas te stel en daarna te oorweeg of sodanige bestaansrede
regverdigbaar is. Die gevolgtrekking is dat alhoewel daar goeie gronde vir die
bestrawwing van sekere verskyningsvorme van bloedskande is, die enigste
altyd-geldende rede vir strafoplegging in hierdie verband die onoortuigende
bewering dat bloedskande moreelonverdraaglik beskou word, is.
Selfs al word daar aanvaar dat die identifikasie en voorkoming van
onwenslike verskyningsvorme van skadelike of aanstootlike gedrag 'n
regverdigbare doel vir die bloedskandeverbod is, voer die skrywer nie te min
aan dat die kriminalisasie van bloedskande onredelik is omrede die huidige
misdaadomskrywing tegelykertyd beide oor- en onder- inklusief is om einge
moontlike goeie doelwitte effektief te bereik.
Nadat bloedskande getoets word teen die riglyne wat ontwikkel is, word
aanbeveel dat bloedskande gedekriminaliseer word. Daar word aan die hand
gedoen dat daar genoegsame alternatiewe strafbepalings is wat aangewend
kan word om skadelike gedrag wat onder die misdaad bloedskande resorteer
te bestraf sonder dat die regte van toestemmende volwassenes om sonder
staatsinmenging hul seksuele- (of huweliks-) maat te kies onredelik ingeperk
word. Dekriminalisasie sal nie slegs moontlike menseregteskendings
voorkom nie, maar ook die legitimiteit van die strafregstelsel as geheel
bevorder deurdat dit duidelik blyk dat die strafsankie reserveer word vir
optrede wat werklik straf verdien.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/53462 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Nel, Mary |
| Contributors | Van der Merwe, S. E., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Law. Deptment of Public law. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | xii, 167 pages |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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