NCJ Number
129203
Editor(s)
J M Lottor,
L B G Ndabandaba,
R Esterhuysen
Date Published
1990
Length
551 pages
Annotation
This research examines crime patterns in the South African black townships of Umlazi and KwaMashu and proposes strategies to alleviate the impact of crime on these communities.
Abstract
Part I, which serves as introduction and background to the research findings, briefly describes the study's aims, the research methods used, and the two townships and their residents. The four chapters of Part II address the dimensions of the crime problem. Data on crime in the two townships are derived from police official statistics and a victimization survey in the two townships. Other data from the citizen survey pertain to the fear of crime and citizen views on aspects of the criminal justice system. The six chapters in Part III focus on particular crimes and other social problems in the two townships. The chapters cover juvenile delinquency and delinquents, juvenile gangs, prostitution, shebeens (unlicensed liquor establishments), and faction fights (violence between various interest groups in the townships). The two chapters of Part IV discuss community resources that are or could be applied to prevent and combat crime and its various effects. The strategy recommendations are presented under the rubrics of primary, secondary, and tertiary crime prevention strategies. The effectiveness of the repertoire of strategies proposed is based on the following preconditions: the phasing out of apartheid, the realization of a new and more equitable sociopolitical dispensation, national reconciliation and an end to violence, and a revitalized and strong economy able to create wealth and jobs for a growing population. For individual chapters, see NCJ 129204-16. Chapter references, tables, and figures