Perceptions of Crime in Disadvantaged Communities: The Thusano Project

• NCJ Number: 217066
• Journal: Acta Criminologica Volume: 19 Issue: 2 Dated: 2006 Pages: 74-87
• Author(s): H. Strydom; K. van der Berg; A. Herbst
• Date Published: 2006
• Length: 14 pages
• Publication Format: Document (Online)
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: South Africa
• Note: To access the full text PDF: 1) select the provided link; 2) from the Acta Criminologica Web site, select "Table of Contents"; 3) select the corresponding Volume and Issue (see the NCJRS abstract record for the exact Volume and Issue); 4) scroll the Table of Contents to the exact article; and 5) click on the "full text" icon. Downloaded on January 23, 2007.

Annotation

This paper reports on the perceptions of crime among several disadvantaged communities in the Northern Cape involved in the THUSANO multidisciplinary project.

Abstract

The communities under investigation were not extremely vulnerable to crime, but they knew of people affected by crime in one way or another. A general lack of commitment to fight crime was evident in these communities and could possibly be contributed to fear of victimization. Participants felt strongly about imprisonment as the only measure to curb people from committing crime. The reinstatement of the death penalty was repeatedly mentioned during the course of the research endeavor. Several recommendations are made and presented. Highlights of these recommendations include: (1) promotion of the present strengths in these communities should be encouraged; (2) community members should be empowered to stand up for their rights, to speak up for what they consider to be right or wrong in their communities; (3) the death penalty should be reconsidered as an option for the more serious categories of crime; (4) the role alcohol plays in criminal activity, and especially in this case woman and child abuse, should be realized and taken into account; and (5) the role men play in their households should be redefined to one of being strong, and protecting of their wives and children against influences from outside. The THUSANO project (a Tswana word meaning to help one another) was executed as a multidisciplinary team effort by the Subject Groups Social Work and Kinderkinetics of the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University. Fifty families were involved in this project and were evaluated with regard to many aspects, such as child development, family violence, HIV/AIDS, and crime. This paper reports on the perceptions of crime among seven communities in the Northern Cape, who are all part of the Kuruman district. Data were gained through in-depth personal interviews with the caregiver of each of these families. Tables and references