Advancing the recruitment of state witnesses through social work interventions: A South African perspective

Abstract

Protection of witnesses has gained prominence as a strategy to fight crime. While witness protection programmes have proven effective in helping individuals to testify without fear, many South Africans and social workers remain unaware of how such programmes work, whether they exist at all, or how to access them when their safety is at risk. The purpose of this article is to highlight the social work intervention strategies that can be integrated into the recruitment process. This qualitative study employed non-probability, purposive sampling to include 30 participants in the witness protection programme in South Africa. A collective instrumental case study design was used within the framework of exploratory, descriptive and contextual research. Data were collected using face-to-face interviews with an interview guide and analysed thematically. Four themes emerged from the process of data analysis, namely admission through the social workers, admission through the police officers, admission though the public prosecutors, and admission through self-referrals. This study hinges on crisis theory and coping theory. The results revealed that the involvement of social workers in the recruitment of witnesses enhances the admission process. The study recommends an integrative approach between the social workers, South African Police Service (SAPS) and prosecutors.