EVALUATING THE APPLICATION OF RESTORATIVE JUSTICE AT THE MANGAUNG ONE-STOP CHILD JUSTICE CENTRE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15270/46-3-165Abstract
The South African criminal justice system is largely punitive, retributive and adversarial innature; this was also true for the child justice systems, until the acknowledgement and
advancement of children’s rights. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
(CRC) deals specifically with children in conflict with the law. Article 40 of the CRC provides
inter alia that the child in conflict with the law has a right to the promotion of his or her sense
of dignity and worth, and the reinforcement of the child’s respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms of others. State parties also have an obligation to develop a
comprehensive juvenile justice system through laws, procedures, authorities and institutions.
Thus states are required to have specialised units within the police, judiciary, court system,
prosecution and legal representation in order to deal with children in conflict with the law.
Furthermore, state parties are required to have alternatives in place to deal with children in
conflict with the law so as to ensure the limitation of resorting to judicial proceedings. The
importance of diverting the child away from the criminal justice system is thus emphasised
(Hodgkin & Newell, 2007:601-602, 616, 618). In line with international standards, the South
African Constitution also guarantees, in section 28(1)(g), that children should be detained only
as a measure of last resort and then kept separate from adults.
Downloads
References
ACTS see SOUTH AFRICA
BATLEY, M. 2008. The value of restorative justice to the reintegration of offenders. SA
Crime Quarterly, 26:27-34.
BRENDTRO, L., BROKENLEG, M. & VAN BOCKERN, S. 1990. Reclaiming youth at risk:
our hopes for the future. Bloomington, IN: National Educational Service.
BRENDTRO, L.K. & LARSON, S.J. 2004. The Resilience Code: finding greatness in youth.
Reclaiming Children and Youth, 12(4):194-200.
BRENDTRO, L.K. & LARSON, S.J. 2006. The resilience revolution. Solution tree:
Bloomington, IN: National Educational Service.
BROKENLEG, M. & VAN BOCKERN, S. 2003. The science of raising courageous kids.
Reclaiming Children and Youth, 12(1):22-27.
BROODRYK, J. 2002. Ubuntu life lessons from Africa. Pretoria: Ubuntu School of
Philosophy.
CHILD JUSTICE ACT, 75 of 2008 see SOUTH AFRICA
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT. 2007. Minimum norms and standards for
diversion. Pretoria: Government Printers.
DEPARTMENT OF WELFARE. 1997. The White Paper for Social Welfare. General notice
of 1997. Pretoria: Government printers.
DU PLESSIS, R.J. 2009. Personal interview. Chief probation officer at One Stop Child Justice
Centre. Bloemfontein.
FOUCHÉ, C.B. 2007. Qualitative research designs. In: DE VOS, A.S., STRYDOM, H.,
FOUCHÉ, C.B. & DELPORT, C.S.L. (eds) Research at grass roots: for the social sciences
and human service professions. Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers.
GALLINETI, J., KASSAN, D. & EHLERS, L. 2006. Child Justice in South Africa:
children’s rights under construction. Conference report. The Open Society Foundation for
South Africa, Newlands.
GXUBANE, T. 2008. Agents of restorative justice? Probation officers in the child justice
system. SA Crime Quarterly. 25:11-16.
HODGKIN, R. & NEWELL, P. 2007. Implementation handbook for the convention on the
rights of the child. Switzerland: United Nations Publications.
KHOKHO, V. 2009. Personal interview. Advanced district public prosecutor at One Stop Child
Justice Centre. Bloemfontein.
LAWS see SOUTH AFRICA
McCOLD, P. 2006. The recent history of restorative justice. In: SULLIVAN, D. & TIFFT, L.
(eds) Handbook of restorative justice: a global perspective. New York: Routledge.
NATIONAL PROSECUTING AUTHORITY (NPA). 2008. Annual report. [Online] Available:
http://www.npa.gov.za/UploadedFiles/Annual%20Report%202007-08%20Section%201-3.pdf.
[Accessed: 28/07/2009].
MORRISON, B. 2007. Restoring safe school communities. Sydney: Federation Press.
PARLIAMENTARY MONITORING GROUP. 2008. Child Justice Bill [B49-2002]:
Department summary of submissions. [Online] Available: http://www.childjustice.org.za/
parl_reports/2008Mar12.pdf. [Accessed: 28/07/2009].
PATTON, M.Q. 2002. Qualitative research and evaluation methods (3rd ed). Thousand
Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
PRANIS, K. 2005. The little book of circle processes. Good Books: Intercourse, PA.
POOVAN, N., DU TOIT, M.K. & ENGELBRECHT, A.S. 2006. The effect of the social value
of ubuntu on team effectiveness. South African Journal of Business Management, 37(3):17-
SCHOEMAN, L. 2009. Personal interview. Magistrate at One Stop Child Justice Centre.
Bloemfontein.
SKELTON, A. & BATLEY, M. 2006. Charting progress, mapping the future: restorative
justice in South Africa. Pretoria: Restorative Justice Centre.
SLOTH-NIELSEN, J. 2006. A short history of time. Charting the contribution of social
development service delivery to enhance child justice 1996-2006. In: GALLINETTI, J.,
KASSAN, D. & EHLERS, L. Child justice in South Africa: children’s rights under
construction. Conference report. Newlands: Open Society Foundation of South Africa.
SOUTH AFRICA. 2008. Child Justice Act, 75 of 2008. Pretoria: Government Printers.
SWANSON-JACOBS, J. 2007. Speech by the Deputy Minister of Social Development, during
the launch of the Minimum Norms and Standards booklet on Diversion in Bloemfontein.
[Online] Available: http://www.search.gov.za/info/previewDocument.jsp?dk=%Fdata%2
Fstatic%2Finfo%2Fspeeches%2F2007%2F07071312451002.htm%40Gov&q= (+stream-lining
+)&t=J+Swanson-Jacobs%3A+Launch+of+Minimum+Norms+and+Standards+booklet+on+
Diversion. [Accessed: 02/05/2009].
STEYN, F. 2005. Review of South African innovations in diversion and reintegration of
youth at risk. Cape Town: Open Society Foundation for South Africa.
UNITED NATIONS OFFICE ON DRUGS AND CRIME (UNODC). 2006. Handbook on
restorative justice programs. New York: United Nations.
WOOD, C. 2003. Diversion in South Africa: a review of policy and practice, 1990-2003.
Institute for security studies, paper 79. October.
WOODWARD, S.C., SLOTH-NIELSON, J. & MATHITI, V. 2008. South Africa, the arts and
youth in conflict with the law. International Journal of Community Music, 1(1):69-88.
ZEHR, H. 2002. The little book of restorative justice. Good Books: Intercourse, PA.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This journal is an open access journal, and the authors and journal should be properly acknowledged when works are cited.
Authors may use the publishers version for teaching purposes, in books, and with conferences.
The following license applies:
Attribution CC BY-4.0
This license lets others distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon your work, even commercially, as long as they credit you for the original creation.
Articles as a whole may not be re-published with another journal.
