The role of volunteers in the transformation of the South African criminal justice system

Abstract

The history of the criminal justice system in South Africa, in the last decade is a history

dominated by the desire for change and transformation. It will be remembered that we are talking of a system which, in the past, formed part of the State apparatus of a minority government which included racist elements and highly restrictive legal regime in dealing with communities, crime and criminals.

The criminal justice system is constituted by four core departments, namely: the South

African Police Services; Department of Justice, Correctional Services and Welfare.

The argument is whether the volunteers from the community should be involved at all in the fight against crime or not. Some people feel that a system· of justice should be controlled by professionals, who are accountable for their decisions, namely: the Police, Justice, and Correctional Services. However, the research revealed that a system which excludes the community from participating, will render itself ineffective and open to abuse.

This topic should be further researched within each department in the criminal justice system in order to explore possibilities of attracting volunteers in the transformation of their respective departments.