A criminological analysis of the transfer of juveniles to adult correctional centre

Abstract

Many young people in South Africa are involved in crime, especially violent crime. This statement is supported by statistics obtained from the Annual Report (2013:37) of the Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services which indicates that 26 282 young people were serving sentences in South African Correctional Centres at the end of the 2012/13 financial year. This annual report of the Department of Correctional Services (2013:13) indicates that at the time of the report, 11 000 offenders were sentenced to life imprisonment and a third of them were youth offenders. The majority of these young people have to be transferred from juvenile facilities to adult centres to continue their incarceration when they turn twenty one. This transition holds a number of challenges, both for these young people and the Department of Correctional Services. Young people are confronted with the reality of possibly falling victim to HIV/AIDS, gangs, sodomy and rape in overcrowded, adult correctional facilities. The Department of Correctional Services encounters problems in assisting these young people to adjust to this transition and the protection of these young people from assault and abuse by older inmates remains an institutional concern. The main aims of this research are to examine: the age at which juveniles are transferred to adult correctional centre to continue with their sentences; the factors taken into account before transfer; the challenges faced by youth offenders in adult correctional centre; and the needs of youth offenders in adult correctional facility. The study addresses the following questions: • At what age are youth offenders transferred to adult correctional centre? • What other factors besides age are considered before youth are transferred to adult correctional centre? • Are there any preparatory measures in place to assist youth with the transfer? • Are there any induction programmes available to assist youth adjusting in adult correctional facility? • What are the challenges faced by youth in adult facility? • What are the needs of youth offenders in adult facility?