The drug-crime relationship : an exploration of the influence of substance abuse on crime committed by female offenders incarcerated at the Johannesburg and Kgosi Mampuru correctional centres in South Africa

Abstract

This study explored the relationship between criminality and substance use. The aim was to discover the influence of two variables, gender and drug type, in the drug-crime nexus. Although research on the drug-crime relationship has been conducted, there is still no explicit clarity on the factors that are associated with the relationship. The current simplistic and salient understanding of the drug-crime relationship, as evident in the literature, is that drug use causes crime but that does not factor in the nuances present in the relationship. This study focused on gender as a possible idiosyncratic factor contributing to the relationship. The exploration sought to explain how gender influences the drug-crime relationship by explicitly contextualising it in the experiences of women. This study argues that the introduction of influencing factors to the drug-crime relationship illuminates the complexities embedded in the relationship. The study further suggests that when women are factored into the drug-crime relationship, the relationship in itself seems to lose its connection. The study argues that both drug use and criminality are potentially influenced by a third mediating factor, rather than criminality and drug use directly affecting each other. Ultimately, what was discovered was that female substance use is usually a form of coping with certain negative life events that the women experienced. To arrive at these conclusions, the study followed a qualitative research approach with a leaning towards exploration. Explorative qualitative data were collected from 29 female offenders in two female correctional centres in Gauteng, South Africa, namely, Johannesburg and Kgoši Mampuru II Correctional Centres. The data were collected via one-on-one interviews guided by the philosophy of phenomenology. The female offenders had to fit the primary criteria of having a history of substance use in order to participate in the study. Additionally, five (5) Department of Correctional Services (DCS) officials that offer psychosocial services (i.e., psychologists and social workers) to the female offenders were also interviewed individually for their perspectives on the drug-crime relationship. The data collected from the DCS officials served as supplementary data to the collected data from the female offenders. All the data were then analysed utilising inductive thematic analysis. From the analysed data, discussions were formed grounded in the literature and the theoretical framework of the study. The major contribution of this study is that it fills a gap in the research area of substance use in relation to criminality by focusing on gender. Furthermore, it elucidates the complexities of the drug-crime relationship, thus opening a further debate on the soundness of the established drug-crime nexus. The major recommendation from this study is that drug treatment facilities and the DCS ought to consider gender when applying their drug rehabilitation programmes. Furthermore, drug policies ought to be reassessed from an evidence-based perspective, instead of the anecdotal. However, as evident in this study referenced against the literature, more research is required before establishing the drug-crime relationship conclusively.

Dinyakisiso di hlahlobile kamano magareng ga bosenyi le tshomiso ya ditagi. Maikemisetso e be e le go hwetsa khuetso ya dikarolo tse pedi tse di fapanego, bong le mohuta wa seokobatsi, go kamano ya seokobatsi-bosenyi. Le ge dinyakisiso tsa kamano ya seokobatsi le bosenyi di setse di dirilwe, go sa na le go se kwesise gabotse mabapi le dintlha tse di amanago le kamano ye. Kwesiso ye bonolo le ye bohlokwa ya gabjale ya kamano ya seokobatsi-bosenyi, ye e bonagalago ka gare go dipadi, ke gore tshomiso ya seokobatsi e hlola bosenyi, fela seo ga se seabe sa diphapano tse di lego gona go kamano ye. Dinyakisiso tse di seditse bong bjalo ka ntlha ye e ikgethilego yeo e tlaleletsago go kamano ye. Tlhahlobo e be e nyaka go hlalosa gore bong bo huetsa kamano ya seokobatsi-bosenyi bjang ka go bea diteng phatlalatsa tsa maitemogelo a basadi. Dinyakisiso tse di dira ngangisano ya gore tsebiso ya dintlha tse di huetsago kamano ya seokobatsi-bosenyi e bontsha mathata ao a lego ka gare go kamano. Dinyakisiso di tswela pele go sisinya gore ge basadi ba akaretswa ka go kamano ya seokobatsi-bosenyi, kamano e bonala e lahlegelwa ke kgokagano ya yona. Dinyakisiso di ngangisana gore bobedi bja tshomiso ya seokobatsi le bosenyi di ka ba di huetswa ke ntlha ya boraro, ntle le gore bosenyi le tshomiso ya seokobatsi di huetsane thwii. Mafelelong, seo se utolotswego, ke gore tshomiso ya seokobatsi ke basadi gantsi ke tsela ya go kgotlelela maemo ao a itsego a mabe a bophelo ao mosadi a kilego a itemogela wona. Go fihlelela dikakaretso tse, thuto e somisitse tebelelo ya nyakisiso ya boleng ye e ithekgilego ka go leka go utolla. Datha ya tlhahlobo ya boleng e kgobokeditswe gotswa go basadi bao ba obilego melato ba 29 go disenthara tsa tshokollo tse pedi kua Gauteng, Afrika Borwa, tseo ka maina e lego, Johannesburg le Disenthara tsa Tshokollo tsa Kgosi Mampuru ll (Kgosi Mampuru ll Correctional Centres). Datha e kgobokeditswe ka dipotsiso tsa go dirwa le batho ka o tee ka o tee tseo di hlahlilwego ke filosofi ya maitemogelo a thwii a motho. Basadi bao ba obilego melato ba be ba swanetse go ba bao ba loketsego dipotsiso go ya ka selekanyo sa thwii sa gore ba be le histori ya tshomiso ya seokobatsi go kgatha tema go dinyakisiso tse. Go tlaleletsa se, bahlankedi ba ba hlano (5) ba Kgoro ya Ditirelo tsa Tshokollo (DCS) bao ba abago ditirelo tsa dikarolo tsa monagano le tsa setshaba (k.g.r., basomi ba monagano le badirelaleago) ba basadi bao ba obilego melato le bona ba botsisitswe ka o tee ka o tee mabapi le bobono bja bona ka kamano ya seokobatsi-bosenyi. Datha yeo e kgobokeditswego go tswa go bahlankedi ba DCS e somisitswe bjalo ka tlaleletso ya datha yeo e kgobokeditswego go tswa go basadi bao ba obilego melato. Datha ka moka e sekasekilwe ka go somisa tshekatsheko ya dihlogotaba tsa diteng. Go tswa go datha ye e sekasekilwego, dipoledisano di hlamilwe tseo di tswago go dipadi le tlhako ya teori ya dinyakisiso tse. Tlaleletso ye kgolo ya dinyakisiso tse ke gore e tlatsa sekgoba sa nyakisiso ya tshomiso ya seokobatsi malebana le bosenyi ka go isa sedi go bong. Go tlaleletsa se, e hlalosa mathata a kamano ya seokobatsi-bosenyi, ka gona e bula poledisano ya go tswela pele ya go kwagala ya kamano ye e hlamilwego ya seokobatsi-bosenyi. Keletso ye kgolo go tswa go dinyakisiso tse ke gore mafelo a kalafo ya bothata bja diokobatsi le DCS ba swanetse go setsa bong ge ba somisa mananeo a tsosoloso ya bophelo go tswa go diokobatsi. Go tlaleletsa se, dipholisi tsa diokobatsi di swanetse go lekolwa gape go tswa go tebelelo ye e ikemego ka bohlatse, go na le bjalo ka dilo tse di sego tsa ikema ka nnete. Le ge go le bjalo, ka ge bohlatse ka go dinyakisiso tse bo supeditse bo le kgahlanong le dipadi, dinyakisiso tsa tlaleletso di a nyakega pele ga ge go hlangwa kamano ya seokobatsi-bosenyi ka mo go feleletsego.

Lolu cwaningo lubheke ubudlelwane phakathi kobugebengu nokusetshenziswa kwezidakamizwa. Inhloso yalolu cwaningo kwakuwuthola umthelela wezinhlobo ezimbili, okuwubulili nohlobo lwezidakamizwa, ekukwakheni ubugebengu bezidakamizwa. Nakuba selwenziwe ucwaningo olumayelana nobugebengu nezidakamizwa, namanje akukacaci ngezimo ezihlobene nalobu budlelwane. Njengamanje ukuqonda okwenza kungabi nzima kunokulindelikile futhi okusobala mayelana nobudlelwane bobugebengu bezidakamizwa, njengoba kuvelile embhalweni wocwaningo, ukuthi ukusebenzisa izidakamizwa kudala ubugebengu, kodwa lokho akusona isimo esingaba wumehlukwana okhona kulobu budlelwane. Lolu cwaningo lugxile ebulilini njengesimo esingahle senzeke esehlukile kwezinye izimo ezinesandla kulobu budlelwano. Lokhu kubheka kufuna ukuchaza ukuthi ubulili bunomthelela kanjani ebudlelwaneni bobugebengu bezidakamizwa ngokuthi kuvezwe ngokusobala umqondongqangi omayelana nalokho abesifazane ababhekana nakho. Lolu cwaningo lufakazela ukuthi isiqalo sezimo ezinomthelela ebudlelwaneni bobugebengu bezidakamizwa siqinisa ubunzima obuxhantele kulobu budlelwane. Lolu cwaningo luqhubeka luzwakalise ukuthi nxa abesifazane beba mdibi ebudlelwaneni bobugebengu bezidakamizwa, lobu budlelwane buthanda ukulahlekelwa wukuxhumana kwabo. Lolu cwaningo lufakazela ukuthi kokubili ukusetshenziswa kwezidakamizwa nobugebengu kungaba namandla okuba nomthelela wesimo sesithathu, ngale kobugebengu kanye nomthelela oqondene ngqo nokusetshenziswa kwezidakamizwa. Ekugcineni, kwabe sekutholakala ukuthi ukusetshenziswa kwezidakamizwa ngabesifazane ngokuvamile basuke bezama ukumelana nezimo ezithile ezingezinhle abasuke bebhekene nazo. Ukuze kufikwe kulezi ziphetho, ucwaningo lusebenzise indlela yokwenza ucwaningo kulandelwa indlela yokwenza ucwaningo ephathelene nesimo (ikhwalithethivu), lunamathele kakhulu ekubhekeni. Ulwazi olungahlungiwe oluphathelene nesimo lwaqoqwa kwabesifazane abangu-29 ababoshiwe ezikhungweni ezimbili zokuhlunyeleliswa kwezimilo zabesifazane e-Gauteng, eNingizimu Afrika, eGoli kanye nase-Kgoši Mampuru II Correctional Centres. Ulwazi olungahlungiwe lwaqoqwa ezinkulumweningxoxo umlomo nomlomo umcwaningi elawulwa yinzululwazi yesenzeko esithile. Abesifazane ababoshiwe kwakumele bahambisane nokwakudingeka okokuqala kwakungukuba nomlando wokusebenzisa izidakamizwa ukuze babambe iqhaza ocwaningweni. Ukwengeza nje, abasebenzi abahlanu boMnyango Wezokuhlunyeleliswa Kwezimilo (i-DCS) abanikezela ngezinsizakalo zezengqondo kubantu (okuyilaba: isazi sokusebenza kwengqondo yomuntu nabangosonhlalakahle) kuya kwabesifazane ababoshiwe kwenziwa inkulumongxoxo nomuntu ngamunye ukuba baveze izimvo zabo mayelana nobudlelwano bobungebengu bezezidakamizwa. Ulwazi olungahlungiwe lwabasebenzi bakahulumeni kwa-DCS lwathathwa njengolwazi olungahlungiwe olwesekela lolo lwazi olungahlungiwe oluvela kwabesifazane ababoshiwe. Lonke ulwazi olungahlungiwe lwabe selucutshungulwa kusetshenziswa uhlaziyo olusebenza ngokwezindikimba. Okuphosa kakhulu itshe esivivaneni kulolu cwaningo wukuthi luvala igebe emkhakheni wocwaningo lokusetshenziswa kwezidakamizwa kuya ebugebengwini ngokuthi kugxilwe ebulilini. Ukwenaba nje, luhluba udlubu ekhasini ngobunzima bobudlelwano bobugebengu bezidakamizwa, kanjalo-ke luvula inkulumompikiswano eqhubekayo mayelana nokungezwakali kwalokhu kuxhumana kobubengu bezidakamizwa okwaziyo. Isincomo esikhulu esivela kulolu cwaningo wukuthi izindawo zokulashelwa inkinga yezidakamizwa kanye neDCS ivele ikhethe ukufaka phakathi ubulili nxa besebenzisa izinhlelo zokuhlunyeleliswa kwezimilo. Ukwenaba mbijana, izinqubomigomo zikhetha ukuba kuhlolwe kabusha kube kusetshenziswa uvo olugxile kubufakazi, kunalokho okwake kwehlela lowo muntu ozeka indaba. Noma kunjalo, njengoba kuvelile kulolu cwaningo lufakazisa ngokuthi luqhathanise nosekwabhalwa, kusadingeka ucwaningo olukhulu ngaphambi kokuba kuboshwe ngabhande linye ubudlelwano bobugebengu bezidakamizwa.