Legal news and commentary from the offices of Simon Dippenaar
Can a parent be held criminally liable for their child’s crime in South Africa? Earlier this year, Jennifer and James Crumbley became the first parents in US history to be convicted of involuntary manslaughter for a mass shooting committed by their child. They were each sentenced to 10–15 years in prison, the maximum penalty for […]
Reconciliation vs. retribution Globally, conventional criminal justice systems, based on punishing people for their crimes through incarceration and instilling fear of imprisonment as a deterrent, seem to have limited success. Prisons are overcrowded and rehabilitation is largely failing. Instead, restorative justice methodology, with its focus on resolving crimes by holding offenders accountable for their actions, is […]
No one would deny that crime is a serious problem in South Africa, particularly violent crime. Sadly, a life outside the law often takes hold at a young age. Young people from challenging home situations may join a gang, or wind up hanging out with another unsuitable group of friends, often older, because it […]
