Johan Prinsloo

The Prevalence of Extreme Middle Eastern Ideologies Around the World

The Belief Diversity Scale (BDS) was administered to Australian, Canadian, Egyptian, and South African participants of different religious backgrounds. The BDS is a 33-item, six subscale instrument that is designed to quantitatively measure Middle Eastern extremist ideologies on risk areas that are reported in the literature. Results demonstrated the reliability and validity of the BDS, thus suggesting that the BDS could be used as an objective tool to measure Middle Eastern extremist ideologies. Results also supported the hypothesis of prevalence of Middle Eastern extremist ideologies around different parts of the world.

An Evaluation of the Reliability and Validity of the Self-Appraisal Questionnaire (SAQ) in South African Context

The Self-Appraisal Questionnaire (SAQ: Loza, 2005) is a self-report questionnaire designed to assist with the prediction of violent and nonviolent recidivism among correctional populations. Use of scale could help in the assessment of risk and the identification of factors that could be addressed by programming or other intervention to reduce recidivism risk. Evidence for use of the SAQ in South African settings is needed. The SAQ was administered at two separate occasions and a week apart to a total of 125 male offenders in South Africa to evaluate its psychometric properties. Scores from the SAQ were reliable with South African inmates.

Exploring the Application of Actuarial Criminology in Southern Africa

In response to the declared intent of the White Paper on Corrections (Department of Corrections, 2005) to transform prisons into needs-based centers of reform, the Self-appraisal Questionnaire (SAQ) was used to explore its potential as a reliable and valid prediction scale for recidivism in the diverse cultural context of Southern Africa. A total of 269 incarcerated males agreed to be anonymously assessed. Furthermore, 38 offenders with a history of maladjustment and disciplinary problems were identified for comparison. An alpha score of.90 as well as moderate to high or high to excellent coefficient alphas for six out of the seven subscales confirm the SAQ to be a reliable assessment instrument within the Southern African context. All correlation coefficients (criminal tendencies, antisocial personality problems, conduct problems, criminal history, alcohol and drug abuse, antisocial associates and anger) also measured significantly at the 0.01 level while the scores of the 38 isolated cases suggested higher scores in relation to conduct disorder, antisocial personality trends, anger and consequently criminal history.

Exploring the personal and social context of female youth sex offenders

This study explored the personal and social context of young female sex offenders, probing their risk profiles for prospective treatment interventions. A convenience sample of eight young South African female sexual offenders participated in the study (black = 88%, Indian = 12%, age range = 14–20 years). They completed semi-structured interviews on their perceptions of the influences to commit a sexual offence. The data were thematically analysed. Emergent themes on factors associated with sexual offending included: peer influence, poor child monitoring, parental neglect, unproductive sexual health education, as well as insight into the participants’ maladaptive beliefs and distorted thinking.

Behavioural characteristics of offenders with mental health disorders in a South African prison population

This exploratory study profiled behavioural characteristics of a non-random sample of 91 offenders with mental illness in a South African correctional facility. The sample is directly related to diagnosed cases from the correctional psychiatrists case load. The most prevalent mental disorders diagnosed amongst the research participants of this sample specific profile were schizophrenia (33%), major depressive (27.5%), bipolar mood (12.1%) and psychotic disorders (11%).

A leadership approach to criminal justice education: developing tomorrow’s decision makers

Justice delivery in criminal law systems depends on the quality of the decisions of its members; then fair and equitable delivery of justice should be its central goal. Criminal justice educators need to develop their students into persons who are capable of making these decisions. When the knowledge and skills needed to make these tough decisions are examined they are shown to be the same skills that make someone an effective leader and manager. Incorporating leadership education and making ‘leadership skills’ an identified outcome of undergraduate and graduate criminal justice curricula will prepare students to be effective leaders and managers in creating and administrating a ‘just’ criminal law system for society.

An exploration of the Self-Appraisal Questionnaire for assessing female recidivism in South Africa

This study profiled incarcerated female offenders’ criminogenic-oriented self-appraisals. Respondents were 77 female offenders between the ages of 20 and 56 years, serving custodial sentences within the South African Department of Correctional Services ranging from under a year to 25 years, and of whom 7 per cent were reoffenders. They completed the Self-Appraisal Questionnaire (SAQ: Loza, 2005), which is a self-report measure for assessing violent and non-violent recidivism. Findings suggest offenders with a history of violence to be at risk for reoffending compared to non-violent offenders.

A criminogenic profile of a sample of South African high school learners

This study investigated the prevalence of criminogenic risk factors among South African high school learners. A sample of 312 high school learners attending a secondary (high) school in the Gauteng province of South Africa were surveyed (55.3% = female). They completed the Measures of Criminal Activities and Attitudes scale (MCAA). The data on their endorsement of criminogenic risk factors were descriptively analysed. The results indicate that significant numbers of the respective subscales were elevated; violence 51%, entitlement 61%, antisocial intent 56% and antisocial associates 45%. Medium to strong correlations between the antisocial intent and antisocial associates constructs were observed. The antisocial intent and entitlement constructs measured a medium strength linear relationship with violence. The MCAA appears to be a suitable and reliable instrument for the identification of young persons at risk of future offending behaviour in the South African setting.

Service learning in custodial settings in South Africa

This study describes the findings of a community engaged service learning program in which nine female and three male students ranging between 22 and 31 years of age from a large South African university participated in a study conducted in two metropolitan areas of South Africa. They were all senior level students registered for Criminological Evaluation and Assessment, a practically-oriented module aimed at equipping students with the required knowledge and skills to conduct criminological assessments. The students voluntarily assisted correctional centres with the assessment of sentenced offenders and in the compilation of individualized Correctional Sentence Plans (CSP) to inform the rehabilitation process of offenders. Students reported their reflections on their service learning experiences using on-line interviews and with question prompts. Extracts from the thematic data analysis suggest students perceived themselves to be instrumental to the Department of Correctional Services in the fulfilment of its goals, while they benefitted from enhanced learning and social responsibility.

Sex Offender Assessment Procedures: A South African Comparison

This study reports on the results of a reflective case analysis of a first generation assessment procedure of a chronic offender. The assessment focused on offenders experiential world and his pathway to crime, including precipitating crime risk factors as well as treatment needs to direct an intervention. The results of this assessment are compared with the results of a third-generation appraisal scale to evaluate the corresponding and/or different findings of these assessments. Findings suggest comparability of corresponding assessment indicators, suggesting that first and third generation assessment techniques can be integrated in corrections rehabilitation.