Reforming South Africa's Criminal Justice System

This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies argues that South Africa's criminal justice system is in crisis and requires urgent reform due to systemic blockages and a lack of coordination between government departments.

• South Africa's criminal justice system is currently in a state of crisis, characterized by systemic blockages that create delays across the entire criminal justice pipeline, making reform a national priority.
• The system lacks unification and coordination, with weak links between the departments of Safety and Security, Justice, and Correctional Services, and minimal involvement from the departments of Welfare, National Education, and Health in crime prevention.
• Post-1994 reform efforts focused primarily on the visible policing component through community policing, leaving serious unresolved issues in crime detection, prosecution, and incarceration.

APA

Shaw, M. (n.d.). Reforming South Africa's Criminal Justice System. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/research/papers/reforming-south-africas-criminal-justice-system

Chicago

Shaw, Mark. Reforming South Africa's Criminal Justice System. Institute for Security Studies, n.d. https://issafrica.org/research/papers/reforming-south-africas-criminal-justice-system.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Shaw |first1=Mark |title=Reforming South Africa's Criminal Justice System |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |url=https://issafrica.org/research/papers/reforming-south-africas-criminal-justice-system |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{shawndreforming, author = {Shaw, Mark}, title = {{Reforming South Africa's Criminal Justice System}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/research/papers/reforming-south-africas-criminal-justice-system}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }