Call For Holistic Approach To Dealing With Criminals

I READ with interest a news report appearing in your paper of July 4 with the headline ‘Crime rise holds NA captive’.

Indeed, it held them captive. I am tempted to give my views on this issue that has been very close to my heart in a common pursuit of fighting crime in this country.I must confess that I am not a psychologist, nor am I a sociologist.I am a penal administrator of good standing who has worked with criminals, not as a criminal, but as their jailer for over 40 years now.I am convinced that if you want to deal effectively with criminals to address their offending attitudes, you need to do a kind of study, know their backgrounds and explore what made them commit those offences.It is not as simple as many of us may think.I am happy to note that Honourable Members of Parliament did that and I want to add my voice to their efforts.Most of the offenders do possess what we call criminogenic needs.These criminogenic needs are referred to as dynamic risk factors and when they are reduced, offenders have the biggest chance of changing their re-offending attitude into becoming law-abiding citizens.There is proven empirical evidence of success in combating crime in this way.Having known all those vices, then it is possible to talk of rehabilitation of offenders by reducing recidivism from correctional institutions while at the same time creating safer societies.Much research has been conducted into crime and its prevention.It is believed that the more recidivism is prevalent, the higher the escalation of crime rate is in that country.Therefore the need to reduce recidivism should be one of the major approaches in combating crime in this country.Correctional systems globally are now moving in that direction through what is known as Risk Management basically aimed at contributing to the public safety.And indeed it needs Hercules’ strength to change the mindset of the general populace to understand this as opposed to the misguided old adage of equating prisons to four-star hotels.Maybe we need to get the results of this research before we can have meaningful discussions in Parliament or anywhere where discussion on the way of dealing with crime is on the table.We should be having well-informed opinion rather than suggesting options which are obsolete and do not work.The Chinese have a dictum that says: “No research, no right to speak”.Why do people commit crimes? Almost everyone has an explanation as to why certain individuals break the laws.Although these explanations make interesting social conversation, there are people who devote careers to explaining criminal behaviour.Criminologists, sociologists, psychiatrists, and psychologists think about what may cause crime and formulate theories of criminal behaviour.With all the research conducted and perhaps in congruence with common sense, it is widely acknowledged that crime is made possible through three major perspectives of criminal behaviour.According to the “psychology of criminal conduct”, as researched by a Canadian scholar, James Bonta, the most obvious and common perspective of the criminal behaviour known to everybody is the sociological perspective.The sociological perspective proposes that social, political, and economic factors are responsible for crime.For example poverty, lack of employment and educational opportunities and systematic bias towards minority groups cause frustration and motivation to engage in crime.These perspectives in one form or another say that society creates crime.That is, society is largely responsible for crime and the solution to crime rests in altering the social, political and economic situations of society’s members and not building more prisons or awarding long sentences to offenders.That is where I am in total agreement with members of parliament that unemployment, poverty and even capitalism are the root causes of increased crime rate in the country.Unfortunately I do not subscribe to the assertion that the delay of the implementation of the new Criminal Procedure Act is a contributor to the rise of crime.The mere reason that the new law holds stiffer sentences does not decrease the crime because there is no evidence worldwide that long sentences or stiffer punishments are linked to the reduction in crime anywhere.The research has proved otherwise.Another perspective of criminal behaviour, according to Bonta, is a rather peculiar one.This is referred to as the psychopathological perspective.This has nothing to do with society.In most cases here the crime is located in the individual, who has a sickness or a deficit of some sort, and not in society.An individual disobeys laws and norms of society because of a neurosis, or following the commands of internal voices.They may have too much testosterone that drives them to commit sexual crimes or they have a neurological disorder that results in uncontrolled violent behaviour.Special treatment needs to be designed for such an offender in a prison as a therapy to this kind of sickness, and not capital punishment or castration.In such a case, it does not matter if one is poor or not, from an ethnic minority or a politically powerless group.These afflictions and diseases know no economic, social and political boundaries.The last one which is very serious is known as the general personality and social psychological perspective.We can call this one simply ‘learned behaviour’.This derives from the learning of attitudes, emotions and behaviours that lead to criminal conduct.The focus is on the individual.It is not much that the offender is sick, but the offender was exposed to situations that rewarded and encouraged anti-social behaviour.For example a child who grows up in a home where the parents allow aggressive and hostile behaviour, model anti-social attitudes and fail to direct the child in pro-social activities and appropriate friendships, learns antisocial behaviour.These are basically the main breeding grounds of crime.A long-term systematic approach is required to address them through many ways, but not harsh punishment or draconian laws.Deterrence is an old method of dealing with crime that has proved to be expensive and not working in terms of reducing crime.I know the public would go for long sentences but sooner or later the offenders will come out.Then should they come out as they went in? What should we expect from them if not multiplication of criminal activities when they do! Dr Laurence Motiuk, a renowned researcher in criminal behaviour in the Correctional Services of Canada, reveals that deterrence may have little reality or meaning for many offenders.Many offenders seldom consider the consequences of their acts.Many underestimate the risk: some are indifferent to the risks; some thrive on them.Many are sublimely optimistic: they believe that they will not be caught: if caught, not convicted; if convicted, not sentenced; if sentenced not imprisoned; if imprisoned quickly released.So that is the kind of thinking the criminals have.It is out of this whole scenario that a holistic approach should be taken on how to combat crime and not a simplistic one.John W. Nyoka Deputy Commissioner Windhoek Note: The opinions in this letter are Nyoka’s personal views and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Ministry of Safety and Security or that of the Namibian Prison Service.I am tempted to give my views on this issue that has been very close to my heart in a common pursuit of fighting crime in this country. I must confess that I am not a psychologist, nor am I a sociologist.I am a penal administrator of good standing who has worked with criminals, not as a criminal, but as their jailer for over 40 years now.I am convinced that if you want to deal effectively with criminals to address their offending attitudes, you need to do a kind of study, know their backgrounds and explore what made them commit those offences.It is not as simple as many of us may think.I am happy to note that Honourable Members of Parliament did that and I want to add my voice to their efforts. Most of the offenders do possess what we call criminogenic needs. These criminogenic
needs are referred to as dynamic risk factors and when they are reduced, offenders have the biggest chance of changing their re-offending attitude into becoming law-abiding citizens.There is proven empirical evidence of success in combating crime in this way.Having known all those vices, then it is possible to talk of rehabilitation of offenders by reducing recidivism from correctional institutions while at the same time creating safer societies.Much research has been conducted into crime and its prevention.It is believed that the more recidivism is prevalent, the higher the escalation of crime rate is in that country.Therefore the need to reduce recidivism should be one of the major approaches in combating crime in this country.Correctional systems globally are now moving in that direction through what is known as Risk Management basically aimed at contributing to the public safety.And indeed it needs Hercules’ strength to change the mindset of the general populace to understand this as opposed to the misguided old adage of equating prisons to four-star hotels.Maybe we need to get the results of this research before we can have meaningful discussions in Parliament or anywhere where discussion on the way of dealing with crime is on the table.We should be having well-informed opinion rather than suggesting options which are obsolete and do not work.The Chinese have a dictum that says: “No research, no right to speak”.Why do people commit crimes? Almost everyone has an explanation as to why certain individuals break the laws.Although these explanations make interesting social conversation, there are people who devote careers to explaining criminal behaviour.Criminologists, sociologists, psychiatrists, and psychologists think about what may cause crime and formulate theories of criminal behaviour.With all the research conducted and perhaps in congruence with common sense, it is widely acknowledged that crime is made possible through three major perspectives of criminal behaviour.According to the “psychology of criminal conduct”, as researched by a Canadian scholar, James Bonta, the most obvious and common perspective of the criminal behaviour known to everybody is the sociological perspective.The sociological perspective proposes that social, political, and economic factors are responsible for crime.For example poverty, lack of employment and educational opportunities and systematic bias towards minority groups cause frustration and motivation to engage in crime.These perspectives in one form or another say that society creates crime.That is, society is largely responsible for crime and the solution to crime rests in altering the social, political and economic situations of society’s members and not building more prisons or awarding long sentences to offenders.That is where I am in total agreement with members of parliament that unemployment, poverty and even capitalism are the root causes of increased crime rate in the country.Unfortunately I do not subscribe to the assertion that the delay of the implementation of the new Criminal Procedure Act is a contributor to the rise of crime.The mere reason that the new law holds stiffer sentences does not decrease the crime because there is no evidence worldwide that long sentences or stiffer punishments are linked to the reduction in crime anywhere.The research has proved otherwise. Another perspective of criminal behaviour, according to Bonta, is a rather peculiar one.This is referred to as the psychopathological perspective.This has nothing to do with society.In most cases here the crime is located in the individual, who has a sickness or a deficit of some sort, and not in society.An individual disobeys laws and norms of society because of a neurosis, or following the commands of internal voices.They may have too much testosterone that drives them to commit sexual crimes or they have a neurological disorder that results in uncontrolled violent behaviour.Special treatment needs to be designed for such an offender in a prison as a therapy to this kind of sickness, and not capital punishment or castration.In such a case, it does not matter if one is poor or not, from an ethnic minority or a politically powerless group.These afflictions and diseases know no economic, social and political boundaries.The last one which is very serious is known as the general personality and social psychological perspective.We can call this one simply ‘learned behaviour’.This derives from the learning of attitudes, emotions and behaviours that lead to criminal conduct.The focus is on the individual.It is not much that the offender is sick, but the offender was exposed to situations that rewarded and encouraged anti-social behaviour.For example a child who grows up in a home where the parents allow aggressive and hostile behaviour, model anti-social attitudes and fail to direct the child in pro-social activities and appropriate friendships, learns antisocial behaviour. These are basically the main breeding grounds of crime.A long-term systematic approach is required to address them through many ways, but not harsh punishment or draconian laws.Deterrence is an old method of dealing with crime that has proved to be expensive and not working in terms of reducing crime.I know the public would go for long sentences but sooner or later the offenders will come out.Then should they come out as they went in? What should we expect from them if not multiplication of criminal activities when they do! Dr Laurence Motiuk, a renowned researcher in criminal behaviour in the Correctional Services of Canada, reveals that deterrence may have little reality or meaning for many offenders.Many offenders seldom consider the consequences of their acts.Many underestimate the risk: some are indifferent to the risks; some thrive on them.Many are sublimely optimistic: they believe that they will not be caught: if caught, not convicted; if convicted, not sentenced; if sentenced not imprisoned; if imprisoned quickly released.So that is the kind of thinking the criminals have.It is out of this whole scenario that a holistic approach should be taken on how to combat crime and not a simplistic one. John W. Nyoka Deputy Commissioner Windhoek Note: The opinions in this letter are Nyoka’s personal views and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Ministry of Safety and Security or that of the Namibian Prison Service.