The Department of Criminology has signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the South African Department of Correctional Services (DCS) to establish a mutually beneficial cooperative partnership. The statutory mandate of DCS needs to be informed by research activities which result in the generating of best practices and “what works” approaches to the rehabilitation of offenders and restoration of all participants in the criminal even, including the community.

The Department of Criminology will engage with the DCS on issues related to criminal justice, social reintegration, penology, correctional care and public safety. Students will be provided with the opportunity to participate on a voluntary basis as part of community outreach to the DCS to assist with assessment and profiling of correctional clients and communities as well as with the rendering of correctional programmes. This experiential learning opportunity will enable criminology students to gain practical experience in the correctional setting and will further praxis.

Staff members will also be provided with opportunities to conduct research on areas of importance. It is envisioned that this partnership will lead to increased research output and the positioning of the Department of Criminology as a key national role player in the specialisation fields of corrections and punishment.