Study finds most participants don’t believe in SA criminal justice system

A new study measuring public confidence in South Africa’s criminal justice system suggests that most participants believe justice for crime is either weak or non-existent.

Non-profit organisation (NPO) Action Society has published its inaugural Criminal Justice Index, which measures the levels of public trust in law enforcement and the justice system.

The report is published amid disturbing allegations of corruption within the criminal justice system.

It contains input from approximately 2,000 respondents, who anonymously completed surveys sharing their views on the state of justice in the country.

Participants in the study were asked three key questions: whether there is justice for crime in South Africa, whether they’ve personally received justice after experiencing a criminal offence, and whether they believe criminals get away with crime.

The responses were overwhelmingly negative.

More than 90% of those surveyed indicated that they believe there is no real justice for crime, they have not received justice personally, and that criminals do, in fact, get away with serious crime.

Action Society spokesperson Juanita du Preez said the findings point to a significant disconnect between the reporting of crimes and the follow-through required to secure justice.

“This is not a divided public. It is a mere consensus that the pipeline from reporting to consequence is broken. That level of agreement should serve as an early warning signal to the government.”

While the NPO cautioned that the study is not necessarily representative of the entire South African population, it said the findings, nonetheless, paint a clear picture of the low levels of public confidence in the criminal justice system.