The aim of the orientation was to provide an overview of community profiling and to assist criminology students understand the environment. The representatives encouraged students to volunteer for the criminology profiling learning programme at centres close to where they live.
Said DCS staffer Mr Kagiso Nogwaja: ‘The DCS will ensure the safety and security of all the students who participate in this project.’
The Experiential Learning Project, which started in 2015 as a joint initiative by the DCS and UKZN’s Criminology and Forensic Studies department, ensures students gain experience assessing inmates at correctional centres in KwaZulu-Natal and other provinces in the country. It also allows them to improve their learning and experience, in turn boosting their CVs.
Students were told about assessment tools used to develop profiling and sentence planning for offenders. These tools assist to identify basic needs and risk factors.
Students also heard about community profiling which is important in the reintegrating of offenders into the community once they are released or are on parole.
Honours student Ms Cayla Beaumont said: ‘This workshop encouraged us to participate in the programme. It also gave us an idea of what we can expect as DCS interns.’
Said student Ms Perushka Pillay: ‘This is an opportunity for us to put into practice what we have learned in the classroom.’
