During the 1980s, press coverage of South African family murders suggested that something was ‘wrong’ with white society – and with the white Afrikaans men who were usually seen as perpetrators.
Under South African law, murder carries a minimum sentence of 15 years for first-time offenders. But courts may deviate from this if they find ‘substantial and compelling circumstances’ to do so.
Paralympian Oscar Pistorius was sentenced to six years in prison for killing his girlfriend. It comes after a well-publicised TV interview which some believe was used to influence the judge.
The increase in rioting ahead of municipal elections in South Africa, such as that in Pretoria, suggests that the country’s general election in 2019 could be more violent than previous elections.
When Gay Talese signed a confidentiality agreement with a motel-owning voyeur, he got access to the voyeur’s journals and secret viewing perch. But he also allowed the spying to continue for over a decade.
The genre that brought us the writings of Mark “Chopper” Read isn’t known for its impeccable gender politics. But two new books cast a critical eye on a culture of male violence.
Innocent people do confess under interrogation to crimes they did not commit, even providing details about the crime. What leads them to falsely confess to very serious crimes?
South Africa’s homicide rates have declined consistently since democracy, but remain among the highest in the world. They are about four times the global average at more than 30 per 100,000 people.
Bodies thought to belong to members of Russia’s murdered royal family are to be re-examined for new evidence but forensics has its potential and limitations.
Classifying killers into particular types is intuitively appealing. It helps us make sense of what otherwise seems senseless. But this approach tells us only the smallest fraction of their motivation.
South African police are murdered at a high rate, making funerals and memorial services all too common. What happens and gets said at these services can help us understand aspects of police culture.