CMY2603/201/2/2018

FEEDBACK ON ASSIGNMENT 1 AND 2

Dear student

This letter contains feedback on both assignment 1 and 2 for semester 1. The assignment is primarily
a learning opportunity to enable you to master the course material and to prepare yourself for the
examination.

You may regard the assignments as examples of the examination paper, not in terms of context, but
format, length and complexity. You may receive completely new multiple-choice and paragraph-type
questions in the exam. The examination paper will consist of 25 multiple-choice questions (50-
marks) and paragraph-type questions (one 15-mark question and one 10-mark question).

Please read the following feedback on assignment 01 together with the lecturer’s/marker’s comments
on your individually marked assignment.

QUESTION 1

Discuss the following important youth issues linked to crime:

 Categories of youth offences (7) and;
 Gangsterism as a phenomena in South Africa (8)

(15)

FEEDBACK ON QUESTION 1

You had to consult the prescribed book on page 54-57 (section 3.2.2.4). It is not compulsory to
consult additional books/sources to answer this question. However, you can consult and use extra
sources in your assignments to broaden your knowledge on the topic. Remember to rewrite the
information in your own words and cite the source/s from which you obtained the information. Sources
(this includes the prescribed book as well) must be cited and referenced according to the Harvard
method. Avoid plagiarism when writing assignments. Describe the information in your own words as
far as possible. Copying information from sources and presenting it as your own is plagiarism and may
result in an immediate failure of the assignment.

Categories of youth offences

Youth issues linked to crime refers to youth offences such as hate crimes, youth homicide and
gangsterism.

 Hate crimes
In your answer, you had to describe what hate crimes are. For example, hate crimes refer to attacks
directed at certain persons because they are different from the attacker in terms of race, religion, sexual
orientation, ethnic origin, gender and/or disability (Booyens, Beukman & Bezuidenhout, 2013: 54-55).
Hate crime are divided into crimes against property (such as robbery, burglary and arson to name a
few – think of other examples you can include) and crimes against the person (such as murder,
assault, rape – any other examples?).

The prescribed book cites corrective rape as an example of a hate crime. Here you can provide your
own example to illustrate that you understand what hate crimes entail. Remember that is not
expected of you to regurgitate the information from the study guide/prescribed book as is, but
to use it as a basis and illustrate your understanding of the facts by describing the facts in your
own words and providing your own examples (where applicable).

You also had to mention the three categories of hate crime, for example:

 Thrill-seeking hate crimes: perpetrated by youths to gain the approval of their friends and
be labelled as cool. May also be committed to overcome boredom and where excitement is
seeked . Can you think of an example of such as case?
 Reactive (defensive) hate crimes: victimisation takes place in local area. Offenders feel that
intruders/outsiders are invading their neighbourhood. The main aim is to send out a
message to the victims. If the victims do not react, the offenders will use violence to achieve
their goal. Give an example of such a case.
 Mission hate crimes: an act carried out by a person on a mission to “rid the world of evil”.
The person usually despise the members of the targeted group (Booyens, Beukman &
Bezuidenhout, 2013: 54-55).

 Youth homicide
In your answer, you had to explain that there are several explanations for why youth become involved
in homicide and give a brief discussion on train surfing. Explanations on why youth become involved
in homicide:
o the illegal drug market
o the role of group dynamics
o the availability of firearms
o increasing racial discrimination
o exposure to violence
o increasing economic inequality (Booyens, Beukman & Bezuidenhout, 2013: 56)
(7)

Gangsterism (see page 54 of the prescribed book)

Main points to consider in discussing gansterism in South Africa:
 Juvenile group formation – discuss how group formation is a natural phenomenon, but can lead to
instances of antisocial group formation.

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 Majority of time spent on streets – group becomes surrogate family, overriding norms and values
and norms taught at home – group becomes a subculture.
 Gangs want to dominate their turf – may pick on local people because they are confined to the
area.
 High-risk behaviour in youth often attributed to them feeling vulnerable… whereas more evidence
shows that they are fatalistic and lack belief in their future possibilities.
 Delinquency/misbehaviour is a form of substitute behaviour – provides escape from conflict and
resulting emotional distress.
 Gangs – characterised by their specific objectives e.g. motor vehicle theft, robbery etc.
 Juveniles choose to join gangs whose members have the same needs as they have, striving to
achieve the same objectives (Booyens, Beukman & Bezuidenhout, 2013: 54).

(8)

QUESTION 2

Discuss the role of mentors in the prevention of youth misbehaviour and criminality

(10)

FEEDBACK ON QUESTION 2

Consult the prescribed book on page 164 (section 9.4.1.2). It is not compulsory to consult additional
books/sources to answer this question. However, you are encouraged to use examples to illustrate
your understanding of the facts. Remember to adhere to the referencing requirements when compiling
written assignments as explained on page 2 of this tutorial letter. Write your answer in clear, full and
logical sentences (paragraph format – no summarising of information).

Consider the following when answering the question:

 Many youths are lacking positive role models due to:

o increase in the number of single-parent and child-headed households; and

o increased demands of parents’ careers

o peer group influences (related to misbehaviour)

 A major contributing factor in preventing illegal behaviour in children

o Positive relationship with an adult (inside/outside of the family)

 Provide an example (eg, the Big Brothers Big Sisters organisation) and discuss what it
entails (Coetzee, 2013: 164).
 (10)

Bibliography
Booyens, K., Beukman, B & Bezuidenhout, C. 2013. The nature and extent of child and youth
misbehaviour in South Africa (Pp 31-67). In C Bezuidenhout (Ed). Child and youth misbehaviour in
South Africa: A holistic approach. 3rd ed. Van Schaik: Pretoria.

Coetzee, L. 2013. The prevention and control of youth misbehaviour in South Africa (Pp 160-199). In
C Bezuidenhout (Ed). Child and youth misbehaviour in South Africa: A holistic approach. 3rd ed. Van
Schaik: Pretoria.

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Dear Student

Answers to all the multiple-choice questions pertaining to the second are as follows:

Question no Answer Section Page number of prescribed book

1 2 3.2.2 34
2 3 3.2.1 33
3 4 3.1 32
4 3 3.2.1 32
5 2 3.2.1 32
6 2 3.2.2 34
7 3 3.2.2 34
8 2 3.2.2.1 38
9 3 3.2.2.1 39
10 3 3.2.2.1 37
11 4 11.2.1 202
12 2 11.2.1 203
13 1 11.2.1 202
14 2 11.2.1 203
15 3 11.2.2.1 205
16 4 11.2.2.1 204
17 4 11.2.2.2 206
18 4 10.2.4 180
19 4 10.2 177
20 3 3.2.2.4 55
21 4 10.2.4 179
22 1 9.4 162
23 4 9.4.3.2 169
24 4 3.2.2.4 56
25 3 9.4.3 168

I trust that the abovementioned pointers will be of value to you. If you experience any specific
interpretation challenges with regard to the study material, please contact the Module Coordinator
directly.

Best wishes

MODULE COORDINATOR: CMY2603