Exploring perpetrator trauma amongst juvenile offenders incarcerated for violent crimes
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Date
2022
Authors
Mahlako, Grace Mashai
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
Globally, extensive research has been conducted on psychological trauma. The main intention of this scientific enquiry was to provide insights into the explanatory and aetiological factors of such trauma, as well as provide measures of how to manage and treat it effectively. These scientific exercises within psychological trauma research have led to the development and recognising of posttraumatic stress disorder and acute stress disorder as official and diagnosable disorders. However, much of these research studies on psychological trauma and these trauma-related disorders have focused primarily on victims and witnesses of trauma, completely overlooking and neglecting offenders (perpetrators). Despite this, other scholars have sought to investigate whether perpetrators might experience psychological trauma and scarring from their actions. These scholars observed combat veterans and law enforcers who have committed murder or harmed others in their line of duty, as well as perpetrators of major atrocities such as holocausts and genocides.
Their findings established and concluded that perpetrating violence is associated with various psychological consequences, particularly post-traumatic stress reactions. However, these scholars focused mainly on combat veterans, police officers, and perpetrators of mass atrocities, thus neglecting offenders, particularly juvenile offenders. In South Africa, juvenile offenders are largely at risk of violent offending due to various criminogenic risk factors predisposing them to violent offences. Both grey and empirical literature and government reports have established that juvenile offenders engage in more violent offences than any other offence category. Their involvement in these violent offences makes them more susceptible to developing perpetrator trauma, which might have deleterious and debilitating effects on their rehabilitation and reintegration, leading to cycles of violence and increasing their risk of re-offending. Therefore, this study set out to explore perpetrator trauma amongst juvenile offenders incarcerated for violent offences.
The study was qualitative in nature, using descriptive phenomenology to provide descriptive accounts of perpetrator trauma as experienced by the participants. The nature of the study was both descriptive and explorative, while a single case study design was utilised as a research design. The study used a two-phase sampling procedure, consisting of convenience sampling during the first phase and purposive sampling in the second phase. The first phase consisted of 60 participants who completed a perpetrator trauma symptomatology screening questionnaire developed by the researcher. Participants who reported that they experienced various perpetrator trauma symptoms were then selected for the data collection. The data were collected using semi-structured audio-recorded individual interviews with 10 participants.
The data was analysed using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase framework for thematic analysis using both deductive and inductive methods (Abduction analysis). The analysis generated a total of six themes and nine subthemes. The findings revealed that the offenders experienced multidimensional consequences from their actions. They experienced emotional and moral torments for transgressing legal, societal, spiritual, cultural, and familial rules and norms governing human interaction and functioning. They also experienced various symptoms related to or associated with their offences and victims, including reliving symptoms, psychotic symptoms, psychogenic amnesia of the offence and the victims, and experienced a persistent negative emotional state. They also engaged in reckless and self-destructive behaviours, avoidant behaviours, and significant behavioural changes could be noted in their behaviour.
There were also offence-specific and individual contextual factors that negatively influenced their trauma sequelae, such as their age, motivation for the offence, others’ responses to the offence, and the nature of the relationship with the victim. Incarceration also negatively influenced their trauma sequelae. Nonetheless, they reported various protective experiences, activities, and behaviours within the correctional centre and outside, which helped alleviate their distress. Lastly, they conceptualised their trauma as spiritually induced by their victims’ families to haunt them.
Description
Dissertation (M.Soc.Sc.(Psychology))--University of the Free State, 2022
Keywords
Perpetrator trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder, trauma-related disorders, juvenile offenders, incarceration, correctional centre, South Africa