Sensitivity and Heterozygous Balance of Globalfiler IQCTM PCR Amplification and Verifiler PlusTM Kits

The Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) core loci was expanded from the existing 13 to 20 STRs, meaning a new kit will needed for many laboratories. A validation study was performed in accordance with SGWDAM guidelines Scientific Working Group on DNA. This main objective of this study was to measure the sensitivity and the heterozygous allele balance of Globalfiler IQCTM kit and Verifiler PlusTM kit in order to ensure that the kits would produce reliable profile. DNA samples ranging from 4 ng to 0.016 ng were amplified in 25 ul reaction volume to define the sensitivity and heterozygous balance of two systems. The data suggested that the Verifiler PlusTM kit is more sensitive than the Globalfiler IQCTM kit. However, the data of heterozygous balance also show that the Globalfiler IQCTM kit appeared to be more balanced peak heights than the Verifiler PlusTM kit. This performance demonstrated that both amplification kit can produce robust and reliable results in forensic DNA identification. &nbsp

A model of performance management for the parole boards in South Africa : a penological perspective

One of the fundamental objectives of the criminal justice system in any country is to punish, rehabilitate, deter, incapacitate and reintegrate offenders into communities. The main motive of punishment therefore is to transform criminals into responsible and law-abiding citizens. Parole is acknowledged as an internationally accepted mechanism that allows for the conditional release of offenders from correctional centres into the community and forms one of the most important components of the criminal justice system value chain. The release of the offenders on parole therefore, does not negate the objectives of punishment but entrenches them through setting conditions by which all parolees must abide by. In other words, all offenders released on parole are supervised at all times by parole officials within their communities to ensure that they comply with their conditions. It is for this function- to grant parole to offenders, that the parole boards have been established in different countries. The Department of Correctional Services in South Africa has adopted the independent model of parole which provides for the parole boards that are headed by independent members from the public appointed by the Minister of Correctional Services. Parole is administered by the parole boards and has, as one of its main functions the release of offenders based on their eligibility. The absence of the performance management system for the parole board makes parole board decision making less transparent and government accountability difficult to establish. Performance management systems have been used to strengthen good governance. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the design of a model of performance management of the parole boards in the Department of Correctional Services in South Africa.PenologyD. Litt. et Phil. (Penology

Social work roles in correctional services

M.A.In 1994 South Africa changed to a new political dispensation to guarantee a better life for all, including offenders. The new Constitution of the Republic of South Africa was adopted in 1996 and it makes provision for conditions of detention that are consistent with humane dignity. Social work as a profession also had to position itself in such a way that it defines its role within the confines of the democratic South Africa, and meet the new challenges of the new era. Possibly the most important characteristic of social work is that it is generic in nature and remains basically the same in whichever situation it is undertaken. Therefore there are no differences when social work is practiced in relation to the family, the child, the aged, the offender, the juvenile delinquent, the patient in the hospital, the mentally handicapped or in any other situation. Nevertheless, it is of the utmost importance that social work recognizes the particular requirements to which the social worker would be expected to respond and to adjust social work practice accordingly. The roles of social workers in correction are blurred and unclear. This study, therefore, is an attempt to define and clarify the role of social work in correctional services in relation to the offender with particular emphasis on rehabilitation. Rehabilitation of criminal offenders offers the criminal justice system a unique avenue of improvement. Despite the failures and abuses of the past, a revitalized concept of rehabilitation represents a creative opening in the repetitive mechanisms of a merely punitive system. There is an increasing demand for clear, explicit assessments, plans and reviews to minimize the risk of errors. Practitioners are required to write down what they are doing in more detail and to provide their principals with statistics to enable them to cost and evaluate the workings of the department. It is clear that if social workers in correctional services are to be accountable, a scientific approach is needed and effective training programmes must be in place to enhance the validity and reliability of the helping process. There has been an ongoing debate with regard to the efficacy of helping professions. There have been suggestions that the best helpers are those who stay abreast of the best in current theory and research and who constantly update their practical work through ongoing action research with their clients. Social workers have, until recently, retained a strong element of autonomy in their direct work with clients. Whereas the traditional punitive reaction enforces conformity to law on the basis of fear or pure calculation, rehabilitation creates in the offender the capacity for social participation and responsibility.Dr. W. Roestenbur