Individual articles are hosted on the Academy of Science of South Africa's Open Access Journals system. To access individual articles for this edition, click here

Jonny Steinberg examines the impact of closing the Commandos, where research suggests that closing the Commandos will weaken rural policing but strengthen the policing of contact crimes in rural towns.

In the hardest hit regions of the world, the HIV/AIDS epidemic is increasing poverty and inequality and reversing decades of improvements in health, education, and life-expectancy. It is also leaving millions of children orphaned and living in situations of acute vulnerability. Yet, even as the international community mobilises in support of these young people, some researchers and practitioners are linking orphaning and crime, suggesting that growing numbers of impoverished orphans may pose a threat to individual and communal security in some countries. This connection is generally presented as a neat, linear relationship. Robyn Pharoah investigates.

The Departments of Education, Health and Social Development bear the main responsibility for taking care of South Africa’s children through the fulfilment of their core functions, as well as various interdepartmental programmes. These services and programmes provide many important opportunities for crime prevention. Cheryl Frank assesses the potential of these three departments to help prevent crime among children and youth up to the age of 18.

David Bruce looks into witness intimidation based on a witness satisfaction survey among 450 witnesses at three magistrates' courts in Gauteng showing that witness intimidation and fear are more pervasive than is generally acknowledged.

The latest data from the National Injury Mortality Surveillance System – the most detailed source on the 'who, what, when, where and how' of fatal injuries in South Africa – shows that homicide remains the most common cause of injury-related deaths, Richard Matzopoulos discusses the results.