The International Journal of Human Rights

The International Journal of Human Rights

Street Law Education for South African School Children and the Protection of Human Rights in Criminal Justice Proceedings

Document Type : Research Article

Author
David McQuoid-Mason
Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Natal, Durban, South Africa; Adviser on Practical Legal Education and Chair of the [Association of] Human Rights Lawyers in the Durban area.
Abstract
This article introduces and analyzes the “practical legal education” (or “Street Law”) and “human rights education” programs in South Africa and examines their role in raising citizens’—especially school students’—awareness of their legal rights in the criminal justice process. The author first describes the background to the development of these programs and their implementation in schools and universities, and then presents the six teaching units of the Practical Legal Education program: an introduction to law and the legal system, criminal law and juvenile justice, family law, welfare and housing law, employment law, and consumer rights. The main part of the article is devoted to teaching topics such as police powers of arrest, bail, detention without trial, search and seizure, criminal trial, sentencing, and the judicial structures dealing with juvenile delinquency, and it demonstrates how these concepts are taught through examples and practical exercises, including role-play and mock trials. Finally, the Human Rights Education Project is discussed, covering issues such as the limitation of human rights in states of emergency, fair trial, torture, prison conditions, and the death penalty. The article concludes that these programs can play a vital role in building a democratic legal culture and in ensuring the protection of human rights within South Africa’s criminal justice system.
Keywords
practical legal education
Street Law
South Africa
human rights
criminal procedure
juvenile criminal justice
legal education
Subjects
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Legislation

Act 83 of 1983 (South Africa).
Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977 (South Africa), s 185.
Internal Security Act 74 of 1982 (South Africa).
Internal Security and Intimidation Amendment Act 138 of 1991 (South Africa), s 13.
Public Safety Act 3 of 1953 (South Africa).

Cases

In re Gault, 387 U.S. 1 (1967).
S v Mabaso 1990 (3) SA 185 (A).
S v Rudman; S v Mthwana 1992 (1) SA 343 (A).
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The International Journal of Human Rights
Volume 02, Issue 1 - Serial Number 3
Issue 3
April 2007
Pages 89-116