Caught in the spider’s web: The collateral consequences of the criminal record on higher education, professional registration, and employment opportunities

Mbongiseni Mdakane, Bongani Nkambule and Sindile Ngubane
Additional contact information
Mbongiseni Mdakane: University of South Africa
Bongani Nkambule: University of South Africa
Sindile Ngubane: University of South Africa

International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478), 2024, vol. 13, issue 4, 362-373

Abstract: Although significant research has already been conducted on the intricacies of the criminal record in South Africa and internationally, literature points to a disjuncture between research and policy, especially around topics relating to access to higher education (HE) and admission to professional registration councils by formerly incarcerated students (FIS) with a criminal record. This qualitative case study incorporated a discourse analysis approach to determine the tone of 23 policy documents. In addition, twelve participants were purposefully sampled to share their lived experiences regarding the regulation and reintegration of FIS when applying for admission to HE and professional registration councils and potential employment upon completion of their studies. The findings indicate that the construction of legal documents and application forms allows higher education institutions and professional registration councils to access students' personal data, such as their criminal records. This leads to implementing measures that exclude certain individuals, which in turn obstructs the effective social reintegration of formerly incarcerated individuals into the workforce. The study recommends the implementation of a South African research-based HE policy aimed at addressing the systemic injustices that regulate the simultaneous admission and rejection of FIS when applying to access HE and admission to professional registration councils. Key Words:Higher education, professional registration councils, criminal record checks, offender reintegration, South Africa.

Date: 2024
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.ssbfnet.com/ojs/index.php/ijrbs/article/view/3253/2344 (application/pdf)
https://doi.org/10.20525/ijrbs.v13i4.3253 (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:rbs:ijbrss:v:13:y:2024:i:4:p:362-373

Access Statistics for this article

International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478) is currently edited by Prof.Dr.Umit Hacioglu

More articles in International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478) from Center for the Strategic Studies in Business and Finance Editorial Office,Baris Mah. Enver Adakan Cd. No: 5/8, Beylikduzu, Istanbul, Turkey. Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Umit Hacioglu ().