What is NICRO?
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This note describes NICRO, the main provider of diversion services.
NICRO is the South African National Institute for Crime Prevention and the Reintegration of Offenders. NICRO remains the only national non-government organisation providing comprehensive crime prevention services across South Africa. NICRO is the main provider of diversion services for children in South Africa, providing diversion services since 1992.
NICRO's research indicates that the diversion it has provided has a very high success rate in preventing re-offending, and in reintegrating children into their families and communities. NICRO handles more than 10 000 diversion cases each year in all nine provinces.
The Journey, aimed at high-risk children; the programme lasts between three and 12 months and involves life-skills training amongst other things.
NICRO therefore plays an important role in the child justice system at present, and will continue to do so after enactment of the Child Justice Bill.
NICRO does internal assessments of children before they are admitted to a NICRO programme. NICRO has the right and the responsibility not to accept an unsuitable candidate in its programmers.
At present, with family group conferences, probation officers are responsible for contacting service providers, such as NICRO, and reporting back to the inquiry magistrate or the court, but the conferences themselves are convened (facilitated and co-ordinated) by non-state actors such as NICRO.
Contact details for the other Western Cape regional offices are available on the NICRO website.