Oscar Pistorius fits into the category of offenders with disabilities who are held in correctional facilities. He is a specialized inmate due to his disability as an athlete with prosthetic legs.
The different role players in the trial process of State vs Pistorius include:
1. Judge Thokozile Masipa: She was the presiding judge in the case and responsible for overseeing the trial and making a final judgment.
2. Assessors: Janette Henzen du Toit and Themba Mazibuko were appointed by Judge Masipa to assist in evaluating the case and reaching a verdict.
3. State Prosecutor Gerrie Nel: He was the prosecutor representing the state in the trial, responsible for presenting the evidence against Pistorius and arguing for his guilt.
4. Defense lawyer Barry Roux: He represented Oscar Pistorius and argued for his innocence throughout the trial, presenting evidence and cross-examining witnesses.
5. Witnesses: Various individuals were called as witnesses during the trial, including neighbors who heard the altercation, forensic experts, and friends and family of Pistorius and Steenkamp.
6. Media: The trial received extensive media coverage both in South Africa and internationally. Journalists and reporters covered the proceedings and provided updates to the public.
Two sources that provide a definition for the concept of a 'gang' are:
1. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a gang as "a group of people involved in criminal activity, typically carrying out illegal and violent activities collectively."
2. The U.S. Department of Justice defines a gang as "a group of three or more individuals who share a common interest, bond, or purpose, and who engage in criminal activity, often with the use of intimidation and violence."
In what type of ‘specialised inmate category’, set out for offenders in correctional facilities, does Oscar Pistorius fit? [1]
4.2.
Identify and elaborate on the different role players in the abovementioned trial process of State vs Pistorius [6]
4.3.
By referencing two sources, provide a definition for the concept ‘gang’ [2]
Pistorius, Pretoria and Prosecutors The trial of Oscar Pistorius for the murder of Reeva Steenkamp (The State vs Oscar Pistorius) in the High Court of South Africa in Pretoria opened on 3 March 2014. Pistorius was an athlete with a disability who completed in multiple Paralympic Games and the 2012 Summer Olympics. Steenkamp, a model, was shot and killed by Pistorius at his Pretoria home. The trial commenced from 2014 to 2016, Judge Thokozile Masipa appointed two assessors, Janette Henzen du Toit and Themba Mazibuko, to help her evaluate the case and reach a verdict. During the trial, a witness (a neighbour of Pistorius) confessed that she had heard a loud argument in the early hours of the morning minutes before shots were fired. Hereafter, state Prosecutor Gerrie Nel claimed that Pistorius had put on his prosthetic legs, walked across hiss bedroom to the bathroom, and intentionally shot Steenkamp through the door. Nel argued that the time required for this process was sufficient to establish the that the murder was premeditated. In 2016, Pistorius was found guilty of murder and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment. Pistorius continues with his life in prison – and in 2017 footage was released of how he and a notorious and dangerous gang member were playing football in the communal court yard.
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