NICRO Soweto (National Institute for Crime Prevention and the Reintegration of Offenders)

As the National Institute for Crime Prevention and the Reintegration of Offenders, it has built one of South Africa's most comprehensive frameworks of non-custodial intervention — programmes designed to change the thinking, behaviour, and social functioning of people who have committed offences, including GBV perpetrators.

Two Service Streams

NICRO's work is organised into two streams:

1. Criminal Justice Services Covering court-referred diversion (youth and adults), non-custodial sentencing, and offender reintegration. All criminal justice clients must be referred by the courts — NICRO cannot accept self-referring clients for diversion or NCS purposes.

2. Community Crime and Violence Prevention Targeting individuals and communities outside the criminal justice system — including prevention work with schools, families, and community members who can self-refer to a NICRO office or access NICRO Online.

The Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence Programme

The most directly GBV-relevant of NICRO's interventions. This 20-week, group-based therapeutic treatment programme works with adult male perpetrators of intimate partner violence who have been referred by the courts. It is both an accountability mechanism (holding perpetrators responsible for their violence and abuse) and a behaviour-change intervention, incorporating psycho-educational and cognitive-behavioural therapy components to challenge and reshape the thinking patterns, attitudes, and behaviours that drive intimate partner violence.

Critically, the programme does not operate in isolation from victims. It runs parallel structured counselling and support groups for victims/partners of programme participants — a minimum of eight sessions — as well as individual counselling for both perpetrators and partners and couples/family work where appropriate. This simultaneous attention to perpetrator accountability and victim support is NICRO's most significant contribution to the GBV response for survivors whose partners are in the criminal justice system.

Positive Masculinities and Related Programmes

Positive Masculinities Programme: A social functioning development programme for men, addressing the impact of negative conceptions of masculinity. Seeks to develop a positive conception of maleness, empower men to define constructive social roles, foster prosocial behaviour, counteract patriarchal socialisation, and empower men as agents of change.

Lionheart: Strength Through Honour (online, 2025): A psychosocial programme for adult men exploring advantages and disadvantages of being a man today; gender stereotypes; consent and boundaries; toxic relationships; self-awareness; respect; cultural issues; emotional regulation; and conflict resolution. Aimed at instilling healthy, positive masculinity grounded in perseverance, respect, self-discipline, and empowerment.

Fatherhood Programme: For adult male caregivers — covering positive masculinities, the role of the caregiver, co-parenting, positive parenting, communication, and anger management.

Anger Management Programme: 10-session programme for adults and adolescents aged 15–18, covering self-awareness, communication, tolerance, problem-solving, anger triggers, and anger management strategies.

Trauma and Recovery

Rapid Intervention for Trauma (online): A psychoeducational programme presented by a registered Psychological Counsellor covering types of trauma, trauma responses, retelling your story, processing traumatic events, guided imagery, behavioural activation, and avoidance management. Assignment submissions are reviewed by psychological counsellors. Designed for people who cannot access traditional counselling or therapy.

Road to Resilience Programme (online): Emotional regulation, mental flexibility, cognitive reframing, adaptive thinking, and self-care.

Other Relevant Programmes

Adult Lifeskills Programme: For adults 18+, covering personal growth, decision-making, anger management, communication, and civic literacy. Available in-person and online. Suited to people with educational and literacy constraints.

Economic Opportunities Programme: For socio-economically marginalised people — focusing on informal/alternative income streams, entrepreneurship basics, financial literacy, and digital literacy. Specific focus on women in marginalised communities.

Restorative Group Conferencing: A victim-centred conflict resolution process outside the court system. Important note: not used for serious offences including sexual offences, rape, murder, or offences against children, unless the victim or their family explicitly requests it after thorough professional consultation.

Community Service Learning: Diverted or sentenced offenders performing community service hours. Targets adolescents 15–17 and low-to-medium risk adults.

Safety Ambassadors Programme: A year-long school-based crime prevention programme recruiting and developing high school learners as peer change agents.

NICRO Online (nicro.myjoomlalms.com): Many NICRO programmes are available online — making access possible for people in areas without a local NICRO office, and enabling private enrolment via credit card for those outside the criminal justice stream.

Note on Self-Referral

Community members who are not involved in the criminal justice system may self-refer to a NICRO office or enrol privately in NICRO Online programmes. Court-referred clients (diversion, NCS) require prosecutorial approval before NICRO can accept them.