Degrees:PhD (With specialization in Criminal Justice) University of Johannesburg 2003; MSW (Master of Social Work in Community Development) University of Johannesburg 1998; B.A. (Social Work) University of North West 1996 

Position Title: Associate Professor & Head of Department 
Location: Office 5.06, Leslie Social Sciences Building, Upper Campus, UCT 
E-mail: leon.holtzhausen@uct.ac.za 
Tel: 021 650 3495 
Consultation Times: By Appointment. E-mail or call to request an appointment. 
Key roles in the Department: Head of the Department of Social Work and Social Development

Brief Biography:
Leon Holtzhausen holds a BSW, a MSW degree (Community Development) and a D Litt et Phil (Social Work with Specialization in Criminal Justice). After graduating, Holtzhausen practiced clinical social work in a Super Maximum Prison for more than six years. Here he specialized in offender profiling, assessment and mental health treatment of male adult juvenile offenders and their families. Holtzhausen also provided both treatment and rehabilitation services to a case load of more than a 1000 long-term violent criminal offenders. Treatment and rehabilitation services included, amongst others, a broad range of psychosocial and mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, mood and personality disorders, psychosis, suicide, interpersonal relationships, life crises, incarceration adjustment issues, substance addiction, victimization, trauma, and family conflicts. Holtzhausen was later promoted by the National Department of Correctional Services to the position of Deputy Director Research where he was responsible for national oversight of research in the Department. As an expert in program design and development, Holtzhausen he also filled the position of Deputy Director Correctional Programs Department of Correctional Services from 2002 onwards. After earning his Phd from the University of Johannesburg in 2004, Holtzhausen left South Africa and took up an Assistant Professorship in the Department of Social Work, United Arab Emirates University in the UAE. Here he expanded his research interest to transnational social work, migrant issues and cross cultural pedagogi. This experience led to numerous publications, conference papers and scholarship in transnational social work. In 2010, Holtzhausen returned to South Africa where he now teaches both undergrad and postgraduate social development students at the University of Cape Town. He is a member of the National and Provincial Accreditation Committee of the Department of Social Development, the Child Justice Alliance, the South African Violence And Safety Initiative, the Social Services Profession Advocacy Network and various other professional bodies.

Research Interests:
Criminal Justice Social Work (CJSW), including Probation Work, Forensic Social Work, Correctional Social Work and Substance Abuse. Interpersonal violence, including the assessment and intervention with child and youth sex offenders and trauma work with survivors of child abuse and domestic violence.

Teaching Areas:
Social Work Assessment, Social Work Intervention, Field of Substance Abuse, Principles of Probation & Correctional Practice, Forensic Assessment & Intervention & Forensic Practice.

Recent Publications:
2022 Chapter 15: Prevention, intervention and care management: case studies of vulnerable populations in South Africa. Lillian Artz and Leon Holtzhausen. In Murray, R., & Long, D. (Eds.). (2022). Research Handbook on Implementation of Human Rights in Practice. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing. Retrieved Aug 7, 2023, from https://doi.org/10.4337/9781800372283

2022 Journal of Child Abuse & Neglect. Topic: “The global impact of adverse childhood experiences on criminal behavior: A cross-continental study”. Basto-Pereira M, Gouveia-Pereira M, Pereira CR, Barrett EL, Lawler S, Newton N, Stapinski L, Prior K, Costa MSA, Ximenes JM, Rocha AS, Michel G, Garcia M, Rouchy E, Al Shawi A, Sarhan Y, Fulano C, Magaia AJ, El-Astal S, Alattar K, Sabbah K, Holtzhausen L, Campbell E, Villanueva L, Gomis-Pomares A, Adrián JE, Cuervo K, Sakulku J.

2023 Journal of Criminal Behavior and Mental Health. Topic: “Evaluation of the psychometric properties of the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory-Short Version among young people in South Africa and the relationship of high scores to reported offending or similar behavior”. L. Holtzhausen & E. Campbell.

2024 Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma. Topic: “The Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Altruistic Behavior in a South African Sample of Emerging Adults”. L. Holtzhausen & E. Campbell. (Submitted for final review).

2024 Acta Criminologica: The African Journal of Criminology and Victimology. Topic: Psychopathic Traits, Adverse Childhood Experiences and Deviance Among South African Youth. L. Holtzhausen & E. Campbell