Juvenile Delinquency: Its Causes and Effects (original) (raw)
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International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 2021
The study examines the role of peer influence on juvenile delinquency among adolescents with delinquent behaviour. The samples for the study were 170 juveniles (N=170) recruited from government remand homes in Lagos, Nigeria. Simple random sampling was used in the selection of the sample. Standard self-administered questionnaires were employed to gather data among the selected juveniles. They were Resistance to Peer Influence (RPI) and Self-Report Delinquency Scale. The result revealed that there is a negative and significant correlation between peer influence and juvenile delinquency among adolescents, thereby suggesting that peer influence encourages delinquent behaviour among adolescents. As an implication, adolescents should be sufficiently educated and trained as a preventive measure to ensure they make friends with the right people and socialise themselves in conformity to the social expectation.
Deviant Behavior, 2020
Drawing on Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory, this study explored the experiences and perspectives of juvenile offenders and officers on juvenile delinquency in Accra, Ghana. A descriptive study design with qualitative data collection and analysis methods were employed. A purposive sampling method was used to recruit twenty-six participants, consisting of inmates and officers at a Correctional Facility. Data were gathered through in-depth interviews and the findings showed that parental neglect and abuse; financial constraints; peer influence; and exposure to community social vices influenced juveniles' delinquent behaviors. Additionally, evidence indicated that the inmates benefited from their stay at the correctional facility with respect to their mental health and opportunity to acquire academic knowledge and vocational skills. Based on the findings, suggestions are provided on how juvenile delinquency could be prevented and controlled in Ghana.
Family Related Factors Contributing To Juvenile Delinquency in Starehe Sub-County
Juvenile delinquency is an antisocial behavior by a child below the age of 18 years who violates laws by involvement in criminal activities. Worldwide a lot of juveniles have been found to engage in delinquency leading them to behavior maladjustment. This study focused on family related factors contributing to juvenile delinquency in public primary schools in Starehe Sub-county, Nairobi County. Three theories; the Ecological System Theory, Social Learning Theory and General Strain Theory were adopted. The design of the study was descriptive. A sample size of four hundred respondents that included three hundred and fifty juveniles and fifty teachers and administrators was obtained by using purposive sampling technique. Questionnaires and interview schedule were used to collect data. Pilot study was administered to ascertain the validity and reliability of the instruments. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation and percentages and presented by use of frequency tables and bar graphs. Qualitative data was analyzed thematically in accordance with the objectives and presented in verbatim. The study findings revealed that parents' demographic attributes such as unemployment, low education level and unstable marriages had great influence on juvenile delinquency. It was also established that low attachment to significant others, parental absence, lack of role models, lack of basic needs and neighborhood factors such as peer pressure contribute to juvenile delinquency. Recommended intervention were guidance and counseling, family counseling, peer counseling and recreation park activities., leisure activities spheres, material and financial support to the needy parents, provision of social and emotional support to juveniles and economic empowerment for parents.
A Study on causes of juvenile delinquency among secondary school students the corrected version
The high rates of juvenile delinquency often receive great attention from the news media. The level and types of delinquency as used by commentators are an indicator of general concern in the state of morality and law and order in a country. Consequently, juvenile delinquency can be a source of moral panic. There is an alarming increase in the cases of drug abuse, murder, theft, arson, rape, vandalism, armed conflict, and running away from home by young children. Hence, questions appear in response to the above cases: what makes those teenagers commit such delinquent acts? And how do parents cope with the phenomenon? For these reasons, this paper investigates the causes of juvenile delinquency among secondary school students of Fagge L.G.A of Kano state. The paper discovers three major causes of juvenile delinquency in the study area as follows; Poor Parenting, Peer group influence and imbalance between the Western Education and Islamic Education, among others. Parents give more priority to world affairs education and neglect Islamic education, which serves as a filter for their children. Furthermore, the paper shows how the Islamic model tackles the menace of juvenile delinquency in our community. The choice of Fagge L.G.A as a case study is informed by the fact that it is a commercial center and consists of so many ethnic groups such as Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Kanuri, Ibibio, Nupe etc. living together, which gives room for cultural diffusion, thereby leading to juvenile delinquency.
NATURE AND CONSEQUENCES OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY: BONNY ISLAND OF RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA A FOCAL POINT
This study focuses on the nature and consequences of juvenile delinquency in Bonny Island of Rivers State, Nigeria. The study aimed at finding out why juvenile engage in delinquent act, why juvenile offenders continue in crime after being punished and what Rivers State Government as well as Nigeria Government needs to do inorder to educate juvenile about crime and the negative impact of crime on individual and society at large. Specifically, this research work holds that juvenile in Bonny Island, Nigeria involved with delinquent behaviour, thus attributing it to family structure, social media, education, peer pressure, and environment etc. The various consequences of juvenile delinquency on the individual, victim, family, school, community and the wider society, support the view that no country can afford to ignore it. The research was able to provide extensive past and present global perceptions about the phenomenon of juvenile delinquency and its extent. However, the expected outcome of this study is that to reduce or eradicate juvenile delinquency in our society. Government and voluntary organization should be involved in the following ways: Government should provide employment opportunities for youths, provision of sporting activities and other recreational activities and Pre-trial diversion programs, such as pre-trial community service, vocational or life skills training programs, victim-offender mediation or family group conferences should be encouraged etc. Method of data collection used in this study was only questionnaire.
Hassana Yahaya Bello , 2023
The study investigated the effects of family structure on delinquent behaviours and its health consequences among secondary school adolescents in Kumo metropolis, Gombe State. Juvenile delinquency is becoming a problem bedeviling many societies of the world. The objectives of the study is to examine the effects of family structure on juvenile delinquency, identify the causes of juvenile behaviours among adolescents, identify the health consequences of these behaviours and proffer possible solutions. Using cluster and simple random sampling techniques, a sample of three hundred and two (302) adolescents respondents was drawn from four private and public secondary schools (Government day secondary School Akkoyel, Government day Secondary School Pilot, The Classic Academy, and HajiyaNai'la Science Secondary School) in Kumo metropolis. The findings revealed that; the extended family is the major family type practiced in Kumo Metropolis and it was the leading avenue to juvenile delinquency. Poverty was found to be the possible cause of juvenile offending in Kumo metropolis and the most committed delinquent acts were violent crimes. This study recommended that Governmental, non-governmental organizations, and elites should establish job opportunities and small-scale industries to help alleviate poverty, law should be enforced, and parents should monitor and try to meet the demands of their children such as food, clothing, shelter, and education.
African Journal of Education,Science and Technology, 2021
The rising cases of delinquent behavior among male teenagers is a feedback of sorts that the family structure, which is the nurturing context of children has failed to effectively insulate the teenagers against negative influences. The purpose of this study was to establish the influence of the family structure on male juvenile delinquency at the Kamiti Youth Correction and Training Center (KYCTC), in Kiambu County, Kenya. The study was guided by Family Systems Theory (FST), which views the family as the primary context where the members of the structure relate with each other precipitating the development of individual character traits and patterns of behavior. Therefore, FST practitioners attribute outcomes of an individual to manifestations of sequences of family interaction. The study used purposive sampling method and simple random technique to select a sample of 68 males aged between 15 and 18 years from a target population of 120 delinquents at the KYCTC. Purposive sampling was used to juveniles between 15 and 18 years while random sampling technique was used to select the main sample of 68 out of the population of 120.The study used the ex post facto research design. In this study data was collected through interviews, Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and self-administered questionnaire. Quantitative data collected through questionnaires was analyzed using descriptive statistics with the help of SPSS version 25.0 and qualitative data collected through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions was analyzed through thematic analysis. The study established that majority, 23(33.6%) of the juveniles came from families where parents were absent, 21(30.9%) came from single parents and 16(23.5%) were from grandparent led families. Two-parent families were the least represented among the juvenile delinquents with 8(11.8%) respondents. The findings of the study indicate that a twoparent family structure presents the least risk of breeding juvenile delinquency while, the greatest risk was presented by the absent family structure. These findings point to the critical role the family structure plays in the development and(or) prevention of juvenile delinquency. Based on the findings of this study, the paper recommends that family-centric intervention measures be put in place, considering factors such as: sensitization on the critical role the family structure plays in combating juvenile delinquency, strengthening of the parenting role; encouragement of co-parenting in case of separation; coordination of key stakeholders including the children's department, correction institutions and religious organizations.