The Socio-economic Factors Influencing Juvenile Delinquency: a Case Study of Kabete Approved School, Getathuru Reception Centre, Nairobi Juvenile Remand Home and the Dandora Undugu Society of Kenya Reception Centre

Abstract

Juvenile delinquency is on the increase in Kenya, especially as the number of juvenile delinquents increase in Nairobi. This study is a comprehensive study on the juvenile delinquents to find out what factors drive them to commit delinquent acts. The researcher visited four instutitional homes where the juvenile delinquents are commited and administered questionnaires to them. The researcher also got the views of the social workers as to the main factors causing juvenile delinquency. The thesis comes up with suggestions as to how to control the problem of juvenile delinquency, through working with the parents of such children as well as with the children themselves. The interactions, between juvenile delinquency and the cultural socio-economic factors in this study is explained within. the context of the subculture theory. . . The study used various techniques in the collection of the data. These included the use of standard questionnaires which were administered to 126 randomly sampled respondents, non-participant observation and documentary sources. The analysis of the data shows that the deprivation of material needs i.e. food, clothes, shelter, school enrolment and poverty are the major causes of juvenile delinquency, however parental neglect also contributes to the children associating with delinquent peers hence causing delinquency. The findings further point out that most of these-delinquents come from single headed households (usually female). Most of these household heads are engaged in small scale business, which keeps them away from their children for long hours, hence the children either fend or cook for themselves. The study also indicates that most of the children dropped out of lower primary, due to lack of money to pay for the school requirements. Thus being idle they roam about in town and at time engage in delinquent activities. The slum environment has also emerged as an environment where the juveniles copy the criminal activities, which they observe around them. In the conclusion, it is the recommendation of the study that improving the socia-economic status of the parents of these juveniles will go a long way in decreasing the incidences of delinquency, and also that there should be, a return to culture drive, because cultural control would help to reduce instances of children lacking parental care and control.