THE NATURE AND REPERCUSSIONS OF YOUTH DELINQUENCE IN NIGERIA
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THE NATURE AND REPERCUSSIONS OF YOUTH DELINQUENCE IN NIGERIA
ABSTRACT
In today’s culture, juvenile delinquency is seen as one of the major threats to life and property. Because of the nature of adolescent delinquency, parents, guidance, sponsors, and well-wishers are concerned about our future leaders. Rape, thieving, kleptomanism, burglary, disobedience, homicide, truancy, vandalism, and robbery are some of the crimes linked with juveniles.
As a result, the purpose of this research is to investigate the nature and consequences of adolescent delinquency. The purpose of this research is to discover why juveniles engage in delinquent behaviour, why juvenile offenders continue to commit crimes after being punished or sanctioned, what the Nigerian government should do to improve or educate juveniles about crime, and the negative impact of crime on individuals and society at large.
However, the expected outcome of this study is that, in order to reduce or eradicate juvenile delinquency in our society, the government and voluntary organisations should be involved in the following ways: the government should provide employment opportunities for youths, more thought should be given to setting up more amenities in rural areas, the stoppage of pornographic films and some American films, where our youths learn techniques in stealing and destroying property, and parents should be involved in the following ways: The only data collection method employed in this investigation was a questionnaire.
INTRODUCTION TO CHAPTER ONE 1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Juvenile delinquency refers to child activity that, under the law, may bring the child to juvenile court. According to Tappan (1972:12), “the nature of juvenile delinquency arose from various abnormal behaviour such as stealing, drunkenness, burglary, robbery, rape, homicide, idleness, truancy, prostitution, disobedience, running away from home, kleptomanism, and sexual promiscuity.
” Furthermore, it is a reality that juvenile offenders who continue to deviate after spending a significant portion of their sentence in prison do so because they are affiliated with adult convicts. In this regard, Mr. Sanusi, project Director of the Lawyers Continuing Education Project (LAWCEP), stated that “in our society, where the trial process is unduly delayed, the young offender spends more time with hardened criminals than elsewhere.”
Different types of delinquency have existed for as long as we can remember, but modern tendencies have caused them to skyrocket. Glucks (1959) discovered that juvenile delinquency is not a novel phenomenon during adolescence, but rather a continuation of anti-social actions from childhood as a result of environmental influences or family difficulties affecting his mental development.
That is, there is a close relationship between juvenile criminality and the juvenile’s home environment. The earliest known legal document (the document of Hammurabi) specifically noted children’s duty to parents and provided sanctions for infractions. As legal systems evolved, the age of criminals remained an important factor in determining criminal liability.
Juvenile delinquency is defined in the Nigerian constitution of 1979 as “a crime committed by a young person under the age of 18 years as a result of attempting to comply with the wishes of his peers or to escape from parental pressure or certain emotional stimulation.
” Before a youngster in Nigeria is categorised as a delinquent, he must be charged in a juvenile court and proven guilty of various charges. Such offences include habitual absenteeism, drug addiction, prostitution, thievery, cultism, armed robbery, and so on.
The implications of adolescent misbehaviour on Nigerian society are not only catastrophic, but also numerous. They endanger both lives and property, and they stifle the country’s prosperity.
Juvenile delinquency has also contributed to our country’s (Nigeria’s) negative image. Because most of the delinquents want to get rich quick, corruption and ritual killings have become the standard in our political realm, turning politics into a do or die affair where thuggery and fighting is the norm. This has made politics in our country (Nigeria) a risky endeavour.
1.2 Description Of The Problem
An investigation or study of juvenile delinquency in Nigeria will undoubtedly reveal that rampant stealing, armed robbery, prostitution, manslaughter, drug addiction, vandalism, truancy, murder, rape, cultism, burglary, and kleptomanism, among many other crimes and delinquent behaviour, are common among the youth.
Because of our country’s increasing rate of juvenile delinquency, governments, parents, guidance, sponsors, teachers, moralists, and well-meaning Nigerians have all taken an interest in its negative repercussions on our community. In addition, the rising tides of juvenile delinquency in our country endangers the lives, property, and future of our young.
For example, records of crime reported by the Lagos state police command in 1989 revealed that juveniles aged thirteen (13) to twenty one (21) were accountable for adult crimes. In 1989, 13,782 of the 26,259 offences committed were perpetrated by juveniles. Such criminality includes shoplifting, drug usage, fighting, raping, and stealing, among other things.
According to a similar assessment, almost 23,000 of the 43,000 offenders serving in various Nigerian prisons in 1989 were between the ages of thirteen (13) and twenty-five (25) years. As a result, the purpose of this research is to investigate the nature, consequences, and scope of juvenile delinquency in Nigeria among our young.
1.3 Research Questions
This study was guided by the following research questions:
1. What motivates juvenile delinquent behaviour?
2. Why do juvenile offenders continue to commit crimes after they have been penalised or sanctioned?
3. How can the Nigerian government enhance or educate children and youth about crime?
4. What are the negative consequences of delinquency or crime for individuals and society as a whole?
1.4 The Study’s Objective
The following is the study’s goal:
1. Determine the extent to which juveniles participate in delinquent behaviour.
2. Determine the extent to which juvenile offenders continue to commit crimes after being penalised or sanctioned.
3. Determine what the Nigerian government has to do to better or teach juveniles about crime.
4. To assess the harmful effects of crime on individuals and society as a whole.
1.5 Importance of the Research
The research investigates the causes and consequences of adolescent delinquency in Nigeria. In all implications, the study does not assert that all Nigerian juveniles are criminals, perpetrators, or lawbreakers.
The research is extremely valuable to learning and development processes, and it assists our kids in being aware of and avoiding factors that may lead to criminal behaviour. The study will also help parents, guidance counsellors, sponsors, and others understand what they need to do to keep their children from engaging in so-called delinquent behaviour.
The study goes a long way towards releasing what our government needs to do in order to educate our youth and keep them from committing future delinquent behaviours. In conclusion, this study is crucial because it aims to discover the extent to which juveniles commit crime, why they remain in delinquent behaviour, and the consequences of their delinquent behaviour on themselves and society at large.
1.6 Terms Definition
Nature is defined as a person’s or an animal’s typical behaviour that is part of their personality.
The term “consequence” simply refers to the outcome of an event.
A juvenile is someone who has reached the age of 14 but is under the age of 17. That is a young person who is not yet an adult, according to the Oxford English Dictionary.
Delinquent: A person who deviates from or violates the prescribed legislation that governs a country’s or society’s code of conduct.
Andy (1960:30) described juvenile delinquency as any social deviation by a youth from societal norms that resulted in contact with law enforcement officials. It is an act committed by a young person that violates the law of the country or society in question.
Burglary is defined as the illegal entry and theft of property from a building.
Robbery is described as the theft of money or items from a bank, shop/store, person, or other location, typically with the use of violence or threat.
Rape: This is simply the crime of compelling someone to have intercourse with him or her, particularly via the use of threat or violence.
Homicide is simply the intentional killing of another person.
Stealing: The act of taking anything from someone’s shop/store, etc. without permission and with no intention of returning it or paying for it.
Truancy simply refers to the practise of missing school without authorization. Juvenile delinquency is a crime.
Disobedience is described as failing or refusing to obey what a person, law, or order instructs.
Kleptomanism is basically a mental condition in which someone has a strong desire to steal things that they are unable to control. It is frequent among children.
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