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1

COMMON FACTORS OF JUVENILE DELINQUENT ACTS

Dr. Anna C. Bocar

Corresponding Authors * Marde P. Mercado

*Junry R. Macahis

*Neil S. Serad

CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE

INTRODUCTION

Rationale of the Study

The foundation of a nation begins with the education of the children since they are

considered one of the most important assets of the nation. Every effort should be made to

promote their welfare and enhance their opportunities for useful and happy life. The

molding of the child’s character starts at the home. Consequently, every member of the

family should strive to make the home a wholesome and harmonious place as its

atmosphere and conditions will greatly influence the child’s development (Villanueva,

2006).

Crime happens anywhere in this world and it excuses no one, whether rich or

poor, adults to youths and juveniles. The general public sees criminals as gruesome

adults. But increasing number of youth getting involved in criminal activities alarms the

society as a whole (“Juvenile Delinquency”, 2009).

Common felonious activities like riots, theft, robbery, carnapping, murder,

homicide, rape, and others are committed by young adults and even mature persons, but

through these days the youth are involved in most of these crimes (“Juvenile

Delinquency”, 2009). This issue is not as big as the economic crisis the society is

experiencing right now; however, this has always been a perennial issue to the

community and to the country as a whole.

According to Villanueva (2006), juvenile delinquency refers to an anti-social act

or a child/minor/youth’s behavior which deviates from the normal pattern of rules and

regulations, custom and culture which the society does not accept.

The prevention of juvenile delinquency is an essential part of crime prevention in

society. Guevara and Bautista (2008) quoted that, “an ounce of prevention is better than a

pound of cure”, this clearly manifests the importance of misbehavior deterrence among

the youth.

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2

The peace officers in the country are concerned with all types of youth in a

community but the major portion of work with the youth is more on delinquency and

prevention activities. The youth apprehended by peace officers after the commission of a

crime are directly turned over to the City Social Welfare Development Office since they

are considered as a minor and are not criminally liable. They are under the protection of

Republic Act (R.A) 9344 otherwise known as Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006.

The figures from the Philippine National Police showed a total of 2,158 cases

involving underage offenders which were reported to the PNP Women and Children

Protection Center. Half of them have theft cases committed from January to December of

2008. Crimes involving minors rose by 18%. Cases of drug use also rose from 113 in

2007 to 145 in 2008. This means that there is an increase at about 28% (Quismundo,

2009).

According to Laudie Salud A. Raras, Officer-in-charge from Ozamiz City Social

Welfare Development office, that from the year 2007 – 2011 there is a decrease of

reported cases involving the children-in-conflict with the law. The gathered data show

that most of the time majority of the child-in-conflict with the law are males while the

females as law breaker occupy lesser in number. It can be noticed also on the information

obtained that though cases of breaking the law was reported to the office responsible on

the issue regarding the youth, there were only very few formal suit filed against them and

sometimes there is even no case filed. This means that the other offended party is not

interested in filing a case in the proper court to prosecute the youth offenders (Appendix

F).

In order that the youth would become productive elements of the society, they

must be reminded that they have committed mistakes so that the expected reformation

follows. In the cases where there is commission or omission of an act which are criminal

in nature, the arresting officer is duty bound to file the appropriate complaint since there

acts are considered in violation against the state and the people of the Philippines in

which they are deemed to be the representative.

The researchers are future police officers. They will assist persons in authority

and it is possible that they will become arresting officers that will enforce the law. Their

knowledge of the different predictors of juvenile delinquent acts plays significant role.

This will aid them to determine which of the predictors are the common causes of

juvenile delinquent acts as perceived by their respondents. This will serve as their guide

on how to deal with youth that are into delinquent acts and to establish good relationship.

Thus, this study was conducted.

Review of Related Literature

Hossain (2011) claims that juvenile delinquency is almost an outcome of rapid

urbanization and industrialization and has almost become a universal problem in most of

the industrialized countries. No single cause or simple explanation for the development of

delinquent behavior but there are different causes of delinquency namely: family aspect

of delinquency, physical and biological factor.

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An online article entitled Juvenile Delinquency (2009) exposes that “ A youth, for

the sake of being a part of something that could protect him will join a gang and throw

chaos to the society that reject him; a youth, who just wants to prove something will be a

rebel to his family; a youth, who just wants to escape from his miserable life will do

foolish crimes; and innocent youth yet dangerous; a naïve youth yet mature; a youth

supposed to study at school, expected to be the next leader, an asset turned liability of our

society”.

In addition, another article “Juvenile Delinquency”, (2003) finds that children

who receive adequate parental supervision are less likely to engage in criminal activities.

On the other hand, dysfunctional family settings characterized by conflict, inadequate

parental control, weak internal linkages and integration and premature autonomy are

closely associated with juvenile delinquency. Further, the article elaborates that families

involved in criminal activities tend to push their younger members towards violating the

law. More than two-thirds of those interviewed had relatives who were incarcerated; 25%

was a father and another 25% a brother or sister.

According to Green (2005), the social-science evidence points strongly to the

influence of parents as the chief underlying cause of juvenile crime. A recent survey

found that criminal parents are much more likely to raise criminal offspring; 43% of

prisoners had family members who had been convicted and 35% had a family member

who had been in jail.

The harsh and abusive rearing of the child also contributes to the development of

violent behavior. Maltreated children tend to commit more crime in adulthood compared

to non-maltreated children (Honkatukia & Kivivuori, 2006).

Moreover, Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act (R.A. 9344, Sec.4, 2006) stated

“child/youth refers to any person under the age of eighteen (18)”. This act deals with

children at risk and children in conflict with the law. This provides child-appropriate

proceeding, including programs and services for prevention, diversion, rehabilitation, re-

integration and aftercare to ensure their normal growth and development. Furthermore, in

Sec.6 of this Act states that “a child 15 years old or under at the commission of the

offense shall be exempted from criminal liability. A child above 15 years but below 18

years old is likewise exempted from criminal liability but be subjected to an intervention

program”.

The National Institute of Justice (2005) reports that offenders age 13 and under

are more likely to commit crimes in pairs and groups than 16 and 17 year old offenders.

About 40% of juvenile offenders commit most of their crimes with others. When young

offenders affiliate with offenders who have previously used violence, the result appears

to be an increase in the likelihood that they will subsequently commit a violent crime.

Becroft (2009) has find out that association with anti-social peers become a

training ground for delinquent behavior and increases the chance of the youth to become

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delinquent. A juvenile gang member considers his group as his family, such associations,

an individual acquires a sense of safety and security (“Juvenile, Delinquency,” 2003).

On the other hand, The National Academies Press (2000) claims that student’s

commitment to school and learning contributes to their academic success. However,

schools operate in a complex social context characterized in many instances by limited

resources. Schools in urban, poor, disorganized communities experience more disorder

than other schools. The availability of drugs, alcohol, or weapons, weak or inattentive

school leadership and poor administration of discipline correlate with school disorder and

a school’s inability to cope with and solve the problem.

On the other hand, Montaldo (1999) finds an analysis from the Federal Bureau of

Investigation’s National Incident-Based Reporting System data that from 1997-1998 19

% of the victims of nonfatal violent crimes were victimized by a juvenile offender, either

a juvenile acting alone, multiple juvenile, or juvenile and adult offenders acting together.

About two-thirds (62%) of the victims of nonfatal violence committed by juvenile

offenders were themselves younger than 18, and about one-third (38%) were adults. Most

(95%) of the victims of sexual assaults committed by juveniles were younger than 18, as

were 43% of victims of robberies by juveniles, 53% of aggravated assaults, and 61% of

simple assaults.

In the report released by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse

(CASA) at Columbia University (2010), four of every five children and teen arrestees in

state juvenile justice system are under the influence of alcohol or drugs while committing

their crimes. In their five year study of Criminal Neglect: Substance Abuse, Juvenile

Justice and The Children Left Behind, they have found that 1.9 million of 2.4 million

juvenile arrests had substance abused and addiction involvement. The findings include

that 92% of arrested juveniles who tested positive for marijuana and 14.4% for cocaine.

The report revealed that drug and alcohol abuse is implicated in 64% of violent offenses,

72% of property offenses and 81% of assaults, vandalism and disorderly conduct.

On the other hand, prohibited drugs are only one of the factors that may influence

the youth’s behavior since Roberts, Christenson, and Gentile (2003), found a positive

correlation between amount of MTV (music television) watching and physical fights

among third to fifth-grade children (as cited in Anderson et al., 2003).

In the article of Soriano (2001), she stipulates that theft and robbery are crimes

against property were most of the crimes today are done by minors. This indicates that

economic difficulties drive them into criminal activities. She further adds that the major

factor that pushes the youth towards delinquency is poverty together with family conflict

and negative peer influence.

In the Philippines, Verwijs (2002) finds that in the final years of the Marcos era,

crime became hardened in the street. Delinquent youth doubled from 3,814 in 1987 to 6,

778 in 1989. The majority (59.1%) apprehended were between 17 and 21 years old, while

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another 31.8% were between 13 and 16 years old. This situation is based on data given by

the Department of Social Welfare.

Theoretical Background

Juvenile delinquency refers to the anti-social act or behavior which is against the

norm, culture, customs and regulations of the society and is committed by the youths

(Guevara and Bautista, 2008).

According to Villanueva (2006), “Juvenile delinquency is a major problem that a

society suffers from and will continue to suffer until there is a significant social and

economic change taking place”.

Ngale (2009) emphasizes that “monitoring becomes increasingly important as

children move into adolescence and spend less time under the direct supervision of

parents or other adults and more time with peer.” Smith, Tolan, Loeber & Henry (1998)

find that parental conflict and paternal aggressiveness predicted violent offending,

whereas, lack of maternal affection and paternal criminality predicted involvement in

property crimes.

In addition Ngale (2009) says that “juvenile delinquent acts are the direct

consequences of their family’s economic disempowerment, permissive parenting style,

and parent’s heavy job-time overload”. Moreover, Ngale (2009) reveals that in the

absence of moral, psychological and financial viability at home, the children are forced to

seek to “survive” beyond the family context. Juvenile delinquency in this case is an

escape from a family system which is neither empowered nor empowering.

Villanueva (2006) declares the four factors that contribute on juvenile

delinquency. These four factors are:

Family. The first and most basic institution in the society where the child learns

to curb his desires and to accept rules that define the time, place and circumstance.

Child’s personal needs are satisfied in a socially acceptable manner in the family.

However, the child tends to become delinquent as influence by his/her own family due to

(1) faulty development of the child, (2) lack of parental guidance/monitoring, (3) lack of

maternal affection, (4) unfair treatment, and (5) parental rejection and broken home.

Environment. This is where the child is influenced after his/her first highly

formative years. His/her friends in the community may influence him/her to become

delinquent. Eventually, he/she becomes victim of his/her own environment, attitude,

dress, tastes, ambitions, and even behavior which have been already influenced by those

anti-social acts recognized in their environment. Some of the causes are, (1) associations

with criminal groups, (2) alcoholism and drug addiction, (3) crime inducing situation that

causes criminalistics tendencies, and (4) imitated instinct like selfishness, violence and

anti-social wishes.

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School. Unlike the family, the school is the public instrument for training young

people. Therefore, schools are more directly accessible to change the youth through the

development of new resources and policies. Schools are the principal institutions for

developing young people to the goals and values of society. The failure of the school in

character development of the children is one of the instances that the school will

contribute to juvenile delinquency. In addition, the use of methods that create the

conditions of failure or frustrations on the part of the students, truancy and lack of

facilities for curricular and extra-curricular activities are also some of the instances that

caused juvenile delinquency.

Other departments or agencies of the government. They also create factors that

influence the youth to become delinquent, such as: (1) political interference of the higher

positions, (2) unfair decisions of the court, (3) police carelessness and unfair treatment,

(4) influence from the newspapers, movies, t.v, radio, comic, and other magazines.

The causes of juvenile crimes are usually found at each level of social culture,

including society as a whole, social institution, groups and organization and interpersonal

relations. Juveniles’ choice of delinquent activities is triggered by different factors like:

economic and social factors, cultural factors, urbanization, family, media, exclusion, and

peer influence (“Juvenile Delinquency”, 2003).

THE PROBLEM

Statement of the Problem

This paper aimed to investigate the perception of the respondents on the factors of

juvenile delinquent acts. Specifically, it sought to answer the following questions:

1. What is the profile of the respondents as regards their:

1.1 grouping

2. As manifested by the respondents which of the factors of juvenile delinquency namely:

family, environment, school, and other departments or agencies of the government

2.1 push the youth or juvenile to engage in delinquent acts at all times

2.2 never push the youth or juvenile to engage in delinquent acts?

Scope and Limitation

The researchers limited their investigation to the perception of the respondents on

the factors that push the youth to engage in delinquent acts. This study was conducted in

Barangay Maningcol, Carmen Annex and Tinago. The parents (50), full time teachers

(77), students (50) from La Salle University were selected randomly. Police officers (50)

from Ozamiz City Police Station located at the City Hall were also taken as respondents

of this study.

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Significance of the Study

This study is helpful to the following groups of people: Parents. The result of this

study would be of great help for them so that they would be aware of what leads the

juvenile/youth to become delinquent. This would lead them to supplement the necessary

affection, guidance, monitoring and other needs of the child that they should provide.

Police Officers. They would gain knowledge on what leads the youth to engage in

delinquent acts and be guided in conducting seminars or symposium for public awareness

regarding Juvenile Delinquency as part of their Police Community Relation program.

With the result of this study, law enforcers would be able to deal with prudence not only

the symptoms of criminal acts but also their causes. Local Government. Through this

study, they would be guided in formulating prevention programs designed to address the

issue of juvenile delinquency for which the local government may be of great help in

reducing the cases involving minors. Social Workers. This would serve as a guide for

them in dealing with youth offenders, specifically in counseling and giving them

treatment in order to redirect their minds not to commit crimes. Teachers/Criminology

Professors. They would be able to identify on what causes the youth to become

delinquent and through this study they could extend more guidance not only to their

students but also to their family members and relatives to avoid doing delinquent acts.

Department of Criminal Justice Education. This would serve as a supplement and

would aid the department to resolve matters and issues that deal with juvenile

delinquency. Other Researchers. This study would become a good reference for further

research and would encourage them to examine deeper on the issues which are related to

this study.

CHAPTER 2

METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the research design of the study, respondents, environment,

instrument, data gathering procedure and statistical treatment of data.

Research Design

This study utilized descriptive survey method. The researchers solicited the

perception of the respondents on the predictors that push the youth/juvenile to engage in

delinquent acts.

Research Respondents

The respondents of this study were the fifty (50) Police Officers, seventy seven

(77) full time teachers, fifty (50) students of La Salle University 1st semester of the SY

2012-2013 and fifty (50) parents, chosen through random selection. All of them are from

the City of Ozamiz.

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Research Setting

Ozamiz is a second class city found in the province of Misamis Occidental in

Region X Northern Mindanao. The parents, as respondents of this study, were selected

from Barangay Maningcol, Carmen Annex, and Tinago. Barangay Maningcol is found on

the southern part of the city and composed of 483.60 hectares, with a population of 7,

217. Carmen Annex on the other hand is found along the Panguil Bay and composed of

247.61 hectares and 6,282 in population. Barangay Tinago is also found along the

Panguil Bay and composed of 31.96 hectares and 9, 668 in population (Philippine

Standard Geographic Code, 2012). These barangays were chosen by the researchers since

they are accessible to them. On the other hand, La Salle University, one of the prestigious

schools in the city, was the venue where the study was conducted. All full time teachers

from the institution as well as the selected students were also the respondents of the

study.

Research Instrument

The self-devised questionnaire on the factors of juvenile delinquent acts with their

predictors was sourced out from the book of Villanueva (2006) and Ngale (2009). They

were utilized as the main tools to gather the data. The research instrument was divided

into two (2) parts. The first part was about the grouping of the respondents ( mentioned at

the respondents section). While the second part was on the predictors of the four factors

of juvenile delinquent acts which were listed as follows:

(1) Family

1.1 Parental Conflict/Conflict between the parents

1.2 Parental aggressiveness

1.3 Coercive parenting

1.4 Permissive parenting style

1.5 Paternal criminality

1.6 Lack of parental guidance

1.7 Lack of maternal affection

1.8 Insufficient parental monitoring

1.9 Parents heavy job-time overload

1.10 Jobless mother

1.11 Low socio economic status of working fathers

1.12 Violence in the family

(2) Environment

2.1 Deviant peer’s influence

2.2 Drug addiction

2.3 Sadistic attitude

2.4 Late night – outings

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(3) School

3.1 Running from school

3.2 Failure of school in character development

3.3 Failure of school to use methods that avoid conditions of frustrations

3.4 Lack of school facilities for curricular and extra-curricular activities

(4) Other departments or agencies of government

4.1 Police carelessness and unfair treatment

4.2 Political Interference

4.3 Unfair decisions of the court

4.4 Influence from mass media (t.v, magazines, comic, newspaper & etc)

The respondents were asked to check their preferred answers from the scale of

measurement provided by the researchers. To ensure the responses of the parents from

the selected barangays, the predictors listed in the survey questionnaire were translated to

Cebuano for the respondents to have a clarity and better understanding in answering the

questions.

Data Gathering Procedure

In this study the researchers wrote and delivered a letter of permission addressed

to the Chief of Ozamiz City Philippine National Police requesting that they would be

allowed to administer a survey questionnaire to the 50 selected police officers in the city.

For the selected parents, the researchers requested the help of the Health Workers in each

selected barangay to aid them in gathering the data. For the LSU teachers and students,

survey questionnaires were directly administered to them. The answered questionnaires

were collected then. Each item was tallied, tabulated, analyzed and interpreted.

Treatment of Data

For interpretation purposes on the gathered data, the researchers set the scale of

measurement as follows:

Numeric

Value

Hypothetical

Mean Range

Qualitative

Description

Verbal Interpretation

1 1.0-1.75 Never (N) - means that this predictor

not at all pushes the youth

to engage in delinquent

acts.

2 1.76-2.50 Occasionally (Occ) - means that this predictor

sometimes pushes the

youth to engage in

delinquent acts.

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3 2.51-3.25 Often (Oft) - means that this predictor

frequently pushes the youth

to engage in delinquent

acts.

4 3.26-4.00 Always (A) - means that this predictor

is at all times pushes the

youth to engage in

delinquent acts.

Percentage and frequency distribution were also utilized in this study while the

answers of the respondents for every item in the predictors would be interpreted using the

weighted mean with corresponding hypothetical mean range presented above.

CHAPTER 3

PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

This chapter presents, analyzes and interprets the data collected. The data

pertained the profile of the respondents according to group where they belong and the

predictors of each factor of delinquent acts that pushed the youth to engage in breaking

the law.

Respondents

Table 1 below shows that among the respondents, seventy seven (77) of them

were teachers and the members of the police force, students and parents were of equal in

number which is fifty (50).

Table 1

Grouping of the Respondents

Grouping f %

Police Officers 50 0.22

Teachers 77 0.34

Parents 50 0.22

Students 50 0.22

Total 227 100

The cooperation of the members of the police force, teachers, students, and

parents gave the total number of respondents to two hundred twenty seven (227).

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Family

According to Villanueva (2006) family is the first and most basic institution. It is

where the child learns not only the basic aspects in life but also those matters that will

help them grow as a good citizen in the country.

The table 2 reveals the predictors as regards the family as a factor of juvenile

delinquent acts.

Table 2

Family as Factor of Juvenile Delinquent Acts

Predictors

Police

Officer

Teachers

Students

Parents

Item

Average

µ INT µ INT µ INT µ IN

T

µ IN

T

1. Parental

Conflict/Conflict

between the

parents

3.40

A

2.64

Oft

2.36

Occ

2.44

Occ

2.71

Oft

2.Parental

aggressiveness 3.30 A 2.33

Occ 2.26 Occ 2.78 Oft 2.67 Oft

3. Coercive

parenting

3.12 Oft 2.51

Oft 1.92 Occ 2.70 Oft 2.56 Oft

4. Permissive

parenting style

3.04 Oft 2.38

Occ 2.20 Occ 2.00 Occ 2.40 Occ

5. Paternal

criminality

3.06 Oft 2.40

Occ 1.76 Occ 1.68 N 2.22 Occ

6. Lack of parental

guidance

3.22 Oft 2.53

Oft 1.84 Occ 2.08 Occ 2.42 Occ

7. Lack of maternal

affection

3.00 Oft 2.64 Oft 1.78 Occ 2.20 Occ 2.41 Occ

8. Insufficient

parental monitoring

2.88 Oft 2.73 Oft 2.00 Occ 2.10 Occ 2.43 Occ

9. Parents heavy

job-time overload

2.68 Oft 2.34 Occ 2.28 Occ 2.54 Oft 2.88 Oft

10. Jobless mother 2.36 Occ 1.70

N 1.78 Occ 2.74 Oft 2.15 Occ

11. Low socio

economic status of

working fathers

2.58

Oft

2.03

Occ

1.94

Occ

2.76

Oft

2.33

Occ

12. Violence in the

family

2.98 Oft 2.75

Oft 1.88 Occ 1.94 Occ 2.39 Occ

Factor Average 2.97 Oft 2.42 Occ 2.00 Occ 2.33 Occ 2.46 Occ Legend:

Never - N µ - Weighted Mean

Occasionally - Occ INT - Interpretation

Often - Oft

Always - A

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The factor average showed that three (3) of the four (4) groups of respondents

namely teachers (µ=2.42), students (µ=2.00) and parents (µ=2.33) perceived that family

as a factor of delinquent acts, pushes the youth occasionally (sometimes) to engage in

misbehavior. The perception of the teachers, students and parents agreed with the

statement mentioned in the article entitled, “Juvenile Delinquency”, (2003) which states

that children who receive adequate parental supervision are less likely to engage in

criminal activities. However, police officers identified that parental conflict (µ=3.40) and

aggressiveness (µ=3.30) always push the youth to commit delinquent acts. Their

perception revealed that family often (frequently) set the motion on the youth to commit

wrong doing. This suggests that their observation is in contrary to the above idea.

Moreover, parents (µ=1.68) and teachers (µ=1.70) believed that paternal

criminality and jobless mother are never (not at all) a ground that pushes the youth to

break the law, respectively.

Environment

The first high formative years of the children could be influenced also by their

peers and associates.

Table 3 reveals that students (µ=2.12) and parents (µ=2.21) recognized that

environment as factor of juvenile delinquent acts pushes the youth occasionally

(sometimes) to break the law. However, teachers (µ=2.69) and police officers (µ=3.08)

perceived that environment often (frequently) drives the youth to misbehave and commit

criminal acts.

Table 3

Environment as Factor of Juvenile Delinquency Acts

Predictors

Police

Officers

Teachers

Students

Parents

Item Average

µ

INT

µ

INT

µ

INT

µ

INT

µ

INT

1. Deviant peers

influence

3.02

Oft

2.77

Oft

2.28

Occ

2.24

Occ

2.58

Oft

2. Drug addiction 3.32 A 2.96 Oft 2.22 Occ 2.30 Occ 2.70 Oft

3. Sadistic attitude 3.00 Oft 2.58 Oft 2.02 Occ 2.12 Occ 2.43 Occ

4. Late night –

outings

2.96

Oft

2.43

Occ

1.94

Occ

2.16

Occ

2.37

Occ

Factor Average 3.08 Oft 2.69 Oft 2.12 Occ 2.21 Occ 2.54 Oft

Legend:

Never - N µ - Weighted Mean

Occasionally - Occ INT - Interpretation

Often - Oft

Always - A

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Specifically, the results showed that drug addiction (µ=3.32) was viewed by the

police officers as predictors that force the youth to commit crime always (at all times).

This confirms to the report released by the National Center on Addiction and Abuse

(2010), that juvenile under arrest is with the influence of alcohol or drugs while

committing the crime. On the other hand, teachers observed that late night-outings

(µ=2.43) push the youth occasionally (sometimes) to engage in delinquent acts.

School

Aside from the informal training of the youth from their parents, academic

institutions guide them through their formal education.

The Table 4 presents the items as regards school as factor of juvenile delinquent

acts. The result revealed that only the group of police officers (µ=2.39) identified that

school often (frequently) drives the youth to delinquency. The other three (3) groups of

respondents namely teachers (µ=2.11), students (µ=1.79) and parents (µ=1.94) observed

that school occasionally (sometimes) induces the youth to break the law.

Table 4

School as Factor of Juvenile Delinquency Acts

Predictors

Police

Officers

Teachers

Students

Parents

Item Average

µ

INT

µ

INT

µ

INT

µ

INT

µ

INT

1. Running from school 2.74 Oft 1.87 Occ 1.80 Occ 1.98 Occ 2.10 Occ

2. Failure of school in

character development

2.64

Oft

2.56

Oft

1.84

Occ

1.80

Occ

2.21

Occ

3. Failure of school to

use methods that avoid

conditions of

frustrations

2.28

Occ

2.05

Occ

1.72

N

1.68

N

1.93

Occ

4. Lack of school

facilities for curricular

and extra-curricular

activities

1.88

Occ

1.98

Occ

1.78

Occ

2.28

Occ

1.91

Occ

Factor Average 2.39 Oft 2.11 Occ 1.79 Occ 1.94 Occ 2.04 Occ

Legend:

Never - N µ - Weighted Mean

Occasionally - Occ INT - Interpretation

Often - Oft

Always - A

Specifically, students (µ=1.72) and parents (µ=1.68) considered that failure of

school to use methods that avoid conditions of frustrations as never or not at all the cause

of juvenile delinquency. This result is contrary to the claim of the National Academies

Press (2000) which states that schools in urban, or poor communities experience more

14

disorder than other schools and as such they are not able to solve the problem of the

students who are young at age.

Other Departments or Agencies of the Government

The other departments or agencies of the government could also factors that

influence the youth to become delinquent (“Juvenile Delinquency,” 2003).

Table 5

Other Department or Agencies of the Government as Factors

of Juvenile Delinquency Acts

Predictors

Police

Officers

Teachers

Students

Parents

Item Average

µ INT µ INT µ INT µ INT µ INT

1. Police carelessness

and unfair treatment

1.48 N 2.26 Occ 2.00 Occ 2.40 Occ 2.04 Occ

2. Political Interference 1.58 N 2.27 Occ 1.84 Occ 2.00 Occ 1.92 Occ

3. Unfair decisions of

the court

1.64 N 1.39 N 2.06 Occ 2.04 Occ 2.03 Occ

4. Influence from mass

media (t.v, magazines,

comic, newspaper &

etc)

2.30

Occ

3.01

Oft

2.66

Oft

2.92

Oft

2.72

Oft

Factor Average 1.75 N 2.23 Occ 2.14 Occ 2.34 Occ 2.18 Occ

Legend:

Never - N µ - Weighted Mean

Occasionally - Occ INT - Interpretation

Often - Oft

Always - A

The Table 5 above revealed that among the three (3) groups of respondents,

teachers (µ=2.23), students (µ=2.14) and parents (µ=2.34) believed that other department

or agencies of the government as a factor push the youth occasionally (sometimes) to

break the law. However police officers (µ=1.75) believed that it is never or not at all the

ground for the youth to commit crime. The police officers clearly identified that three (3)

of the four (4) predictors under this factor to push the youth to commit delinquent acts

namely police carelessness and unfair treatment, political interference and unfair

decisions of the court were never (not at all) the reasons for the youth to become

delinquent. For the police officers (µ=2.30), they perceived that only the mass media

occasionally (sometimes) influenced the commission of delinquent acts. Specifically, the

teachers (µ=3.01), students (µ=2.66), parents (µ=2.92) perceived that influence from

mass media drives the youth into delinquent acts often (frequently). In addition, as

manifested by the teachers (µ=1.39). This implies that the perception of the teachers

agrees to the statement of Roberts, Christenson, and Gentile (2003) that, children who

watched a lot of MTV (music television) were more relationally and physically

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aggressive than other children. Moreover, the unfair treatment of the court is never or not

at all the cause for delinquent acts.

Summarized Data

The Table 6 shows the summarized data on the factors of juvenile delinquent acts

as grouped into four (4) namely: family, environment, school, and other department or

agencies of the government.

Table 6

Summarized Data on the Factors of Juvenile Delinquent Acts

Items

Police

Officers

Teachers

Students

Parents

Factor

Average

µ

INT

µ

INT

µ

INT

µ

INT

µ

INT

1. Family 2.97 Oft 2.42 Occ 2.00 Occ 2.33 Occ 2.43 Occ

2. Environment 3.08 Oft 2.69 Oft 2.12 Occ 2.21 Occ 2.53 Oft

3. School 2.39 Oft 2.11 Occ 1.79 Occ 1.94 Occ 2.06 Occ

4. Other Departments

or Agencies of the

Government

1.75

N

2.23

Occ

2.14

Occ

2.34

Occ

2.12

Occ

General Average 2.55 Oft 2.36 Occ 2.02 Occ 2..21 Occ 2.29 Occ

Legend:

Never - N µ - Weighted Mean

Occasionally - Occ INT - Interpretation

Often - Oft

Always - A

As illustrated in Table 6, the general average (µ=2.55) of police officers perception

revealed that the four factors often (frequently) push the youth to break the law; however,

the perceptions of the two groups of respondents namely students (µ=2.02) and parents

(µ=2.21) as regards to the four factors that push the youth/juvenile to engage in

delinquent acts signified that these occasionally (sometimes) cause the juvenile to

commit crime.

Specifically, the teachers (µ=2.69) recognized that environmental factor is often

(frequently) the cause of juvenile delinquency. This confirms the statement of Becroft

(2009) that association with anti-social peers becomes a training ground for delinquent

behavior and increases the chance of the youth to become delinquent.

In addition, though both the students (µ=1.79) and parents (µ=1.94) both believed

that school is occasionally (sometimes) as a factor of juvenile delinquent acts still it is the

least factor that contributes to the law breaking acts of the youth.

It is also clear that other departments or agencies in the government were never

(µ=1.75) or not at all factors that push the youth to commit doings in violation of the law.

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CHAPTER 4

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

This chapter presents the summary of the findings, conclusion and

recommendations of the study.

The study looked into the four factors that contribute on juvenile delinquent acts

namely family, environment, school and other department or agencies of the government.

This investigated also which among the factors pushes at all times or never pushes the

youth to engage in law breaking activities. The two hundred twenty seven respondents’

perception was analyzed through the four qualitative description which are never,

occasionally, often or always for the cause of juvenile delinquent acts.

The researchers made questionnaire was used as the main tool to gather the data.

Statistically, the answers of the respondents for every survey questionnaire were

interpreted using the weighted mean with the corresponding hypothetical mean range. In

addition, percentage and frequency distribution were also utilized in this study.

Findings

The study revealed the following relevant findings:

1. The teachers, students and parents manifested that the family pushes the youth `to

commit delinquent acts OCCASIONALLY (sometimes). However, police officers

manifested that family pushes them OFTEN to become delinquent.

2. The environment was perceived by the police officers and teachers as a factor that

OFTEN (frequently) pushes the young ones to break the law. In addition, students and

parents demonstrated that environment would push the youth to commit wrong doings

OCCASIONALLY.

3. The school was found by the teachers, students and parents as a ground that

OCCASIONALLY pushes the youth to engage in the commission of acts against the law.

However, police officers believed that school is OFTEN (frequently) the factor that

pushes the youth to do erroneous acts.

4. Other departments or agencies of the government were judged by the police officer as

NEVER or not at all predictors that push the youth to commit crime. However, teachers,

students and parents said that they OCCASIONALLY (sometimes) push them to commit

such acts.

Conclusion

After analyzing the data gathered, the researchers concluded that the four groups

of respondents have different perceptions as to what factor pushes the youth to become

delinquent. It can be noted that none of the four factors pushes the youth always to break

the law. The environment is observed that it causes the youth to misbehave often

(frequently). In addition, the family and school occasionally (sometimes) cause the

juvenile to have conflict with law. Furthermore, among the four groups of respondents

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only the police officers manifested that other departments or agencies of the government

are never (not at all) factors for the youth to commit criminal acts while the three (3)

other groups of respondents declare that they it occasionally (sometimes) encourage the

commission of delinquent acts.

Recommendations

The recommendations that the researchers presented below are based on the

findings disclosed in the study. These are:

1. Parents should avoid quarreling in front of their children because it could lead

them to engage in delinquent acts. Also they must show love to their children

and must not inflict abusive disciplinary actions. The parents should be aware of

the activities that their children are into and they must also know who are the

friends of their children and what they do together.

2. Police officers shall maintain their police visibility throughout day and night so

that crimes could be prevented, especially when young people roam around the

street during late nights.

3. Local government should conduct prevention programs that will divert the

attention of the youth from engaging in delinquent acts to productive ones.

4. Social workers should create appropriate rehabilitation programs for the juvenile

offenders to redirect their minds and avoid the commission of any other crime.

5. Teachers/Professors must be creative in their teaching techniques so that the

students would become interested and attentive in their classes and they would

stay in school until classes end.

6. The Department of Criminal Justice Education should impart more knowledge to

the students on how to prevent juvenile delinquency and to impose routines or

procedures for the students to abide.

7. Future researchers must go deeper in this paper and conduct studies related to this

issue.

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