Statement of the Problem

What factors influence youths of my Community to turn to juvenile delinquency?

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Method of Investigation

The method I have decided to use is the printing of questionnaires.

It is less time consuming. It is not done to judge or condemn anyone.

It is guaranteed to be confidential. It can be done at a person’s convenience.

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My Reason for choosing Juvenile Delinquency

What is juvenile Delinquency? It is the illegal behaviour by adolescents under the age of 18 years old.

Who is a Juvenile Delinquent?

A juvenile delinquent is one who repeatedly commits crime and is always getting into trouble and doing criminal activities.

My reason for choosing this topic was because I saw how increasingly high they

are in my community.

In my community, there have been petty robberies, fights developing, shops being opened thus causing teenagers of different age to swarm by who engage in

smoking, drinking and the use of expletives.

I became very curious to find out what was the cause of Juvenile Delinquency. What their problems were? The reason they choose this way as an escape to hide away from their problem?

Most teenagers have problems at home with parents and themselves. And so just to

relieve that stress and feeling they find something to occupy their time, which may be something illegal.

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Introduction

Goodwill is a small community located in St James. I have been a resident in my

community for the past sixteen years; during this time I have observed that there has been an increase of juvenile delinquency in the community.

Therefore I have decided to conduct a survey and investigate my community thoroughly with regards to the level of juvenile delinquency.

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Questionnaire

This is a survey carried out to determine the factors that contribute to juvenile

delinquency. This study is being conducted as a S.B.A assignment for Social Studies coarse I am pursuing.

1. Gender Male {} Female {}

2. How old are you?

11-13 {} 14-16 {}

17-19 {}

3. Do you still attend school? Yes {} No {}

4. How long have you been living in the community? 1-5yrs {}

6-10yrs {} Over 10 yrs {} Under 1 yrs {}

5. Who do you reside with? Parents {}

Grandparents {} Peers {}

Others {}

6. Are you involved in any clubs in your community?

Yes {}

No {} If yes please specify_______________________________________

7. What sporting activity in your community are u involved in? Football {}

Netball {} Specify_______________________________________________

8. Have u ever been engage in illegal activities?

Yes {} No {}

If yes please specify and say why? _________________________________________________________

9. Do your siblings treat you to become a juvenile delinquent? Yes {}

No {}

10. What were the reasons for you to become a juvenile delinquent? Influence by peers {}

Lack of love and affection {} Dysfunctional family {}

Sibling’s family {}

11. Are you involved in any sexual activities?

Yes {} No {}

If yes what influenced you to engage in this activity?

12. Do you use or abuse drugs?

Yes {} No {}

If yes please specify which drug _____________________

13. Do you find that when you use or abuse drugs you are likely to engage in

illegal activities? Yes {}

No {}

14. Have you ever been arrested by the police?

Yes {} No {}

If yes under what circumstances, please specify

15. Have you ever tried seeking counselling? Yes {}

No {}

16. If yes where did you go?

Church {} Family Court {}

Police station {} Others____________________________

17. Do you think that a youth Centre or a Skilled Training Facility would help

you? Yes {}

No {}

18. Have you ever been abused?

Physically {} Emotionally {}

Mentally {} All of the above {}

Acknowledgement

With the successful completion of this research it would not have been possible. Without the assistance and the cooperation of the number of the juvenile

Delinquents in my community. I would like to thank the Juvenile delinquents that were so excited on helping me to attain the necessary information I needed to

complete my research.

I want to say a big thank you to my family members who gave me their support and compelled me to take on this task. I also want to say thanks to my mother

Charmaine who gave me the encouragement to complete this project because if it wasn’t for her this project wouldn’t be completed.

Last but not least, I want to say thank you to the everlasting father for letting me live to see another day so that I would be able to complete this project, with his

help and guidance it was successful.

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Instrument Used To Collect Data

Copy of the Questionnaire

Survey of Juvenile Delinquency in my community

Dear Residents This survey is being carried out in my community to determine the level of

juvenile delinquency and ways in which it can be controlled. This is a study which is being conducted as an assignment for a social studies course which I am pursuing.

You are advised to answer the following questions as honestly and directly as you can. Since you were not asked to write your names, no one will

know what answers you have written. Let me reassure you that this is not a test; there are no wrong or right answers. At the end of every answer of each question

there is a blank box {} like this which is designed there for you.

Thank you for your cooperation

Yours Sincerely A. Green

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Research Questions

1. What effect does being a Juvenile Delinquent has on an individual?

2. What are the causes of Juvenile Delinquency? 3. What are the dangers that a Juvenile Delinquent has on the Community?

4

Presentation and Explanation of Data

A total of 14 questionnaires were distributed to the juvenile delinquents in my

community, out of which 10 were returned of these respondents 70% were males and 30% were females.

Figure 1 pie chart: Percentage Distribution of juvenile delinquents in the Community

Pie chart shows the percentage of Juvenile Delinquents who returned back

questionnaires, which were distributed to them. Most of which were males 7% and a low percentage which showed females 3%.

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70%

30%

males

females

Statistical table showing the age groups of Juvenile Delinquents

Age Percentage

11 - 13 yrs 10%

14 - 16 yrs 35%

17 - 19 yrs 55 %

Table 1 show that the age group of 17 – 19 yrs were the most juvenile delinquents found in the community. The rest of the age groups of juvenile delinquents showed

lower percentages, which explains that the uproar of community violence is caused by the older age group.

Figure 2 Bar Graph: Statistical Table showing the age group of Juvenile

Delinquents

Bar Graph shows the percentage of the age groups of juvenile delinquents found in the Community.

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0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

Age cohorts 11-13yrs 14-16yrs 17-19yrs

Interpretation Data

This survey was shown:

That the family did not play a major role in their Delinquent’s life, this left the

Delinquents no alternatives but to live and do things on their own, which involves the use of drugs (25%), Engaging in illegal activities (15%), and (85%) drop outs.

The use of drugs such as Alcohol was a popular choice for Delinquents. As 60% of the delinquents claim statistical, and 25% indicated that marijuana was preferred

being used. This preferred choice however created another problem 50% of delinquents became targets by the police which led them into being arrested,

however in other cases the delinquents steal in order to fulfil their cravings which we mentioned earlier.

The majority of delinquents were males (25 %|) and females were the least amount

of (15%). Since in most cases delinquent are driven from their homes because of bad behaviour and pressure, it is logical to assume that about 100% of delinquents

end up being a Drug Addict or they may sometimes change from their immoral behaviours.

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Findings

The survey has shown that there were a number of things that led to juveniles becoming delinquents.

1) Families did not play their role as parents/guardians in the life of their

child/children. They provided no moral support, and this has forced some delinquents to develop a low self esteem, which showed that about 70%

were mostly males

2) A majority of delinquents when use or abuse drugs find that they indulge in illegal activities

3) 90% of both delinquents and residents preferred that a community youth

centre, should be elected, as this would somehow lower the level of juvenile

delinquency in the community.

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Recommendation

The importance of having a crime free environment starts from ones home, in

raising a child. It is most likely for one to allow the child to develop self esteem and create a healthy and loving atmosphere.

The most important recommendation is assessing the friends that one’s child is

keeping, this is very important as it can lead to a number of things mentioned earlier, in one of my data.

Residents should also report any unlicensed shop owner who sells alcohol and other illegal products to minors. Residents in the community can further play a

part, by engaging in community projects among delinquents and doing positive such as, beautifying the community and develop a counselling session for the

delinquents, in the community. This will show them that someone cares and is willing to help and support them.

The local government should also be notified, so that they can develop programs

for delinquents, so that when they drop out of school they will have somewhere to go and train to become skilled labourers in the working world

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Letter to Respondents

Goodwill District

Chatham P.A St James, July 9, 2015

Dear Sir/ Madam,

How are you doing? My name is Aljay Green, I am currently doing a Social Studies assignment on the factors that contribute to juvenile delinquency in the

community, In order to get the information I needed to complete this assignment, I’m hereby giving out questionnaires to the juvenile delinquents in the community,

in which they will answer the following questions on the questionnaire and that will help me in further guiding me in doing my assignments.

This letter is for in case the delinquent in whom I chose from your family is absent, then am asking you the family member to take the place of the delinquent

in space of their absent and answer the following questions on the questionnaire. When answering the questions, there is no need for any identity. It will help me so much in finishing this assignment with the right information. Thank you so much

for your cooperation, it means so much to me

Yours truly Aljay green.

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Ways in which delinquents try to seek counselling

Table 2 shows a small amount of delinquents trying to seek counselling by attending sessions at the family court, while 10% took the time to attend church to

talk with a pastor. My observation conclude that only 2% went to the police station, the delinquents believe that the police would listen and then build up a case

against them, so must delinquents prefer to solve their problems on their own.

Pie Chart: Counselling Services Used By Delinquents

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10%

5%

2%

5%

Church

Family Court

Police Station

Others

Table showing the percentage of delinquents who engaged in illegal activities after taking drugs.

Activities that delinquents are engaged in Percentage

Robbery with violence 19%

Wounding 20%

Writing of graphite on walls 40%

Stealing 15%

others 5%

Table 3 shows that the taking of drugs has a lot of influence on an delinquent, it breaks down their self esteem and their values and causes them to engage in

activities that do not only affect themselves but also affect other individuals in the community. The table above gives us a detail explanation of what occurs.

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Table showing the sporting activities done by juvenile

Sporting Activities Percentages

Football 45%

Basketball 25%

Cricket 35%

Netball 15%

Others 5%

Table 4 shows that during the spare time of a delinquent, in the days they sometimes engage in sporting activities of their interest, which indicates that with

so much adequate time they are likely engaged in an illegal activity.

Figure 4 Pie Chart: Sporting activities done by Juveniles

Pie Chart shows the sporting activities and there percentages in which the Juvenile Delinquents engage in during their spare time.

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45%

25%

35%

15%

5%

football

Basketall

Cricket

Netball

others

Procedures used to collect data

A total of 14 questionnaires were printed for distribution to Juvenile Delinquents in my community. It was estimated that at least 7 of these will be returned, I then

decided to choose respondents in my community according to those who I know, which helped me to research the requirements been mentioned above. The

delinquents were filled in briefly with instructions once more. Some attempted to answer questions while others decided to do their questions at their own

convenience.

In instances where delinquents could not be found, I wrote a letter asking a member of the family to be the respondent in space of the Delinquent, as well as

the family member had to be a Juvenile him/herself in order to answer the following on the questionnaire.

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Social Studies

S.B.A

Name of Candidate: Aljay green

School: Muschett High school Centre :

Candidate :

Teacher: Miss Jack

Table of Content

Page

Acknowledgement..................................................................................................i

Introduction.............................................................................................................ii

Statement of problem...............................................................................................1

Method of Investigation...........................................................................................2

Reason for choosing topic........................................................................................3

Research Questions..................................................................................................4

Instrument used to collect Data................................................................................5

Procedures used to collect Data................................................................................6

Presentation and explanation of Data...................................................................7-11

Letter of Respondents..............................................................................................12

Interpretation of Data........................................................................................... ....13 Findings...................................................................................................................14

Recommendations..................................................................... ..............................15

Appendix ................................................................................................................16

Copy of questionnaire

Appendix