THE EFFECT OF FAMILY STRUCTURE ON RATES OF VIOLENT JUVENILE DELINQUENCY IN LAGOS STATE (A CASE STUDY OF BOYS REMAND HOME, OREGUN)
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THE EFFECT
OF FAMILY STRUCTURE ON RATES OF VIOLENT JUVENILE DELINQUENCY IN LAGOS STATE (A
CASE STUDY OF BOYS REMAND HOME, OREGUN)
ABSTRACT
Obviously,
something is going on in today’s society if more and more children are
committing delinquent crimes. Sometimes
a researcher has to get to what he or she thinks is the root of the problem to
figure out what spawns a certain issue.
What provokes a child to become delinquent and what makes the child
gravitate so easily towards this lifestyle?
This study explores how family life influences juvenile delinquency in
Lagos state. It is focused primarily on Lagos State, which is one of the most
populous cities in Nigeria and is the commercial nerve centre of the country.
Juveniles are more likely to become juvenile delinquents if there is little
structure provided for them in their families.
Although
there are several influential variables, three main categories on which I will
be focusing encompass all of these variables.
These categories are family functioning, impact of family disruption,
and two-parent versus single parent households.
Aspects of family are very crucial to the upbringing of a child and
could ultimately lead to delinquent behaviors if the family is not functioning
“properly.” Properly is defined as a two parent, violence free and openly communicating
household.
According to
Wright and Wright (1994), the family is the foundation of human society. Children who are rejected by their parents,
who grow up in homes with considerable conflict, or who are inadequately
supervised are at the greatest risk of becoming delinquent. Immarigeon (1996) says it best when he states
that justice can be better served and young people steered on the right path by
involving families in juvenile crime cases.
If anything would play a large part in delinquency, it would be a
family. Understanding how the family and
how the juvenile within the family works get to the core of delinquency.
Studies show
that family structure is an important factor in explaining delinquency among
Adolescents (Price & Kunz, 2003). There is a lack of research, however,
pertaining to
Cohabitation.
The main goals of this study are to determine if there are variations in
delinquency between cohabitating and other family types, and to examine the
extent to which parental social control measures account for the variation in
delinquency by family structure. Data from the boys remand home Oregon, Lagos
state are used for the purposes of this Study (n = 4,389). While there are no
significant differences in violent delinquency between cohabitating families
and other family types, results indicate that adolescents from cohabitating
families have a greater odds of engaging in nonviolent delinquency compared to
those from 2biological-parent families, although reaching only marginal
significance. This difference, however, is explained once parental social
control factors are accounted for in the models.
CHAPTER ONE
1.1
INTRODUCTION :
Juvenile delinquency is becoming very
prevalent in today’s society. In 2008 there were 6,318 arrests for every
100,000 youths age 10 to 17 in the resident population (Law Enforcement and
Juvenile Crime, 2008). In 2009 The Boys Remand Home Oregun ,lagos state handled
an estimated 20,000 cases that involved juveniles charged with criminal law
violations (Law Enforcement and Juvenile Crime, 2008). Moreover, delinquency is
more prevalent today than in
the past, as
juvenile courts handled 30% more cases in 2009 than in 1985 (Knoll &
Sickmund, 2012). While it may be that adolescents are being processed through
the system more today rather than actually committing more forms of crime and
delinquency (Puzzanchera, Adams, & Sickmund, 2010), adolescents are
nonetheless experiencing increased involvement with the criminal justice system
creating problems for parents, schools, communities, and other children
who are in
the presence of juvenile delinquents. In 1960 approximately 1,100 delinquency
cases were processed daily. In 2007 juvenile courts handled about 4,600
delinquency cases per day (Puzzanchera et al., 2010).
Two of the
main factors influencing juvenile delinquency are the family structure that a
child is exposed to (Apel & Kaukinen, 2008; Price & Kunz, 2003) and the
relationships adolescents have with parents (Leiber, Mack, & Featherstone,
2009; Petts, 2009). As with patterns of juvenile delinquency, family structure
in the United States has also changed dramatically over the last century,
becoming very diverse in today’s society (Kierkus, Johnson,
&
Hewitt, 2010). Adolescents of all ages are living in many various types of
homes, such as with single, married, and cohabiting parents. The families that
children grow up in and the social environment in which they live can have
major effects on their well-being (Wallman, 2010). In
6 general, children living in non-traditional
households are at a greater risk for a wide variety of negative outcomes
including involvement in delinquency (Price & Kunz, 2003) compared to those
from married households (Demuth & Brown, 2004). Children in different
family structures also experience many forms of monitoring, supervision,
involvement, and attachment they receive from their parents (Hoeve, 2009).
These factors may also play a role in determining why
adolescents
turn to juvenile delinquency. This study uses data from the National
Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) to examine if there is a
difference in delinquency by family structure. It also assesses if monitoring,
supervision, involvement, and attachment account for differences in delinquency
by family structure. While previous research has examined how family processes
may explain differences in the relationship between family structure and
delinquency (Demuth & Brown, 2004; Price & Kunz, 2003), a major
contribution of this study is the exploration of the extent to which
cohabitating families differ from two-biological-parent and other family types.
Families are
one of the strongest socializing forces in life. They teach children to control unacceptable
behavior, to delay gratification, and to respect the rights of others. Conversely, families can teach children
aggressive, antisocial, and violent behavior (Wright & Wright 1994). This statement alone could easily explain how
the juvenile may end up becoming a delinquent.
Wright and Wright (1994) suggest positive parenting practices during the
early years and later in adolescence appear to act as buffers preventing
delinquent behavior and assisting adolescents involved in such behavior to
desist from delinquency.
Adolescence
is a time of expanding vulnerabilities and opportunities that accompany the
widening social and geographic exposure to life beyond school or family, but it
starts with the family. Research
indicates that various exposures to violence are important sources of early
adolescent role exits, which means that not only can a juvenile witness
violence within the family but on the outside as well (Hagan & Foster
2001). If violence encompasses all
emotionally environmental aspects of the juvenile’s life, he or she is more
likely to engage in delinquent activities.
A
substantial number of children engage in delinquency. Antisocial and/or aggressive behaviors may
begin as early as preschool or in the first few grades of elementary
school. Such childhood misconduct tends
to be resistant to change; for example, the parents disciplining more harshly,
often predicts continuing problems during adolescence, as well as adult
criminality (Prochnow& DeFronzo 1997).
In the realm
of family functioning there is a theory known as the coercion theory, which
suggests that family environment influences an adolescent’s interpersonal
style, which in turn influences peer group selection (Cashwell & Vacc 1996). Peers with a more coercive interpersonal
style tend to become involved with each other, and this relationship is assumed
to increase the likelihood of being involved in delinquent behavior. Thus understanding the nature of
relationships within the family, to include family adaptability, cohesion, and
satisfaction, provides more information for understanding youth (Cashwell &
Vacc 1996). The cohesiveness of the
family successfully predicted the frequency of delinquent acts for
non-traditional families (Matherne &Thomas 2001). Family behaviors, particularly parental
monitoring and disciplining, seem to influence association with deviant peers
throughout the adolescent period (Cashwell & Vacc 1994). Among
social circumstances which have a hand in determining the future of the
individual it is enough for our present purpose to recognize that family is
central (Wright & Wright 1994).
Referring
back to the issue of monitoring, a lack of monitoring is reflected in the
parent often not knowing where the child is, whom the child is with, what the
child is doing or when the child will be home.
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 peers.
Previous research found that coercive parenting and lack of parental
monitoring contributes not only directly to boys’ antisocial behaviors, but
also indirectly as seen in the contribution to their increased opportunity to
associate with deviant peers, which is predictive of higher levels of
delinquent acts (Kim, et al. 1999).
Communication
also plays a big role in how the family functions. Clark and Shields (1997) state that the
importance of positive communication for optimal family functioning has major
implications for delinquent behavior.
They also discovered that communication is indeed related to the
commission of delinquent behavior and differences are shown within categories
of age, sex, and family marital status.
Gorman-Smith
and Tolan (1998) found that parental conflict and parental aggressiveness
predicted violent offending; whereas, lack of maternal affection and paternal
criminality predicted involvement in property crimes. Familial characteristics suggesting familial
antisocial behavior or values such as family history of criminal behavior,
harsh parental discipline, and family conflict have been among the most
consistently linked. In another study
conducted by Gorman-Smith and her colleagues, data show that children are more
likely to resort to violence if there is violence within relationships that
they may share with their family (Gorman-Smith, et al. 2001)
For family
disruption and delinquency, the composition of families is one aspect of family
life that is consistently associated with delinquency. Children who live in homes with only one
parent or in which marital relationships have been disrupted by divorce or
separation are more likely to display a range of behavioral problems including
delinquency, than children who are from two parent families (Thornberry, et al.
1999). Children who witness marital
discord are at greater risk of becoming delinquents. Previous research has demonstrated
associations between exposure to parental divorce and marital discord while
growing up and children’s psychological distress in adulthood (Amato &
Sobolewski 2001). Social learning theory
argues that aggressive behavior is learned; as parents display aggressive
behavior, children learn to imitate it as an acceptable means of achieving
goals (Wright& Wright 1994).
Juby and
Farrington (2001) claim that there are three major classes that explain the
relationship between disrupted families and delinquency; trauma theories, life
course theories, and selection theories.
The trauma theories suggest that the loss of a parent has a damaging
effect on children, most commonly because of the effect on attachment to the
parent. Life course theories focus on
separation as a long drawn out process rather than a discrete event, and on the
effects of multiple stressors typically associated with separation. Selections theories argue that disrupted
families are associated with delinquency because of pre-existing differences in
family income or child rearing methods, for example (Juby& Farrington
2001).
The third
major area within juvenile delinquency and families is single parent households
versus two parent households. Klein and
Forehand (1997) suggest that the prediction of juvenile delinquency in early
childhood depends on the type of maternal parenting skills that are imposed
upon the child during early adolescence.
Muehlenberg (2002) poses the question of how do children from single
parent family homes fare educationally compared to children from intact two
parent families?
A number of
studies have been undertaken which show a very real connection between
delinquent and /or criminal behavior, and single parent families. Wright and
Wright’s (1994) research shows that single parent families, and in particular
mother-only families, produce more delinquent children than two parent
families. Indeed the very absence of
intact families makes gang membership more appealing (Muehlenberg 2002).
Sometimes
the focus is taken off the mother and shifted towards the father. The lack of emphasis on the role of fathering
in childhood conduct problems is especially unfortunate given that there are
several reasons why fathers can be expected to be particularly significant in
the initiation and persistence of offspring offending. For example, fathers are particularly likely
to be involved with sons who are at higher risk than daughters of delinquent
behavior (Flouri& Buchannan 2002).
Popenoe (1997) states that fatherlessness is a major force behind many
disturbing US social problems. The institution
of marriage acts as culture’s chief vehicle to bind men to their children. The absence of fathers from children’s lives
is one of the most important causes related to children’s well being such as
increasing rates of juvenile crime, depression and eating disorders, teen
suicide, and substance abuse. Two parent
households provide increased supervision and surveillance of property, while
single parenthood increases likelihood of delinquency and victimization simply
by the fact that there is one less person to supervise adolescent behavior
(Wright & Wright 1994).
Which one of
these three major factors contributes to juvenile delinquency the most? They
all seem to play a very big role in the life of the child. Family is very important in creating a law-abiding
child. Separating the influence of these
three main categories is a challenge
1.2
LIMITATION OF STUDY: A final limitation is that the survey is school-based.
Those who are most delinquent may have dropped out of school and some of the
most important participants may be missing. This could account for there not
being any significance pertaining to violent delinquency. Policy Implications
This study
shows that when social control variables are employed in the models,
differences
in delinquency rates by family structure are reduced. This research indicates
that policies aimed to reduce crime by focusing on keeping families intact may
be better served to strive to improve parenting practices, especially
attachment, monitoring, and involvement. One way to do this would be to have
parenting workshops aimed to improve relationships with their 38 children or workshops on how to better
monitor and supervise children. Another way would be to hold conferences or retreats
for parents and children to attend that are geared at encouraging
parents and
children alike to become involved in each other’s lives. This would also help
parents monitor their children better. These are just a few policies that could
be implemented to help parents better monitor and supervise their children and
be more involved in their lives.
1.3
DEFINITION OF TERMS:
For the ease
of comprehension of the study,it is necessary for the following
JUVENILE: A juvenile is an individual that has not
yet reached its adult form, sexual maturity or size. Juveniles sometimes look
very different from the adult form.
FAMILY
STRUCTURE: The family structure is considered a family support system involving
two married individuals providing care and stability for their biological
offspring. However, this two-parent, nuclear family has become less prevalent,
and alternative family forms have become more common.The family is created at
birth and establishes ties across generations. Those generations, the extended
family of aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins, can hold significant
emotional and economic roles for the nuclear family.
1.4 SCOPE OF
THE STUDY: This article attempts to explain the effect of family structure on
juvenile delinquency. The least amount of communication and structure the
family provides, the more likely the child will engage in delinquent
activities. Data for this research were
collected from a junior secondary school
in a predominantly low-income area of Lagos state. Research was conducted through the use of
surveys. Findings suggest that family
structure does indeed both negatively and positively play a role in the
production of juvenile delinquency
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