South African Adolescents' Explanations for Juvenile Delinquency

Abstract

Research in other parts of the world suggests that adolescents invoke a multiplicity of causes to explain juvenile offending. The extent to which the different explanations are endorsed appears partly to be a function of cultural and demographic characteristics. The aim of this study was to investigate South African adolescents' explanations for delinquency and to examine cultural differences in these explanations. A total of 554 secondary school pupils from two Eastern Cape high schools rated 39 explanations for juvenile offending on a Likert scale. Principal component analysis and a varimax rotation of the responses identified seven factors -Home Environment, Antisocial Tendency, Influencability, Social Control, Emotional Adjustment, Deprivation and Social Alienation. The results showed that there were large differences between the Black and White learners in terms of the perceived importance of a number of the explanatory causes.

Facing the Future: The Perceptions of Black Adolescents on their Prospects in South Africa

“…This shift in the value system and social orientation of the black youth over the past few years are confirmed by various researchers (Everatt, 2002;Gaganakis, 2004;Möller, 2005;Tyson and Stones, 2002). These authors consistently report that the black youth feel empowered and they express a sense of connection to themselves and their future.…”

“…In recent years, however, researchers such as Heaven et al (2000) have found that the social identity of black South Africans has become much wider than their ethnic group. In a study by Tyson and Stones (2002) it was found that being an individual member of a broad cultural group that has been identified as either individualistic or collectivist, is no longer a guarantee that the individual identifies with that culture and its traditional values. Their research shows how the legacy of Ubuntu has been undermined in many communities by the erosion of the social fabric and family life.…”

Male college students' accounts of their resilience from risky behaviors during adolescence: a qualitative analysis

“…The Problem of Risky/Delinquent Behaviors Involvement in risky behaviors during adolescence can lead to engagement in what is defined as delinquent behaviors and extensive research has shown the negative impact of delinquency on society. Delinquency has been a serious problem in the major cities of the United States since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution (Eddy, Reid, & Fetrow, 2000) and juvenile offending is considered to be a pervasive social problem (Kadish et al, 1999;Tyson & Stones, 2002) that is threatening the well-being of families and communities throughout the country (Kadish et al, 1999). The number of adolescents being jailed and otherwise involved in the criminal justice system in the United States has continued to climb over the past two decades and the incarceration and criminal activity of youth are currently major problems in the United States, with more and more youth placed in state correctional, county jail, and juvenile delinquency facilities each year (Granello & Hanna, 2003).…”