| dc.description.abstract | The main objective of this study was to find out why first time offenders repeat crimes
after imprisonment. The available prison records show that there are recidivists in the
Kenyan prisons. This study set out to examine factors that precipitate recidivistic
behavior among the Kenyan prisoners.
The key question is why ex-convicts repeated crimes or relapsed into criminal activities
instead of reforming after going through imprisonment. Recidivism was given attention
by the researcher because it affects the Kenyan society socially and economically.
Socially because family lives are disrupted when a family member is jailed or dies
through crime commission; economically because so much property and life is lost
through crime commission and prevention. Currently the crime rate is very high in the
country and this prompted the researcher to carry out this research in order to find out
why people commit and repeat crimes.
Data was gathered by the use of a questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of both
open and closed ended questions. The study was guided by four hypotheses, each
anticipating data as follows. The first hypothesis anticipated data on stigmatization of the
individual respondent by the society and how this leads to recidivism. Data was gathered
on whether or not the respondents got back their former jobs after the first, second, third
and fourth release from prison. The information gathered revealed that only 23 of the
respondents had been employed prior to their first arrest. They all lost their jobs after the
second imprisonment. They argued that they were rejected at their place of work and seen
as potential criminals and therefore were not accepted. It also became difficult to get
other forms of employment because they had been imprisoned. The fact that they had
been imprisoned denied them a right to employment.
Further the researcher sought to find out whether these recidivists visited their homes
after they were released from prison, whom they stayed with, whether they had been
brought up by their parents and whether their parents/next of kin had assisted them when
they were in trouble. Data revealed that these recidivists did not visit their homes unless
their relatives were not aware of their criminal activities. Those who were known avoided
their relatives and friends. They stayed away from them to avoid rejection. They
preferred to stay with fellow criminals. In fact some of the married couples did not
disclose to their spouses that they were criminals. Majority of the respondents had not
been brought up by their parents and grew up in broken families or did not have families
at all. This then means that their parents did not assist them in any way whenever they
had problems. This means they did not experience parental care and love. An
overwhelming majority revealed thatthey did not interact with their relatives and friends
after their relatives discovered that they are criminals.
The second hypothesis sought data on socio-economic factors and how they enhance
recidivism. These factors included age, sex level of education, family size, marital status
and occupation. Regarding age, data ascertained that majority of these respondents were
youth with a mean age of 29 years. 161 males and 46 females were interviewed and the
majority (82%) had very few years of formal education. The respondents had small
families with 85% having between 0-3 children. The researcher had expected these
families to be larger as is the tradition with the African families. For those who were
together as spouses, most had one wife. 35% were married, 25% were married but
separated, 7% were widowed, and 33% were single. Therefore 65% were not together
with their spouses. Occupation wise, only 23 respondents had been employed before their
first arrest. The rest (89%) were unemployed. After the second imprisonment all the 207
were unemployed. They engaged themselves in illegal activities like robbery, selling
bhang, selling illicit beer, prostitution, and other illegal activities.
The third hypothesis concerned the relationship between imprisonment experience and
recidivism. What does imprisonment experience do to the inmates that they become
recidivists? An overwhelming majority was found to commit crimes after release because
they had no means of meeting their needs legally. They felt that the prison had wasted
their time and resources. Some felt that they had been jailed unfairly while others felt that
prison is a college where criminals harden and become better criminals. It is in prison
where the fear of breaking the law first disappears and once it is gone one can commit
crimes without fear. They felt that they had gained experience in prison.
The fourth hypothesis gathered data on age. It postulated that the age of an individual
recidivist affects his/her recidivistic behavior. Data revealed that most recidivists were
youths who were not ready to quit crime. However the aged recidivists disclosed that
they would quit crime commission on release.
In conclusion then, just like any other social problem, recidivism is as a result of many
factors, which mayor may not interact to produce recidivists. However it is important to
note that unless these factors are taken into consideration for the purpose of rehabilitating
prisoners, recidivists will continue to be created every day. There is also a possibility that
when the population consists of more youths than the old, more recidivists will be
expected. This is so because the research revealed that the youth are more involved in
crime than any other age group. This means that insecurity will increase. This is
unfortunate because everyone's hope is to have a country where security is ofthe highest
level. Therefore it is important to look for solutions and the solutions lies in mowing the
factors that precipitate recidivistic behavior, and looking for solutions to the problem. | en |
