Rehabilitation of Juvenile Delinquents: A Survey of Approved Schools in Kenya
Abstract
The major focus of this study was an investigation of the
major factors that trigger off juvenile delinquency and the
delinquents subsequent committal to approved schools and whether
the said juveniles were rehabilitated after committal or not. The
effects of institutionalization on the juvenile delinquents were
also studied.
The study was guided by three hypotheses. These were. one.
that low socio-economic status at home triggered delinquency and
subsequent institutionalization. Second. That rehabilitation
success depended on sex. each juveniles attitude towards the
rehabilitation programmes and institutionalization and third. That
effects of institutionalization depended on the juvenile
delinquents~ overall environment prior to institutionalization.
The subjects of the study were inmates and ex-inmates of the
approved schools and uninstitutionalized non-delinquents who were
used as control group. The approved schools~ inmates were drawn
from four approved schools while the ex-inmates were former
inmates. The uninstitutionalized non-delinquents were drawn from
two primary schools. Twenty two officials from the four approved
schools were also interviewed.
The key instrument of data collection was the interview
schedule. However. unstructured interviews were also administered
to the key informants.
The study found that the majority of the committed juvenile
delinquents hailed from low socio-economic backgrounds which could
(vi)
have predisposed them to delinquency.
The study found out that the major delinquent acts committed
by the studied .juveniles were ; theft, being idle and disorderly,
burglary, vandalism, among others.
Female approved schools' inmates and ex-inmates were found to
register higher rehabilitation success vis-a-vis their male
counterparts as a result of social and economic factors. Another
factor found to influence rehabilitation sucess was inmates and exinmates
attitude towards rehabilitation programmes and committal to
approved schools.
Juvenile delinquents' overall environment prior to committal
was found to have some significant influence on their attitude and
integration into the approved schools.
It was concluded that no juvenile delinquent should ever be
committed to an approved school unless reform seems unobtainable by
other means. It was also recommended that community based
rehabilitation services should be initiated as an alternative to
institutionalization.
Finally, it was felt that constant evaluation of
rehabilitation programmes was necessary so as to streamline their
effectiveness.
Citation
Master of Arts in Sociology,Publisher
Faculty of Arts, Department of Sociology.