Residential Differentials in Incidence of Juvenile Delinquency in Ijaiye Low Cost Housing Estate, Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

Within the framework of the three residential areas, this study investigated the variation in the incidence, causes, and fear of juvenile delinquency in Ijaiye Low Cost Housing Estate, Lagos. Using random systematic sampling 199 copies of a structured questionnaire were distributed in the selected localities in a ratio of 3:2:1 among the three residential densities. An index termed Incidence of Juvenile Delinquency (IJD) was used in measuring the level of occurrence of twenty crime types in the study area. Other indices developed in the study included Causes of Juvenile Delinquency (CJD); Fear of Crime Incidence Index (FDI); Effectiveness of Delinquency Control Measures Index (EDCMI). CJD was used to measure residents’ perceived causes of juvenile delinquency, FDI was developed to investigate residents’ perceived feelings of fear of juvenile delinquency while EDCMI was used to measure the effectiveness of control measures used by adult residents’ in curbing delinquency in their zones. It was observed that smoking (IJD =2.86), cultism (IJD= 0.64) and reckless endangerment (IJD= 0.21) had the highest IJD recorded in high, medium and low density residential area respectively. The observed variation in incidence of juvenile delinquency is significant among the three residential areas in the Estate (F = 516.050, p = 0.000). Influence of peer group and social media each with CJD of 1.23 were perceived as the major causes of delinquency in Ijaiye Low Cost Housing Estate. Adults residents had higher fear of property being destroyed, being attacked early in the morning and at night due to the reduced level of police patrol in the area. The level of fear of delinquency in the high density (FDI = 1.81) was more than twice the level of fear in the study area (FDI = 0.79) while the medium density (FDI = 0.45) had almost four times that of the low density area (FDI = 0.12). The study concluded that the level of incidence and fear of delinquency decreased from the high to the low density area. The study suggests that areas of high incidences and impact should receive greater attention in the provision of any intervention while other areas must not be neglected.

DOI: 10.7176/DCS/9-9-05

Publication date:September 30^th 2019