Economic Drivers to Serious Criminality among Incarcerated Former House-Helps in Lang’ata Women Prison, Kenya

Abstract

Economic deprivation largely pushes most house-helps into house-helps to house-help jobs. The expectation of these house-helps is that the jobs will help them improve economically and also improve the lives of their significant others. However, this is not to be. House-helps generally suffer economic deprivation as the income of a house-help is not enough to meet both the needs and expectations of a house-help. This study investigated the economic drivers to serious criminality among house-helps. The study was conducted in Lang’ata women prison, Kenya. Since it was a census study, all incarcerated former house-helps in Lang’ata women prison who had committed serious crimes were involved in the study. The methods of data collection were in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Data was transcribed and then analyzed using content analysis. The study found out that robbery, child pornography and stealing a child are crimes that are associated with economic drivers of serious criminality among house-helps. It also found out that low income of the house-help mainly from salary, high poverty level of the house-help, pressure from dependants of the house-help and salary payment consistencies drive house-helps to commit serious crimes. The study recommends that the Ministry of labour in Kenya focuses on ensuring that the available laws that protect house-helps are implemented to protect house-helps from exploitation and as a result prevent serious crimes.

Key words: house-help, serious crimes, criminality, economic drivers

DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/14-7-01

Publication date: September 30th 2024