Correlates and predictors of juvenile delinquency in Ghana

Abstract

Research on juvenile delinquency has focused almost exclusively on western societies with the consequence that very little is known about delinquency and its associated factors outside this context. The aim of this study is to investigate correlates and predictors of juvenile delinquency in Ghana, a developing country. Analysis of data from a sample of 264 boys showed theft as the most common juvenile offense in Ghana. Individual factors were strongly related to juvenile delinquency compared with family factors and perceived neighborhood condition. The best predictor of juvenile delinquency was academic difficulties. Most childrearing variables failed to predict delinquency in Ghana. The findings indicate not only similarities but also important differences particularly with regard to conceptualization and relation between parental childrearing and delinquency.

Keywords:

• juvenile delinquency
• risk factors
• predictors
• correlate
• self-report
• Ghana

Acknowledgments

I thank David Farrington, Zachary A. Lomo and the anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on earlier drafts of this article.

Notes

1. 1. Three main types amongst a complex mix of neighborhoods in urban Ghana can be distinguished based on socio-economic status: emerging high class/gated communities, average neighborhood where the majority tend to live, and slums/ghettoes with poor sanitation and crowded households (Agyei-Mensah & Owusu, 2009; Asiedu & Arku, 2009).

2. 2. In the logistic regression model, value missing on one variable is excluded from the entire analysis. This means that the more variables included in the model estimation, the more variables would be deleted list-wise even when the value is missing on only one variable. The incremental model was, thus, in part utilized in the analysis to address the potential problem of significant sample reduction pose the logistic regression procedure (Bor, McGee, & Fagan, 2004; Farrington & Loeber, 1999).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kofi E. Boakye

Kofi E. Boakye, PhD, is Betty Behrens Research Fellow at Clare Hall, University of Criminology. His research interests include developmental criminology, comparative study of juvenile delinquency, youth justice, and gender violence. His articles have appeared in Journal of Interpersonal Violence and Law & Social Inquiry.