The influence of neighborhood victimization on offending trajectories among children in conflict with the law at Shikusa Borstal institution in Kakamega County, Kenya

Japheth Musau Musembi; Evans Makori Oruta

doi:10.51867/ajernet.7.3.9

Autores

Japheth Musau Musembi Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kenya https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6938-2519
Evans Makori Oruta Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kenya https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3682-7256

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51867/ajernet.7.3.9

Palavras-chave:

Community Violence, Cyberbullying, General Strain Theory, Juvenile Offending, Neighborhood Victimization, Peer Violence

Resumo

Juvenile offending is a global problem with profound implications for child development and community safety. This study examined the effect of neighborhood victimization on juvenile offending trajectories among children in conflict with the law at Shikusa Borstal Institution in Kakamega County, Kenya. The study was grounded in General Strain Theory. A cross-sectional research design was adopted, with a sample of 198 juvenile offenders selected through simple random sampling from a target population of 356. Quantitative data was collected using structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient and linear and multiple regression analyses, while qualitative data were gathered from 11 key informants and analyzed thematically. Findings revealed that peer verbal abuse (65.66%) and peer physical abuse (60.10%) were the most prevalent forms of neighborhood victimization. Neighborhood victimization had a statistically significant relationship with juvenile offending (r=0.523; p<0.01) and regression analysis revealed a coefficient of determination (R²=0.219), meaning that 21.9% of the variance in juvenile offending was attributable to neighborhood victimization. Community violence emerged as the strongest beta predictor (β=0.329), followed by peer violence (β=0.107) and cyberbullying (β=0.094). The study concludes that neighborhood victimization significantly contributes to juvenile offending in Kakamega County. The study recommends targeted community-based interventions, anti-bullying programs and awareness campaigns against cyberbullying, alongside broader stakeholder engagement to address neighborhood-level risk factors that predispose juveniles to criminal behavior.

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