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NOTE: YOU WILL NEED TO CHANGE THE AREA TO SUIT UR
LOCATION AND SOME OF THE THINGS IN THIS SOCIOLOGY IA
MIGHT NOT BE THE SAME AS THE CARIBBEAN STUDIES SO
REFER TO UR SYLLABUS.
CANIDATES NAME: NEFTA BAPTISTE
SCHOOL: ST. STEPHENS COLLEGE
SCHOOL CODE: 160076
CANIDATES NO: 0080
SUBJECT: SOCIOLOGY
YEAR: 2012
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
TOPIC PG.NO
Introduction .
Statement of the problem .
Aim .
Objectives ..
Literature review ..
Research design .
Sample .
Data collection instrument .
Presentation of data
Analysis of data ..
Discussion of findings .
Conclusion ..
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INTRODUCTION
The tableland village council has been a fixture in the tableland community for the past fifteen
years. In keeping true to their mission statement, Positively affecting lives the village council
aims to provide programs to entertain empower and uplift the lives of both youths and adults
in the tableland community. The village council does this through activities such as carnival
workshops, craft workshops, sports clubs and dance and vocal courses. The village council also
seeks to improve the neighborhood by improving the communitys sporting facilities and
beautifying the community. They achieve all this through fundraisers bazzars, sports and family
days and excursions which all the members of the community are free to participate in.
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STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The primary purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of the
programmes/initiatives implemented by the Tableland village council to address the problem of
delinquency in the Tableland community.
AIM
To evaluate the effectiveness of the programmes/initiatives implemented by the Tableland
village council in addressing delinquency in the Tableland community.
OBJECTIVES
Assess the level of delinquency in the Tableland community. Highlight the causes of delinquency in the Tableland community.
Identify the programmes adopted by the Tableland village council geared towards
addressing delinquency.
Assess the effectiveness of the programmes employed by the tableland village council
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Make recommendations that could be used by the Tableland village council to deal withdelinquency in the Tableland community.
LITERATURE REVIEW
According to Kyriacou (2003) juvenile delinquency can be defined as committing an
illegal offence between the ages of 10 and 17 years. Juvenile delinquency can also be
defined as minor crime especially that committed by young people (Deosaran 2007). It is
however important to note that some writers, such as Gottfredson (2001) use the term
juvenile delinquency to refer to a broader range of problem behavior. Gottfredson makes
the point that restricting the term simply to illegal acts is artificial since non-criminal
behaviour is behaviourally analogous to criminal behaviour in its causation.
Although each writer may define the term juvenile delinquency differently, they are all
similar in that they all believe that in order to fully understand the term juvenile
delinquency, the causes of its occurrence must be studied.
Johnson & Shaw (2001) believe that there are risk factors that apply to a given
individual that increases the likelihood of that individual committing a crime. However
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Johnson & Shaw (2001) also believe that the three most common factors among persistent
offenders are emotional coldness, normalization to a criminal subculture and problems with
impulse control.
Similarly according to Huizinga, Esbensen & Weiher (1991), there are many pathways to
delinquency and a variety of family circumstancescontribute to negative behaviour in
children (Wright & Wright, 1992). Studies of family risk factors for delinquency conclude
that the probability of a child becoming a delinquent increases rapidly as the number of
family problems or risk factors increases (Rutter, 1987). The developmental pathways to
delinquency have been in longitudinal studies of delinquency.
The pathways to delinquency begin with the authority conflict pathway which begins
with stubborn behaviour, then defiant behaviour and developing later into avoidance of
authority figures. It is then followed by the covert pathway which begins with minor
aggression (bullying, teasing) followed by physical fighting and later violent acts.
Patterson & Joeger (1993) post it that there are two groups of youth involved in
delinquent behaviors- the early starters who follow the previously described developmental
pathways and late starters who are influenced by peers.
According to studies done by Deosaran (2007) age, school type, parental structure,
gender, race and social class all show direct links to juvenile delinquency. However
according to surveys done by Deosaran in the Caribbean it shows that age was one of the
strongest relationships found with violence and delinquency. As the student moves from
age ten to eighteen they seemed to commit more violence and delinquent acts.
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However research done by Beinhart, Anderson, Lee, and Utting (2002) showed that risk
factors in the community such as community disorganization and neglect, availability of
drugs, disadvantaged neighbourhood and a high turnover and lack of neighbourhood
attachment greatly affected the level of delinquency in communities
Research done by Kyriacou (2003) identified possible solutions or action points to
combat delinquency. The first stage in combating delinquency is the promotion of good
behaviour in school. A system of positive expectations coupled with support and praise for
good behavior can play an important role in counteracting negative influences on the pupil.
The primary years are extremely influential in developing pro-social behaviour.
Kyriacou also believes that parents can be helped by the school to play a key role in
encouraging pupils to behave well in school. This can include giving parents advice on their
role and on good parenting and the use of appropriate discipline techniques. Parents can
also assist by encouraging their children to take part in outdoor pursuits which can give
certain pupils a real boost because pupils at risk of delinquency often have low self-esteem
and are particularly vulnerable to being coerced by peers into committing a crime. As such
any activity that can strengthen a pupils self-esteem will combat this.
Kyriacou also states that the community can play an influential role in curbing
delinquency. This can be done by providing opportunities for youth and parent involvement
in community activities. By doing this youths will feel a greater social attachment or bond
with their parents and the community. Activities provided by community groups will also
have the effect of keeping youths occupied doing something productive with the
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supervision of positive role models and with less unoccupied time they will be less likely to
partake in delinquent acts.
RESEARCH DESIGN
In this research paper I will be using quantitative data. Quantitative data usually takes
the form of statistical or numerical information. My main reason for choosing to employ the
use of this type of data is the fact that quantitative research facilitates theory formation
because as a large amount of data is collected the data can display cause and correlation
and therein make the formation of theories as to the cause and the solution 2 delinquency
possible. The use of this type of data is also advantageous in that it provides objectivity;
therefore respondents will not in any way be influenced by my personal opinion of
delinquency in the Tableland community.
The instrument used to collect data was questionnaires. A questionnaire is a number of
preset questions that can contain open-ended, fixed choice or a combination of both types
of questions. In my use of questionnaires I used a combination of fixed choice and open
ended questions.
The advantages of questionnaires to my research are that the data can be easily
tabulated, measured and analyzed and they are easy to administer. However some
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disadvantages are that fixed choice questions can possibly force a respondent to choose an
answer that does not capture his/her feelings about an issue and that some respondents
may provide erroneous information or treat the issue too lightly. However these problems
were overcome by incorporating open ended questions in my questions and secondly in
order to prevent respondents from treating the issue lightly I made an effort to impress
upon the respondents the importance of the research and the necessity for them to answer
all questions honestly and seriously.
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SAMPLE
A sample can be defined as a group of people selected from the population. The units
selected are deemed to be representative of the population from which they are drawn.
Therefore my sample population will be residents of the Tableland community.
The sampling method I will use will be stratified random sampling wherein my sample
frame will be persons who live within the immediate vicinity of the community Centre
which is the village councils base of operation. From the two traces in the immediate
vicinity; Ramsumir trace and Local road fifteen males and fifteen females will be chosen to
participate from each trace. Therefore a total of sixty participants will be involved in the
research. This amount was chosen because since Tableland is a small community containing
approximately 1000 persons this was thought to be a representative sample. They were
approached individually and asked whether they would like to participate in the study.
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QUESTIONNAIRE
1. Age2. Sex
Male Female
3. How long have you lived in the Tableland community?4. Do you think that delinquency is a problem in your community?5. If yes on a scale of 1-5 with 1 being not bad and 5 being extremely bad how would
you rate the level of delinquency?
1 2 3 4 5
6. Who are the individuals mainly involved in delinquent acts?Males Females
7. What age group do they belong to?8. What type of delinquent acts youths are usually involved in, in the community?9. What do you think are the causes of delinquency?
A = family factors B = community factors C = exposure to negative
influence
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10.Has the Tableland Village Council (TVC) done anything to address the problem ofdelinquency in the area?
Yes No
11.If yes, what have they done/implemented?12.How have the programmes you identified contributed to the development of the
youth in the area?
13.Do you believe that the programmes implemented by the (TVC) is effective inaddressing the problem of delinquency in your community?
Yes No
14.On a scale of 1-5 with 1 being not at all effective and 5 being very effective, howwould you rate the programmes organized by the (TVC)to address delinquency in
the Tableland area?
1 2 3 4 5
15.Do you believe that the programmes implemented can be improved?Yes No
16.If yes in what ways can the programmes be improved to make them moreeffective?
A = more regular meetings B = more activities during the school vacation
C = after school activities in conjunction with the school D = wider range of
activities to choose from E = mentoring programmes
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17.Do you think that the cooperation of other groups such as parents and the schoolwith the TVC can increase the effectiveness of the TVC in addressing delinquency?
Yes No
PRESENTATION OF DATA
Figure.1
Figure .2
Yes, 48
No, 12
Pie Graph showing whether residents think that
delinquency is a problem in the Tableland community?
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Figure .3
Figure .4
0
5
10
15
20
25
1 2 3 4 5
No.
respondents
Rate of delinquency
Graph showing the rate of delinquency in the Tableland
community with 1 being 'not bad' and 5 being
'extremely bad'
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
13-15 16-18 19-21
no.
ofrespondents
Age groups
Graph showing the age groups of individuals who usually commit
delinquents acts.
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TALLY CHART SHOWING WHAT DELINQUENT ACTIVITIES YOUTHS ARE USUALLY
INVOLVED IN.
Figure .5
A = family factors
0 5 10 15 20 25
A
B
C
Graph showing what respondents thought
were the causes of delinquency
Drugs18
Underage drinking20
School absenteeism
14
Bullying
8
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B = community factors
C = exposure to negative influence
Figure .6
TABLE SHOWING THE PROGRAMMES IMPLEMENTED BY THE TVC
PROGRAMMES NO. OF REPONDENTS
Craft workshops 12
Sports clubs 15
Theatre arts programmes 13
After school study groups 20
Figure .7
PICTOGRAPH SHOWING HOW THE PROGRAMMES IMPLEMENTED BY THE TVC
CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEVELPOMENT OF YOUTHS IN THE AREA
CONTRIBUTION NO. OF RESPONDENTS PICTOGRAPHIC
REPESENTATION
Acquirement of social and practical skills 10
Boosting of self-esteem 10
Decreased involvement in delinquent
activities
20
Improvement in academics 20
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SCALE: = 10 RESPONDENTS
Figure .8
90%
10%
Doughnut graph showing the percentage of people
who believe that the programmes implemented are
effective in addressing delinquency or not.
Yes
No
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Figure .9
Figure .10
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
1 2 3 4 5
n
o.
ofrespondents
Rate of effectiveness
Graph showing the rate of effectiveness of the
programmes organized by the TVC to address
delinquency on a scale of 1-5 with 1 being 'not at alleffective' and 5 being 'very effective'
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From graph: IMPROVEMENTS
A = more regular meetings
B = more activities during the school vacation
C = after school activities in conjunction with the school
D = more parent child activities
E = mentoring programmes
Figure .11
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
A B C D E
No.
ofrespondents
Graph showing the ways in which the programmes
implemented by the TVC can be improved
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ANALYSIS OF DATA
Yes87%
No
13%
Column graph showing whether residents think that
the help of other groups such as parents and the
school can increase the effectiveness of the TVC in
addressing juvenile delinquency
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Figure 1 shows that 48 respondents out of the 60 persons questioned think that
delinquency is a problem in the Tableland community. However 12 persons think that it is not a
problem.
Figure 2 is a graph showing the level of delinquency on a scale of 1-5 with 1 being not bad
and 5 being extremely bad. Most of the respondents rated delinquency as being 3 which is the
middle of the two extremes of 1 and five.
Figure 3 is a column graph showing the age groups of individuals usually involved in
delinquent acts. According to the graph 28 respondents believe that individuals in the age
group 16-18 are usually involved in delinquent acts , 20 respondents believe that the age group
13-15 are the second most involved whereas the age group 19-21 are the least involved in
delinquent acts.
Figure 4 is a tally chart showing what type of delinquent acts youths are usually
involved in. 20 of the respondents which was the majority said that underage drinking was the
most common where bullying was the least common.
Figure 5 is a graph showing what respondents thought was the causes of delinquency.
The majority of the respondents which was 25 said that the main cause of delinquency was
family factors.
Figure 6 is a table showing the programmes implemented by the TVC.
Figure 7 is a pictograph illustrating how the programmes implemented by the TVC
contribute to the development of youths in the area. The majority of the respondents stated
the most common development was; decreased involvement in delinquent activities and
improvement in academics.
Figure 8 is a doughnut graph showing that 90% of the respondents believed that the
programmes implemented are effective in addressing delinquency while 10% think that it is
not.
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Figure 9 is a graph showing the rate of effectiveness of the programmes organized by the
TVC to address delinquency on a scale of 1-5 with 1 being not at all effective and 5 being very
effective. The majority, which was 31 rated the effectiveness as 5 which meant that the
programmes were very effective.
Figure 10 indicates that the majority of respondents believe that the improvement
should be B more activities during the school vacation.
Figure 11 is a graph showing that 52 respondents think the help of other groups such as
parents and the school can increase the effectiveness of the TVC in addressing delinquency
while 8 think it will not.
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DICUSSION OF FINDINGS
The research conducted in this study evaluates the effectiveness of the
programmes/initiatives implemented by the Tableland Village council in addressing the
problem of juvenile delinquency in the Tableland community. In- depth research was done to
assess the level of delinquency in the community, highlight the causes, identify the
programmes geared towards addressing delinquency and assess the effectiveness of the
programmes. The results obtained from the research, showed some similarities to previous
research carried out on this topic.
The results showed that 48 of the respondents believed that delinquency was a problem
in the Tableland community however 12 did not. Most of the respondents generally rated the
level of delinquency at the medium level of 3 and also 4 which is an indication that most
respondents acknowledge that delinquency is a problem in the community but not to the point
that it is at an uncontrollable level such as it would be at level 5.
Youths between the ages of 16-18 were found to be the most common offenders with
the age group 13-15 following at a close second. Those in the age group of 19-21 committed
the least delinquent acts. Kyriacou (2003) defined delinquency as committing an illegal offence
between the ages of 10 and 17 years. Therefore the results from the research fall into the
category mentioned by Kyriacou in his research.
In his research Gottfredson (2001) used the term juvenile delinquency to refer to a
broader range of problem behaviour and not simply illegal acts. Similarly research showed that
the youths in the tableland community not only participated in illegal acts such a underage
drinking and using drugs but they also participated in non- illegal acts such as bullying and
school absenteeism which respondents also termed as delinquent behaviour.
Previous studies done by (Rutter, 1987) on family risk factors showed that the
probability of a child becoming a delinquent increases rapidly as the number of family problems
increases. Similarly the research done shows that most respondents believed that family factors
was the leading cause of delinquency in the tableland community. The two other causes were
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community factors similar to studies done by Beinhart, Anderson, Lee and Utting (2002) and
exposure to negative influences.
Similar to studies done by Kyriacou (2003) which stated that the community can curb
delinquency by providing opportunities for youth and parent involvement, research shows that
the Tableland village council implemented various programs geared towards youth and parent
involvement to decrease delinquency. These programmes were rated as being very effective by
most respondents since they observed development of the youths such as increased self-
esteem, decreased involvement in delinquent activities, improvement in academics and
acquirement of social and practical skills.
The research also showed that the progammes could be improved to make them more
effective but also that 87% of the respondents believed that parents and the school could also
increase the effectiveness of the Tableland village council. Research by Kyricou also stated that
parents and the school were important to the process of curbing delinquency
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CONCLUSION
The research showed that delinquency is a problem in the Tableland community since
most people rated it as a 3 between the two extremes of 1 not bad and 5 extremely bad and
similar to previous studies family factors was thought to a the leading cause of delinquency in
the community. In order to curb this delinquency the Tableland village council implemented
programmes geared towards youth and parent involvement. The majority of the repondents
were of the opinion that the progammes were very effective but there was still room for
improvement.
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