A case study of factors associated with juvenile delinquency with particular focus on juveniles resident in a probation home in Riyadh City the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

• Main Author: Al-Otayan, T. M.
• Published: Swansea University 2001
• Subjects: 305
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.635706

The study deals with the factors which are believed to be associated with the phenomenon of delinquency in Saudi Arabia. The context for the study was a probation home in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the variables were examined in the light of theories which have been put forward by Western researchers. The main research question which was addressed in this study was "What are the factors associated with juvenile delinquency in Riyadh city?" In order to answer this question, a case study was carried out in a probation home in Riyadh, the capital city of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. There are fifteen main questions formulated to cover these factors. Data were collected from two matched groups and consisted of one hundred delinquents from Riyadh probation home and one hundred pupils from the intermediate and secondary schools in Riyadh City. The ages of both groups were between 15 and 16 years of age. The study used a questionnaire completed during interviews carried out with every subject in the study. The data were analysed using the chi-squared test and t-test. The analysis revealed that the following factors may be associated with juvenile delinquency in this Riyadh probation home namely, a low level of school achievement, family size (10 or more members), single parents, paternal supervision, parental punishment, a history of family crime, polygamy, low family income, the father's occupation (unemployed), the level of education (44% of fathers illiterate), the influence of the mass media, leisure and recreation time, negative peer group pressure (deviant friends), and a low level of involvement in religious activities. However, no association was found between juvenile delinquency and overcrowded homes, the mother's occupation, her level of education and maternal supervision, or the age of the delinquent group's friends.