PERCEIVED CRIMINAL JUSTICE DELIVERY, DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION AND PERCEPTION OF POLICE AS PREDICTORS OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR AMONG YOUTHS IN ONITSHA METROPOLIS, ANAMBRA STATE
Keywords:
Perceived criminal justice delivery, differential association, perception of police, criminal behavior, youths.Abstract
The study examined perceived criminal justice delivery, differential association and perception of police as predictors of criminal behaviour among the youths in Onitsha metropolis, Anambra State, Nigeria. A total number of 400 youths drawn from Onitsha metropolis served as participants for the study. They were sampled using cluster and incidental sampling techniques. The sample consisted of 276 males (61.4%) and 124 females (38.6%), aged between 18 to 41 years (M = 28.3, SD = 4.84). Four instruments were utilized in the study namely: Perceived Criminal Justice Delivery Scale, Differential Association Scale, Perception of Police Scale, and Criminal Behaviour Rating Scale. The study adopted predictive and correlation designs while the statistics was hierarchical linear regression analysis. The findings revealed that perceived criminal justice delivery had a negative significant prediction of criminal behaviour among youths (β = -0.153; p < 0.05), while differential association did not significantly predict criminal behaviour (β = 0.060; p > 0.05). The perception of police had a significant negative prediction of criminal behaviour (β = -0.171; p < 0.05). Perceived criminal justice delivery, differential association and perception of police showed joint significant prediction of criminal behaviour. These findings help to understand the factors predisposing youths to criminal behaviour. Hence, the study recommended the need to improve criminal justice delivery in Nigeria as a way of handling criminal behaviours among the youths. It is also recommended that community policing should be made effective. This study contributed to knowledge by empirically examining the role of Nigerian justice delivery in the youths’ criminal behaviour. Again, the study succeeded in disaffirming the role of differential association theory in criminal tendencies of youths in Nigerian context.
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