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Sociology
Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Exam
(CAPE)
Internal Assessment (IA)

Name: Tiana Beeput

School: Frome Technical High School
Candidate number: 100037
Centre number: 100037
Territory: Jamaica
Teacher: Mrs. Taylor -Brown
Year: 2024-2025
Title: To explore the factors that influence juvenile delinquency in the community of Gordon;
Whitehouse.
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgement……………………………………………………..3

Introduction ……………………………………………………………4

Statement of the problem……………………………………………….5

Aims and Objectives……………………..……………………….…….6

Literature Review………………………………………………………7-8

Research Design………………………………………………………..9

Sociological Perspective……………………………………………….10

Sample Selection…………………………………...…………………..11

Data Collection Instrument………………………………………….…12-13

Presentation of Data………………………………………………….…14-17

Analysis of data…………………..…………………………………….18–19

Discussion of Findings and Conclusion………………………………...20

Bibliography……………………………………………………………21

.
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Acknowledgment

I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who contributed to the successful

completion of this Internal Assessment (IA). First and foremost, I extend my sincere thanks to

my teacher, Mrs. Taylor-Brown for her invaluable guidance, support, and encouragement

throughout this project. Your insights and feedback were instrumental in shaping my

understanding and approach.

I am also grateful to my parents for their unwavering support and motivation which inspired me

to put forth my best efforts. Last but not least, I would like to thank my friends and classmates

who offered help and shared ideas during the process of this research.
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Introduction

The negative behavior of some people within a society is one of the difficulties in nation-

building because it can ultimately have an impact on a country's infrastructure, financial stability,

cultural identity, and overall societal progress. There exist multiple categories of societal issues,

among which is the issue of adolescent delinquency. Researchers in various fields such as

criminology, psychology, and philosophy have been attempting to understand the reasons behind

individuals’ immoral behavior for a considerable period of time. The primary focus of

researchers and theorists has been to identify risk factors that may contribute to delinquency,

such as individual, social, and environmental factors that can increase the likelihood of criminal

behavior.

The phenomenon of juvenile delinquency is nothing new. In other terms, it refers to a set of

actions that are antisocial and illegal when carried out by an individual who has not yet reached

the age of 18 (i.e. who is not an adult). These actions contradict existing criminal codes and laws.

The antisocial acts, which include begging, dropping out, insults, hanging out, stealing, drinking,

and lying around, were socially unacceptable at any given moment and consisted of unethical

and opposing behavior.

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Statement of the problem

To explore the factors that influence juvenile delinquency in the community of Gordon;

Whitehouse.
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Aims and Objectives

The aim of this study is to gain insights on why majority of adolescents in Gordon District are

involved in criminal activities.

The objectives are:

 To examine the factors associated with juvenile delinquency.

 To examine the age group and gender that is most engage in juvenile delinquency.

 To gain insights into which criminal activity is most dominant.

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Literature Review

A theoretical framework proposed by Mariam Iobidze (2009) described juvenile delinquency as

a complex phenomenon because what is labeled as a delinquent behavior in one social context

might be the norm in another. Lilly, Cullen & Ball (2007) defined juvenile delinquency as; any

act or conduct of a child in a given society or culture which would have been considered as a

criminal behavior if it were committed by an adult. Such offenses may include stealing,

possession, rape etc….

That is, parents influence the choice of peers for their children, food, clothing, movies, sleeping

time and the likes, thus demanding obedience of rules from them. Children on the other hand

occupy a submissive, powerless social position in the family.

These mistreatment compel children to put up an adoptive reaction which tends to be problem

behaviors such as substance use, delinquency and the likes. In another study, Hunte, (2006)

examined the differences in the adolescent’s behavior according to their connectedness with an

available identity figure. The delinquents were observed to be lacking emotional and physical

bonding with their father figures in their family. Conversely, the non-delinquent youths had a

strong attachment to their parents or guardians. Harvey and Fine (2004) studied that the children

who had latent anger and emotions inside them indulged into delinquent acts especially found

among children whose parents were divorced because these children needed proper care and

attention from their parents.

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Hence, as long as young people are exposed to attitudes and behaviors that violate law,

delinquency will prevail. Shaw and McKay (1969) stated that no child is a born delinquent but

his or her surroundings, the peer group, improper socialization, and lack of parental care gives

rise to delinquent behaviors among children. Hirschi, (1969) revealed in his study that what

prevents individuals from acting upon internal motivations to commit crime is informal social

control which results from the development of social bonds through the process of socialization.

Sutherland (1964) theorized that those who are strongly attached with delinquents have more

chances to become a delinquent and delinquency is produced when the people are brought up in

a criminal environment with deviant values.

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Research Design

The researcher utilize quantitative data approach to gather efficient data for this research ‘The

factors that influence juvenile delinquency in the community of Gordon; Whitehouse’.

Quantitative data are data represented numerically, including anything that can be counted,

measured, or given a numerical value. However, the quantitative approach that was chosen is a

questionnaire. A questionnaire is a list of questions or items used to gather data from respondents

about their attitudes, experiences, or opinions.

The researcher distributed and collected a sum of twenty questionnaires with a total of fifteen

questions to the targeted group. Both open-ended and closed questions were handed out. Open

ended questions allow respondents to answer in their own words while closed questions provide

respondents with a set of predetermined answers.

The questionnaires were given out on January 10, 2025 and collected on January 31, 2025. The

data received was then gathered, summarized and analyzed, the researcher then placed the data in

diagrams, tables, and charts.

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Sociological Perspective

Social-control theories argue that all individuals have the potential and opportunity to perpetrate

delinquent or criminal offenses, but most refrain from such behavior because of fear and social

constraints. This perspective explains juvenile delinquency as a reflection of inadequate external

social control and internalized social values for some youths, thus creating a freedom in which

delinquent conduct may occur. Among social-control theories are social disorganization theory,

which relates to the inability of social institutions and communities to adequately socialize and

control its youth; social-bonding theory, which holds that a youth's behavior is significantly

related to a social bond that ties a youth to the social order; and containment theory, which

focuses on the quality and number of inner and outer containment mechanisms for controlling

juveniles' behavior. Strain theories of delinquency explain the delinquency of youths as a

response to a lack of socially approved opportunities.

Strain theorists regard juvenile antisocial behavior as caused by the frustrations of lower class

youth when they find themselves unable to achieve the material success expected of the middle

class. Cultural-transmission theories postulate that delinquency is learned behavior that reflects

the norms, values, beliefs, and behavioral characteristics of those with whom the delinquent

interacts.

Critical or radical criminology theories tend to explain crime and delinquency in terms of the

relationship between capitalism and criminal and juvenile justice. Critical criminologists argue

that the criminal laws primarily serve the interests of the ruling class who use these laws to

exploit, control, and victimize the lower and working classes in order to maintain the economic

and political system of capitalism.

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Sample Selection

Sample selection refers to the process of choosing a subset of individuals or elements from a

larger population for research purposes.

Non-probability sampling is a method of selecting research subjects that doesn't use random

selection. It's often used when resources are limited or when researchers want to learn more

about a specific population. Non-probability sampling was chosen to carry out this research

because:

 More information was needed about a specific population.

 Time and money is limited.

 Can be used to quickly investigate issues among a specific group.

 Can gather necessary data quickly.

A sample frame was used to draw desired conclusions from the population. A sampling

frame is a list or collection of the entire population or a subset of the population from

which a sample is to be drawn.

Purposive sampling was incorporated, a total of twenty questionnaire were distributed

among juvenile in the community of Gordon; Whitehouse, this method was chosen

because these respondents have characteristics that the researcher needs in the research.
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Data collection instrument

1. Gender?

 Female

 Male

2. What age category are you?

 13-14

 15-17

3. Have you ever involved in criminal activity?

 Yes

 No

4. If yes, what factors influence you to do such thing?

__________________________________________________.

5. Have you ever talked to anyone about the challenges you're facing?

 Yes

 No

6. Which criminal activity have you involved in?

__________________________________________________.

7. How often do you attend school?

 1-3 times per week

 Every day

 Twice a month
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 Stop attending school

8. How did you became engaged in criminal activities?

_______________________________________________.

9. How does your parents respond when you get into trouble?

_______________________________________________________________.

10. Have you ever been caught while being involved in criminal activity?

 Yes

 No

11. If yes, who were you caught by? And what was done?

____________________________________________

12. Do you have any intentions to quit criminal activities?

____________________________________________

13. If yes, what actions do you plan to pursue?

 Start going to school regularly so I can be more educated and also learn a skill

 Let go off certain company

 Obey my parents and satisfy with what they can afford

 ALL OF THE ABOVE

14. What are your goals for the future?_________________________________

15. Do you use any drugs or alcohol? If yes, how often?

 Everyday

 Every week

 Once per month

 Twice per month

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Presentation of Data

Pie Chart depicting the number of males and female

repondents who are juvenile
2

18

Male Female

Figure 1: Display a pie chart of the number of juveniles that participate in this research. 18 of

the respondents were boys which were 90% and the remaining 2 are females which are 10% of

the respondents.
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Table representing four factors that influence juvenile delinquency and the

number of participants that react to each.

Factors that influence Juvenile delinquency Number of respondents

Lack of parental support 6

Peer Pressure 8

Poverty 4

Lack of education 2

Figure 2: A table demonstrating four factors that influence juvenile delinquency and the number

of respondents that respond to each based on their influence. According to the responses, peer

pressure being the most dominant cause with 8 responses, followed by Lack of parental support

with 6 responses and poverty with 4 responses, the remaining 2 persons said lack of education.
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Table representing criminal activities that were comitted

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and the number of juvenile that comitted each.

10

0
Rape Theft Murder Illegal Drugs

Figure 3: The graph shows that theft is the most common activity committed by the juveniles

with 11 respondents, followed by murder with 6 respondents, rape with 2 respondents and illegal

drugs the least, with 1 respondent.

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The column graph shows the age group of individuals who

are engaged in juvenile delinquency

15-17

13-14

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

Figure 4: The column graph portrays the age group and the number of individuals who are

involved in juvenile acts. 14 of the respondents which are 70% accounted that they are 15-17

years and the remaining 8 which are 30% said they are 13-14.
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Analysis of data

According to the data collected from the questionnaires, in figure 1 it represents the percentage

of males to females who have contributed to juvenile behavior. With males having the largest

percent of 90% and the remaining 10% were female it can be said that males are more

susceptible to juvenile behavior.

Figure 2 is a table representing four factors that could cause individuals to involve in juvenile

delinquency and the number of respondents who respond to each. Majority of the respondents

which are 40% stated that peer pressure was their main cause to involve in juvenile behavior.

This may be as a result of youths joining gang but in order to get acceptance they have to commit

a criminal activity. In this case they fear rejection if they don’t comply. Another 30% stated lack

of parental support was their cause to involve in juvenile act, this could be as a result of lack of

guidance which leads them to emotional neglect, which push them to low self-esteem and

engagement in criminal activities. Along with that, 20% said poverty influence them to commit

juvenile behavior, this could be because they have limited access to education and certain

resources. 10% which represent the persons accounted for lack of education was the least, lack of

education was the least because most of these persons have access to education but refuse to

make use of it. However, the few that said lack of education was their cause to involve in

juvenile act might have limited access to career opportunities which increase a likelihood chance

of theft.

Figure 3 is a graph which illustrates the different criminal activities committed by juveniles, as

shown, theft is the most common offense, reported by 11 respondents. Murder follows as the
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second most frequent crime, with 6 respondents involved, while rape is reported by 2

respondents. Illegal drug-related offenses are the least common, with only 1 respondent.

Figure 4, the column graph represents age distribution of individuals involved in juvenile

delinquency. The data shows that the majority of respondents, 14 individuals (70%), fall within

the 15-17 age group, while the remaining 8 respondents (30%) are aged 13-14. This suggest that

older adolescents are more likely to engage in delinquent activities compared to younger ones,
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Discussion of findings and Conclusion

From the first objective, “To examine the factors associated with juvenile delinquency’’ it was

revealed that lack of parental support, peer pressure, poverty, and lack of education are

associated with juvenile delinquency. Peer pressure was the most significant factor, with the

highest responses (8). This indicate that juveniles are highly influenced by their peers, maybe

due to a desire for social acceptance or pressure to engage in delinquent behaviors to fit in.

The second objective was to “Examine the age group and gender that is most engage in juvenile

delinquency”. It was discovered that ages 15-17 which are 70% of the respondents were more

engaged in juvenile activities than ages 13-14 which are 30% of the respondents, along with that,

males were often susceptible to juvenile activities than female. This is possible because as

adolescents grow older they gain more independence from parental supervision which increases

their exposure to negative peers and risky environment.

Lastly, the third objective was to “Gain insights into which criminal is most dominant in the

community”. It has been discovered that theft is the most common criminal activity committed

by juveniles, with 11 respondents of the 20 involved. The findings indicate that theft are more

prevalent among juveniles, possibly due to financial struggles or peer pressure.

After completing this Internal Assessment (IA) it can be concluded that, Juvenile Delinquency in

the community of Gordon, Whitehouse is influenced by a variety of factors however, it has

become evident that theft is the most dominant factor. By reducing Juvenile Delinquency it

requires approach such as parental guidance, community programs, law enforcement

collaboration etc…
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Bibliography

Howard Becker(1963) studies in the Sociology of Deviance

Fattah, Ezzat A. (1997). Criminology: Past, Present and Future: A Critical Overview. Palgrave

Macmillan UK. ISBN 9781349258383

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, “Strategies of crime prevention” a discussed paper

prepared for the eight session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice,

Vienna 27 April- 6 May 1999 (E/CN.15/1999/3

.Sari N, Nurhayati S. Parent and child relations in the perspective of adolescents with Juvenile

delinquency. Psychol Res Int. 2019; 2:36–42.

Mishra E, Biswal R (2018). Trends and factors associated with juvenile delinquency: A study

from India. Int J Appl Soc Sci. 2018; 5:1613–25.

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