Parenting Factors and Recidivism among Delinquents in Juvenile Institution in Kwara State, Nigeria

Abstract

There is a general agreement that children are source of hope in society. They are future leaders and foremost social capital requiring priority investment. However, these seem unrealistic as Nigeria's children are growing up in a world that is largely different from that of the previous generations, as their delinquent behavior manifested through various forms which include bullying, fighting, running away from home or school, truancy to mention but a few. No doubt, this has become a great source of concerns to all well-meaning Nigerians. Thus, this study seeks to examine the influence of parenting factors on recidivistic behavior among adolescents. The study was conducted in juvenile (Borstal) institution, Kwara state. Data were gathered through questionnaire administration. A total of 205 respondents were sampled using simple random technique. Frequency distribution and percentile methods were used to descriptively analyze the data; while Chi-square technique was used to test the formulated hypotheses. The analysis of data revealed that parenting discipline styles, such as authoritarian one contributes to juvenile recidivism. The study also revealed that parents, who engaged in the act smoking / alcoholism, fight or abuse each other particularly in the presence of their children likely to have their wards become delinquent. Based on the above findings, it was recommended that parents need to be more informed and enlighten about the effective ways and manners of rearing children. Parents equally need to be a good role model to their children.