Citation

Phillips AR. Acta Criminol. 2022; 35(2): 33-49.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Criminological Society of South Africa)

DOI

10.10520/ejc-crim_v35_n2_a3

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Schools are typically perceived as important secondary socialisation agents tasked with reinforcing conformist behaviour taught within the family or external environment. Ideally, schools should strive toward advancing prosocial behaviour, particularly in instances where the family or community are incapable of adequately socialising youth. However, schooling systems are often unable to do this and in numerous instances become a vital risk factor inciting youth misconduct. Aspects including academic failure, poor motivation to attend school, weakened levels of attachment to school and an upsurge in violence or gang-related activities thus place a considerable proportion of learners at risk of adopting behaviours that lead to them contravening the law. This is particularly disconcerting for developing countries, such as South Africa, which experience a plethora of challenges that render the school environment unconducive to learning. These include dilapidated infrastructure, limited resources, as well as elevated rates of violence and bullying. Moreover, schools also have to deal with restricted access to counselling services, illicit substance abuse and the possession of weapons by students and/or teachers. Based on the premise that there is a nexus between youth misconduct and criminogenic risk factors that manifest in the school environment, a qualitative approach was used to reflect on the unique experiences and perceptions of 20 male youths detained at the Kimberley Youth Development Centre in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa. The findings revealed that participants had been exposed to several crime-inducing factors and highlighted academic failure, truancy, dropping out of school, weakened attachment to school, gang violence, substance abuse and negative relationships with educators as key predictors of youth misconduct. It is thus envisaged that the findings obtained in this study will offer a deeper understanding of the potential influence of the school environment on the behaviour of the youth, enabling the development of strategies and policies aimed at reducing conflict, thereby rendering the school milieu more conducive to teaching and learning.

Keywords: Juvenile Justice

Language: en

Keywords

academic failure; bullying; expulsion; gangs; poor school ethos; school; school-based violence; socio-criminogenic risk factors; suspension; truancy; Youth misconduct