CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1  BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Youth empowerment involve build the capacity of young people and motivating them to take responsibility of their lives .This is done through the process of improving their access to resources that will help in changing their lives ,beliefs, values, and attitudes Youth empowerment  is carried out to improve the quality of lives of the youth.  Youth empowerment is attained through   youth empowerment programs conducted by non-profit organizations, government organizations, schools or private organizations. Youth empowerment program consist of youth activism, civic engagement, democracy building.  Intergenerational equity
In ordinary language, a crime is any unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority .The act is considered a criminal offence when it is not only harmful to the individulas but to the society or community such as rape, robbery,muder,theft,vandalism,kidnapping etc. Criminal offences are  is defined by criminal law of  every country .Many young people in crime are as a result of poverty, lack of basic education and skills, poor neighborhoods and communities and lack of parental care and bad social influences from bad social interactions
Stakeholders involving the government, Ngos, international organizations, community associations etc need to conduct proper assessment of the conditions of the youth with a view to formulate appropriate policy and program of youth empowerment. The impact of youth empowerment is usually enormous leading to better quality of lives of the youth and total transformation of the society and community. (World Bank, 1994).The research therefore seek to investigate Youth empowerment as a strategy for reducing crime in Nigeria
1.2  STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Crime is any unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority .The act is considered a criminal offence when it is not only harmful to the individulas but to the society or community such as rape, robbery, murder, theft, vandalism, kidnapping etc. Criminal offences are  is defined by criminal law of  every country .Many young people in crime are as a result of poverty, lack of basic education and skills, poor neighborhoods and communities and lack of parental care and bad social influences from bad social interactions. Youth empowerment involve build the capacity of young people and motivating them to take responsibility of their lives .This is done through the process of improving their access to resources that will help in changing their lives ,beliefs, values, and attitudes Youth empowerment  is carried out to improve the quality of lives of the youth.