CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
    In our contemporary, societies, the problem of juvenile delinquency has been one of the malicious, negativistic acts of purposeless violence, which has turned out to be difficult to prevent and control. It has been observed that most delinquent acts which are serious and violent are committed by the juvenile or street gangs. These juveniles are involved in multiple, serious criminal acts. They maintain a criminal life-style; they are known to be repeat or chronic delinquent offenders (Siegel and Senna, 1991:6).
    It should be emphasized that the trends of juvenile delinquency is difficult to establish on a daily, weekly, monthly, yearly or over a long period in our schools. This is because statistical records are not accurately kept in our schools. This makes it even more difficult to determine exactly, whether juvenile delinquency is on the increase or decrease during a certain period in our schools. Based on the national office of statistics, it is believed that juvenile delinquency rose astronomically at certain times during oil (1970 – 1979) and post – oil (1980 – 1989) era. The records of the Police Bureau also show that there was the greatest risk that students/pupils would be victims of serious offences than minor or simple offences committed by the delinquent students in the schools. Even teachers are not safe from their anti-social behaviour.
    Emphatically, the problem of juvenile delinquency is a global phenomenon. Pathetically, on February 12 1993, 2 year old, James Bulger was abducted from a shopping mall in Liverpool, England, dragged half mile away to a construction site, beaten to death, and left on a rail road track to be run over by a train. His abductors were two 10 year – old boys whose actions were captured by mall security cameras (Siegel, 1995). Also, on January 11, 1992, four teenage girls lured 12 – year old Shanda Rence Sharer into there car, drove her down a country road where they tortured, sodomised, slashed and finally covered her with gasoline and burned her to death. One of the girls had accused Sharer of stealing away her girl friend in a homoerotic relationship. The crime occurred in Madison, Indiana, a quiet town of thirteen thousand people. The girls, who later plead guilty, were given the maximum sentence allowed by law (Siegel, 1995).
    It is important to note here also that the anxiety and disquiet, induced by the juvenile is not limited to the modern era. Citing the code of Hammurabi which dates back to 2270 B.C., Regoli and Hewitt (1991:6) note that legal prohibition of specific behaviour by Juvenile is centuries old. Still, they note that in the middle ages “little distinctions were made between juveniles and adults who were older than 12 (Rogoli and Hewitt, 1991:6). In a comment made in 1959 but which is still relevant to those who are intrigued, frightened, or perplexed by the “heedlessness” of today juveniles.
    Teeters and Matza (1959:200) stated: “it has always been popular for each generation to believe its children were the worst.” We are also reminded by them that Sir Walter Scott in 1812 deplored the insecurity of Edinburgh where group of boys between the ages of 12 down who robbed all who came in their way (p.200). Apropos of delinquency, such remarks underscore the relativity of opinion and the brevity of trends. They also remind us that juvenile delinquency is a relatively new legal category that subjects children to court authority; it is also a timeless and ubiquitous part of life.
    By the mid – 1800s, teenage gangs were frequently found in the larger cities. The habits of hanging out on street corners, verbally abusing pedestrians, and even pelting citizens with rocks and snowballs were among the least threatening of their behaviours. More serious were the violent gangs of juvenile robbers. The latter decades of the 19th century saw a number of changes in the public understand of the causes of delinquency and of appropriate approaches to its control and treatment.