FAMILY INSTABILITY AND JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
ABSTRACT
The family as a universal social institution exists in all human society. It forms the basis without which no society can survive. It is from here the individual picks up a “self” through the process of socialization. Various factors have been associated with delinquency, but the most important is the quality of relationship between parents and children. Some observers of social life have argued that the family no longer functions as a useful social unit. The method employed for the study is the survey method and the purposive/judgemental sampling technique of the non-probability sampling method. Based on the data collected, we found that domestic violence does determine delinquency in children, that large family does not engender delinquency, that children who associate with delinquents usually became delinquents, and that there was a relationship between parents’ criminal record and deviance in children.
We concluded by saying that since delinquency emanates from the home from, much attention should be focused on childhood and family life.
CHAPTER ONE
1.1 INTRODUCTION
Many sociologists regard the family as the cornerstone of society. It forms the basic unit of social organization and it is
difficult to imagine how society could function without it. Although the composition of the family varies, for example in
many societies two or more wives are regarded as the ideal arrangement, such difference can be seen as minor
variations.
In general, therefore, the family has been seen as a universal social institution, as an inevitable part of human society.
On the whole it has been regarded as functional both for the individual and society as a whole (Haralambos and
Heald 1984).
The study of the family involves several theories, but the functionalist and conflict theories are the two most
fundamental. The functionalists are interested in the functions that are performed by the family. The family according
to the functionalist view, is the most stable social institution and is therefore ideal for the performance of the following
functions:
(i) The family, through the process of socialization, nurtures and prepares children to be productive members of
society. (ii) It equips them with the cultural values and skills necessary for the society to survive continuously. (iii)
Family members receive their basic needs, such as emotional and physical care, from their families. In most
societies, there are groups or organisations that take up the responsibility of caring for or protecting the members of
the society under certain circumstances. The family, however, seems to be the most appropriate of them all,
especially regarding daily living in an impersonal environment caused by rapid changes (Magill, and Hector, 2000 ed).
From the foregoing, the family is supposed and expected to be an arena of love, peace, harmony, and tranquility,
where members will naturally find a haven of rest after a tension soaked and stressful working day. It is expected to
be the protector and guardian of its members from external aggression among other roles. However, research and
observation show that the family has become another place of tension, multifarious problems and a danger Zone (Ekiran 2004)
FAMILY INSTABILITY AND JUVENILE DELINQUENCY