A Profile of Delinquents in an Approved School

Abstract

Adolescence is a difficult period of development. During their transition from childhood to adulthood, adolescents have to cope with various stressors. Deviant behaviour could be the result of ineffective coping with these stressors. However, not all adolescents from low socio-economic status and living under criminogenic conditions resort to deviant behaviour. Resilience among these adolescents is examined to help formulate preventive measures against delinquency. A sample consisting of 63 students in an Approved School is examined in terms of types of offences committed, their motive for doing so and the coping behaviours frequently employed by them in order to understand delinquency. Their deviant behaviour are classified under crimes against properties, crimes against persons, status offences, drug and liquor law violations and offences against the public order. Among the delinquent subjects, 63.6 percent are referred for property crimes while 23.7 percent are for drug charges. Only nine percent are for violent crimes and 3.6 percent for status offences. Rank order of their self-reported offences shows that smoking is the most frequent offence while only one of them reported attempted murder. Motivation for delinquency includes lack of finances and wanting to have fun. The coping behaviours frequently employed by delinquent subjects are those described as avoidance-focused such as ‘joke and try to be funny’, ‘sleep a lot’, ‘tell myself that the problem is not important’ and ‘do strenuous physical activity’. However, talking to parents about their problems is the least common among them.

Keywords: Delinquency, approved school, crimes, motivation towards delinquency, coping behaviours

ABSTRAK

Peringkat remaja merupakan suatu tempoh yang sukar bagi orang muda. Semasa peralihan daripada peringkat seorang kanak-kanak menjadi seorang dewasa, remaja terpaksa mengatasi pelbagai cabaran hidup. Salah laku dalam kalangan remaja mungkin disebabkan tingkah laku yang kurang berkesan semasa menghadapi cabaran hidup harian. Walau bagaimanapun, bukan semua remaja daripada status ekonomi yang rendah atau hidup dalam suasana yang sering melanda jenayah terjebak dalam kejadian salah laku. Ciri-ciri remaja ini perlu dikenal pasti bagi membolehkan intervensi yang sesuai dirangka untuk mencegah salah laku juvana. Sampel yang terdiri daripada 63 orang pelajar di sebuah (Sekolah Tunas Bakti) dikaji dari segi jenis salah laku, dorongan mereka dan tingkah laku penyesuaian (coping) dalam kalangan mereka untuk memahami perbuatan salah laku. Salah laku mereka diklasifikasikan sebagai salah laku harta benda, salah laku terhadap orang, salah laku status, penyalahgunaan dadah dan minuman keras, dan salah laku awam. Dalam kalangan pesalah juvana ini, 63.6 peratus dirujuk berdasarkan salah laku harta benda dan 23.7 peratus pula bagi penyalahgunaan dadah. Hanya sembilan peratus bagi salah laku keganasan dan 3.6 peratus bagi salah laku status. Merokok merupakan salah laku yang paling kerap manakala hanya satu kes cuba membunuh dirujukkan. Dorongan mereka termasuk masalah kewangan dan ingin berseronok. Tingkah laku penyesuaian (coping) pula bercirikan usaha cuba mengelakkan daripada isu yang timbul seperti ‘dengan berjenaka’, ‘banyak tidur’, ‘memujuk diri bahawa masalah yang dihadapi itu remeh sahaja’ atau ‘menjalani aktiviti yang lasak’. Mereka jarang berbincang dengan ibu bapa tentang masalah yang mereka hadapi itu.

Kata kunci: Salah laku juvana, Sekolah Tunas Bakti, jenayah, dorongan, tingkah laku penyesuaian