Female Juvenile Delinquency in Egypt from Institutions Key Workers' Perspective: A Qualitative Study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant lecturer- community Health Nursing Department- Faculty of Nursing- Zagazig University

2 Assistant professor of community health nursing - Faculty of Nursing- Zagazig University

3 Professor of community medicine - Faculty of Medicine- Zagazig University

10.12816/0029251

Abstract

Background: For history, girls have been less delinquent than boys. Local media and press
suggest increasing involvement of females in violent crimes. Further, those females who
become involved in delinquent activities appear to be doing so as a result of specific needs,
and complex interactions between certain dominions: individual, family, and community. Aim
of the study: Aim of the present study was to explore the phenomenon of female juvenile
delinquency in Egypt from institutions key workers' perspective. Subjects and methods: a
qualitative research approach was performed by conducting in-depth interviews with 16 key
workers from three residential correctional institutions affiliated to the Egyptian Ministry of
Solidarity and Social justice. Results: female juvenile delinquency is conceptualized as
resulting from stacking sets of child personal, familial and extra-familial factors. Female
juvenile delinquency is the result of influence, association, pressure, imitation, needs, wants
and desires. Conclusion: Risk factors can be captured in every life domain and they exert
different effects and do not operate in isolation. The most important cause of female juvenile
delinquency as prioritized by key workers is the family. Recommendation: it is recommended
that the study be expanded quantitatively to permit for generalization.

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