MAKERERE UNIVERSITY
ASSESSMENT OF THE FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH CRIMINAL
OFFENCES RECORDED IN MUKONO TOWN
A case study of Nagalama Police Division
BY
OKELLO PRECIOUS
215012143
15/U/12002/PS
A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF STATISTICS AND
PLANNING IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT FOR THE AWARD OF BACHELOR OF
STATISTICS DEGREE OF MAKERERE UNIVERSITY
JUNE 2018
DEDICATION
I dedicate this work to my father Mr. John Onen Rubanga, my Mother Mrs. Rose Arach Rubanga, my siblings Charity Apio Rosalydia, Sandra Ayiko, Vincent Orombi, Elizabeth Driciru, Mary Ester Ayikoru.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I thank the Almighty God for protection, guidance and making me able to successfully complete the project.
A word of thanks goes to Makerere University for the Opportunity awarded to us as students for being able carry out this research project.
I would specially love to thank my university supervisor, Mr. Ambrose Serunjogi who accorded me the necessary instructions and guidance towards the completion of this research project.
Also a word of thanks goes to my fellow students for all their cooperation and willingness to share the knowledge and ideas they had about this research project.
Special thanks go to my Family members for all the financial and moral support they rendered to me, without your effort this project would not have been a success.
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Table of Contents
DECLARATION ...... ii
DEDICATION ...... iii
APPROVAL ...... iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ...... v
List of Tables ...... x
List of Figures ...... xi
Abstract ...... xii
List of Acronyms or Abbreviations ...... xiii
Chapter One: Introduction ...... 1
1.0 Introduction ...... 1
1.1 Background to the study ...... 1
1.2 Problem statement ...... 3
1.3 Objectives of the Study ...... 4
1.3.1 Main objective ...... 4
1.3.2 Specific Objectives; ...... 4
1.4 Research questions ...... 4
1.5 Research Hypotheses...... 5
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1.6 Significance of the Study ...... 6
1.7 Scope of the study ...... 6
1.8 Limitations of the Study ...... 6
CHAPTER TWO: Literature Review ...... 7
2.0 Introduction ...... 7
2.1 Categories of Crime; ...... 7
2.1.1 Homicides ...... 7
2.1.2 Terrorism...... 9
2.1.3 Land Frauds ...... 10
2.1.4 Narcotics ...... 11
2.1.5 Breakings ...... 11
2.1.6 Thefts ...... 11
2.2 Factors associated with crimes...... 11
2.2.1 Employment and Crime ...... 11
2.2.2 The Age-Crime Relationship ...... 13
2.2.3 Natural Factors and Criminality...... 15
2.2.4 Impact of Education on Crime ...... 16
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ...... 18
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3.0 Introduction ...... 18
3.0.1 Study Area ...... 18
3.0.2 Research Procedure ...... 18
3.1 Data collection...... 18
3.1.1 Data collection form ...... 19
3.2 Data Analysis ...... 19
3.2.1 Analysis of Quantitative Data ...... 19
CHAPTER FOUR: Research Findings ...... 21
4.0 Introduction ...... 21
4.1 Categories of Crime ...... 21
4.2 Gender distribution of the Offenders ...... 22
4.3 Age Group distribution of the Offenders ...... 23
4.4 Occupation/ Employment status of the Offenders...... 23
4.5 Sex-Crime relationship ...... 24
4.6 Age-Crime relationship ...... 25
4.7 Occupation-Crime relationship ...... 27
CHAPTER FIVE: Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations ...... 30
5.0 Introduction ...... 30
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5.1 Summary ...... 30
5.1.1 Age-crime relationship...... 30
5.1.2 Gender-Crime relationship...... 30
5.1.3 Occupation/Employment-Crime relationship ...... 31
5.2 Conclusion ...... 31
5.3 Recommendation ...... 31
References ...... 32
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List of Tables
Table 3.1: Data Collection Form ...... 19
Table 4.1: A cross tabulation of sex and crime committed by the offenders ...... 24
Table 4.2: Cross tabulation of age group and crime committed ...... 25
Table 4.3: Cross tabulation of Employment status of offenders and crime committed ...... 27
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List of Figures
Figure 4.1 :Bar graph showing the categories of Crime ...... 21
Figure 4.2: A Bar graph showing the gender distribution of the Offenders ...... 22
Figure 4.3: A bar graph illustrating the age group distribution of the offenders ...... 23
Figure 4.4: A pie chart illustrating the employment/Occupation status of the offenders...... 23
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Abstract
The purpose of the study is to examine the factors associated with the pattern of crime in Uganda,
Mukono in particular, to know which crimes are most committed in Mukono town and causes, to know if crime in Mukono is age and gender related, to know which age bracket is more involved in criminal activities in Mukono town, to discover if crime has a relationship with occupational level, taking a case study of Nagalama Police Division.
The study further provides an insight of the different categories and types of crimes committed.
The study applied quantitative methods of data collection using tables from the records and archives from the offence books of the police. The study also applied statistical methods of data analysis where collected data was analyzed using descriptive statistics tools such as mean, frequencies, percentages, chi-square, to answer the different objectives.
The Findings of the study were; the highest committed offense is Thefts (42.86%). Majority
(76.84%) of the offenders are Youth (15 to 35 years of age). Majority of the offenders are Males
(94.74%), whereas the least offenders are Females (5.26%). Majority of the offenders (75.79%) are engaged in Informal Employment. There is no significant relationship between the sex of an offender and the crime committed evidenced by a p-value of 0.158 at 5% level of significance.
There is a significant relationship between crimes committed and the age of the offenders evidenced by a p-value is 0.000 at 5% level of significance. There is no significant relationship between occupational/employment status and crime evidenced by a p-value is 0.223 at 5% level of significance.
The researcher recommends the government should engage the population, more so the youth in formal employment, so as to reduce the levels of crime.
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List of Acronyms or Abbreviations
ADF Allied Democratic Front
AIGP Assistant Inspector General of Police
FBI Federal Bureau Investigation
IGP Inspector General of Police
LRA Lord’s Resistance Army
NRM National Resistance Movement
UPF Uganda Police Force
US DOD United States Department of Defence
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Chapter One: Introduction
1.0 Introduction
This chapter covers the background of the study, purpose of the study, objectives of the study, problem statement, scope, research questions and the significance of the study.
1.1 Background to the study
Around the world, the peril of crime is a severe apprehension. Each nation across the world has its particular hitches. The East African sub region, and in particular Uganda is not an exception.
Among these various huddles, one of the redoubtable problems and challenges being faced by the country is the trend of crime. This study was aimed at examining the factors responsible for the pattern of crime in Uganda, Mukono in particular.
A Criminal offence is simply an act harmful not only to some individual but also to a community, society or the state. It is an act or omission which is prohibited by criminal law and punished, usually by fine or imprisonment. It can also be called 'breaking the law'.
Generally in Uganda, the crime rate and trend has been declining significantly since
2006. According to the 2016 traffic and crime annual report, there was a marked reduction in crime
(9.15%) in the Jan‐June 2015 period compared to the same period in 2014. Crime rates in different districts of Uganda are not on the same level, there are districts where the level of crime is higher than others. Despite the overall reduction in crime rate in Uganda, there have been earsplitting cases of criminal activities in the country for instance Since 2012, about 10 Muslim clerics have been fatally shot by unknown assailants, another critical event was the gruesome murder of the then AIGP Andrew Felix Kaweesi and two other police officers who were shot dead by unknown
1 assailants in Kulambiro, Nakawa Division in Mukono in March 2017. Crime is an inhibitor to the economic, political and social progress of a nation and a major factor for underdevelopment; this is because it discourages the investments, reduces the competitiveness of the firms, and reallocates the resources creating uncertainty and inefficiency, (Detotto, 2010). Crime reduces the quality of life of its citizens, and puts the relationship between citizens and states in jeopardy. Prevalence of high levels of crime does not only mar the image of law enforcement agencies but also destabilizes the peace and security of the country and eats at the hearts of our “nascent” democracy and the ability of the country to promote sustainable development and peace (Bwiire, 2016). Almost everyone is affected in one way or the other by the consequences of crime.
A number of factors can trigger crime, criminologists in their knowledge of crime have stipulated some core causes of crime in the world. The following are some of the major causes of crime.
Unemployment: as the cliché goes, an idle mind is the devil’s workshop, the increase of unemployed people across the world has led to a steady rise in crime and corrupt practices. This is simply because when people are jobless or idle there is that chance of them ‘criminally’ being busy.
Political activities: Just like any other nation, politics plays a major role in an economy or country.
In Uganda, this factor is the chief cause of the rise of criminal activities. During political happenings, politicians leverage on the high rate of unemployment in this part of the world to recruit idle people who would willingly engage in profane acts to make a living.
Crises or social unrest: naturally during cases of crises and social unrest, there is a high tendency for Criminal activities to be at its peak.
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The Constitution of the Republic of Uganda (1995) provides for the establishment and operation of a number of key law enforcement agencies with a view to addressing the several aspects of crime in this country. Article 211 of the said Constitution establishes the Uganda Police Force and
Article 212 thereof outlines the core functions of the force as being the protection of life and property, preservation of law and order, prevention and detection of crime and co-operation with civilian authority and security organs as by law established.
The Police force is at the forefront of crime prevention in partnership with other law enforcement agencies in the county.
In an effort to reduce the trend of crimes in Uganda, measures have been setup such as the introduction of crime preventers; Crime preventers are volunteers meant to guard and prevent crime and should not be involved in partisan politics, as explained by the prime minister of Uganda
Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda. Other measures include community policing, putting up surveillance cameras by the state.
1.2 Problem statement
Development in Uganda, specifically in Mukono has been hindered due to crime. Criminality has taken a new facet in Mukono, crimes are being committed in a more sophisticated manner, and criminals have devised ways of evading the vigilance of the security operatives. This has led us to this research work, to be able to discover those new facets of crime in Mukono so that solutions of reducing crime can be proffered by updating the security operatives and the general citizens of
Mukono and Uganda at large.
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There is also a major concern to know if crime is age and gender related. That is, do people within certain age bracket commit more crime than others and does a particular gender engage in criminal activities than the other. There is equally another concern of knowing the level of crime in Mukono town, whether the security personnel are doing a good job, and what government is doing to positively employing our youths.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
1.3.1 Main objective
To find out the factors that are associated with crime in Mukono town.
1.3.2 Specific Objectives;
1. To know which crimes are most committed in Mukono town and causes.
2. To know if crime in Mukono is age and gender related.
3. To find out which gender category is more involved in criminal activities in Mukono town.
4. To know which age bracket is more involved in criminal activities in Mukono town.
5. To discover if crime has a relationship with occupational/employment status.
6. To proffer new ways of reducing crime in Mukono town.
1.4 Research questions
1. Is crime in Mukono age related?
2. Is crime in Mukono gender related?
3. Which age bracket is more involved in criminal activities in Mukono town?
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4. Is crime related with occupational/employment status?
5. What are other ways of reducing the crime rate in Mukono town?
1.5 Research Hypotheses
HYPOTHESIS 1
H0 : there is no significant relationship between age and criminal offences in Mukono town.
H1 : there is a significant relationship between age and criminal offences in Mukono town
Level of significance: 0.05
Decision rule: reject H0 if p-value is less than the level of significance, otherwise accept H0.
HYPOTHESIS 2
H0 : there is no significant relationship between gender and criminal offences in Mukono town.
H1: there is a significant relationship between gender and criminal offences in Mukono town.
Level of significance: 0.05
Decision rule: reject H0 if p-value is less than the level of significance, otherwise accept H0.
HYPOTHESIS 3
H0: there is no significant relationship between employment status and criminal offences in
Mukono town.
H1: there is no significant relationship between employment status and criminal offences in
Mukono town.
Level of significance: 0.05
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Decision rule: reject H0 if p-value is less than the level of significance, otherwise accept H0.
1.6 Significance of the Study
The significance of this study was mainly to ascertain the level of crime in Mukono town, to know if crime is age, gender related. Another importance of this study is to know if there is a relationship between crime and educational background, to discover which age group is more involved in criminal activities. Another very cardinal significance of this study was to know the frequently committed crimes in Mukono town and causes.
1.7 Scope of the study
This study was focused on the statistical analysis of the crime offenses recorded in Mukono town from November, 2017 April,2018. The study was also streamlined to know if crime in Mukono town is age and gender related, and to know the frequently committed crimes in Nagalama, a
Mukono suburb. This is because of it is a semi urban and semi-rural area.
1.8 Limitations of the Study
It is necessary to mention some of the limitations in this research work. The chief limitation was the difficulty in obtaining relevant information in that a few of our values gotten from the police divisional headquarters Nagalama were missing but these missing values were not statistical significant enough to be noticed. Notwithstanding, in the highlighted limitation above, it is hoped that this research will be useful to Nagalama, Mukono and the general public.
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CHAPTER TWO: Literature Review
2.0 Introduction
This chapter reviews literature from closely related studies that have been carried out about the factors associated with crime. It includes an assessment of the literature and provides a summary classification of criminal offences.
2.1 Categories of Crime;
There are many different types of crimes but, generally, crimes can be divided into four major categories, personal crimes, property crimes, inchoate crimes, and Statutory Crimes
2.1.1 Homicides
Homicide, or murder is the unlawful killing of another human being. Murder is typically broken down further into several sub-categories. The most common are first and second degree murder.
A person is charged with the first degree of murder if they kill someone with premeditation, use cruel torture in killing someone, and killing someone while acting out a felony. First degree murder is the most serious of all homicide charges. It applies to situations in which someone is accused of killing another person after having planned to kill the victim. It requires malice and forethought or planning. These cases are usually considered among the most heinous crimes and as such, the most severe punishments are usually reserved for these convictions, including life in prison or the death penalty.
The second degree of murder is known as manslaughter. There are two types of manslaughter, voluntary and involuntary manslaughter. Voluntary manslaughter is when you kill someone because of a reaction. Involuntary manslaughter occurs when you kill someone in a reckless act
7 such as drunk driving. Second degree murder usually applies to cases in which someone may have intended to kill another, but did not have time to plan it (a crime of passion). For example, a husband that flies into a rage and kills his wife when he comes home to discover her in bed with another man could be a second degree murder. Some states also apply the label of second degree murder to situations in which someone's actions were so wanton and reckless that the death of another person was readily foreseeable, even if killing someone was not the intention, such as driving at speed into a crowd of people. Second degree murder is also very serious, and in most situations the defendant will face life in prison or a similarly harsh sentence, though the death sentence is not an option.
Manslaughter
The charge of manslaughter is reserved for instances where the accused did not plan the crime nor did he or she intend for the victim to die because of his or her actions. Manslaughter charges usually arise out of accidental circumstances where a person died because of the event. For example, a doctor who prescribes drugs that can have a lethal interaction for a patient, a parent that leaves a baby in a hot car, or a driver who causes a fatal car accident. Sentences for those convicted of manslaughter vary widely depending on state laws and the circumstances of the event in question, but are usually somewhat less than second degree murder.
Justifiable Homicide.
Justifiable homicide is reserved for situations where an individual killed another in self-defense or similar circumstances. This really is not a legal charge, but rather a classification that police can use in an event where an individual died but no crime was committed, or as a defense in a homicide prosecution. Because the killing was justifiable, the person who committed the killing will not be
8 held criminally liable for the death, though civil penalties may still apply under certain circumstances.
Other Homicides
Some states have developed other forms of homicide crimes. For example, one modern trend is the felony murder charge. In felony murder, a person has died while the defendant was participating in the commission of a crime, but the defendant did not actually cause the death. For example, if several people storm into a convenience store for an armed robbery and one of them shoots the cashier, killing him, the other two can be charged with felony murder even though they did not actually kill anyone. States' laws are constantly evolving and diverging, so other forms of homicide may exist or may come into existence in the future.
2.1.2 Terrorism
Agencies such as the FBI, the US DOD and the US DOS realize the need to define terrorism.
While each definition is a bit different, they do have constant themes. These themes include involving premeditation terrorist acts which are motivated by some political or social agenda, terrorists generally target non-combatants or civilians and are generally sub-national or clandestine groups. The configuration of terrorist groups is generally dependent on one's environment, relationship with the state, motivation and/or goals.
The Ugandan Parliament enacted the Anti-Terrorism Act in 2002, shortly after the 9/11 attacks on the U.S. The Act defined terrorism as "Any act of violence or threat of violence carried out for purposes of influencing government or intimidating the public and for a political, religious, social and economic aim, indiscriminately without due regard for the safety of others or property."
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It should be noted that most local terrorists in Uganda originated as insurgents who failed to win the support of the population. Over time, these groups began resorting to coercing and forcing local people to join them through acts of abduction, intimidation, and violence.
Types of terrorism include;
State-Sponsored terrorism, which consists of terrorist acts on a state or government by a
state or government.
Dissent terrorism, which are terrorist groups which have rebelled against their
government.
Terrorists and the Left and Right, which are groups rooted in political ideology.
Religious terrorism, which are terrorist groups which are extremely religiously motivated
and
Criminal Terrorism, which are terrorists’ acts used to aid in crime and criminal profit.
(Kentucky, 2018)
2.1.3 Land Frauds
This is an intentional misinterpretation of material existing fact made by one person to another with knowledge of its falsity and for the purpose of inducing the other person to act, and upon which the other person relies with resulting injury or damage. These include Criminal trespass, obtaining money by false pretense, Obtaining Registration by False Pretense, Forgery and Uttering of False Documents, Malicious damage to property, Concealing Deeds, Fraudulent sale,
Fraudulent disposal of trust property, theft of Certificates.
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2.1.4 Narcotics
This is the possession or/and abuse of drugs.
2.1.5 Breakings
This is the criminal offence of breaking and entering a building illegally for the purpose of committing a crime. These include house breakings, shop breakings, Office breakings, Burglary.
2.1.6 Thefts
This is a criminal act of wrongfully taking and carrying away the property of another person without his consent with the intent of depriving the rightful owner of the possession. These include thefts of motor vehicles, theft of motor cycles, theft of mobile phones, theft of cattle
2.2 Factors associated with crimes.
2.2.1 Employment and Crime
In labor economics and sociological criminology, legitimate, salaried employment is considered to be an important factor by a number of theories consider in the prevention of criminal behavior.
Conversely, unemployment is conceived to genuinely cause an increase in criminal activity.
Economic choice theory is entrenched in the neoclassical idea of utility maximization, which presumes that people are responsive to incentives and choose behavior by maximizing their utility from a list of preferences, bound by opportunities and other constraints on their resources (Becker,
1968). Distilled to its basics, the economic choice theory of crime is concerned with how selfish individuals allocate their time and resources between legal and illegal activities with the results of the illegal activities are uncertain. Besides the economic choice theory is the expected utility model, according to which a person decides to commit crime when the expected returns from
11 illegal behavior, discounted by punishment risk, exceed the expected returns from law-abiding behavior such as employment. All else equal, individuals faced with current or future unemployment or low wages experience lower costs of committing crime. To be precise, they experience lower opportunity costs of engaging in illegal activity, and thus they find illegal income generation to be an attractive and rational alternative compared with legal income generation.
(Eide, 1999)
Social control theory proposes that strong attachment to the institution of work constitutes a potent source of informal social control over criminal behavior (Sampson & Laub, 1993). Such attachment encourages a strong “stake in conformity” that can overcome the temptation to violate the law, in part because attached individuals fear putting their future careers in jeopardy. The acquisition of a stable job of high quality can also be a turning point for individuals with a history of criminal behavior because it fosters social capital, or investments in conventional institutional relationships (Hagan J., 1997). According to control theory, the mediating role of social capital implies that work quality is more significant than the mere presence of work, because higher quality jobs promote stronger interpersonal connectedness and institutional embeddedness.
Social control theory is also friendly to the notion that “idle hands are the devil’s workshop,” in the sense that individuals who are employed simply have fewer chances of committing crime because they are too busy working (Hirschi, 1969). This is the involvement hypothesis of the theory: “Many persons undoubtedly owe a life of virtue to a lack of opportunity to do otherwise”
(Hirsch, 1969, p. 21). If the allocation of time is a zero-sum game, then one more hour spent in the workplace is one less hour available for criminal activity outside the workplace. In a recent elaboration of this idea, (Sampson & Laub, 1993) proposed that attachment to work not only
12 constrains opportunities to commit crime but also leads to fundamental changes in how individuals spend their leisure time outside of work. The imposed structure of the workplace may infiltrate non-work settings and thus foster changes in routine activities that lure individuals away from crime by channeling them into conventional behavior with law-abiding companions.
According to various strands of learning theory, the workplace provides a context for differential associations with conventional employers and coworkers that tip the balance of definitions favorable to law violation (Sutherland, 1947), a general process proposed to operate through modeling and differential reinforcement of law-abiding behavior (Akers, 1985). Steady work in a good job puts individuals in close proximity with a conventional social circle for a nontrivial number of hours each week. As such, they have exposure to colleagues who espouse prosocial beliefs toward the law, who act on these beliefs, and who therefore provide positive role models and rein forcers for behavior both inside and outside the workplace.
2.2.2 The Age-Crime Relationship
Debate over the age-crime curve also has significant implications for criminological theory.
(Travis & Michael, 1983) claimed that the age-crime curve is invariant, that the causes of crime are the same at all ages, and that no existing social theory is capable of explaining the curve.
Traditional criminological theories, such as differential association and social control, have tended to focus on explaining crime during the adolescent period, which represents the peak of the age- crime curve. Although this is to be expected, given that the bulk of delinquent and criminal activity occurs during these ages, (Greenberg, Rohe, & Williams, 1985) argued that crime does not just level off following the transition to adulthood; instead, it consistently declines, which suggests the need for theoretical attention to the entire life span and to the decline and desistance from offending in addition to onset.
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(Travis & Michael, 1983) noted that traditional theories have often been judged by their ability to explain the patterns apparent in the age–crime curve. For example, theories are criticized as being able to explain the onset of criminality, leading to the peak of offending, but not desistance. The failure to explain all aspects of the age–crime curve is often taken as a fatal flaw for theories.
Hirschi and Gottfredson argued, however, that a theory that adequately distinguishes offenders from non-offenders at a particular age (e.g., adolescence) may not necessarily account for the aging-out effect. Because aging out and desistance from crime occur consistently for all groups, the failure to explain desistance should not be used to discount a theory, especially considering that no existing theory, in their opinion, is capable of providing an adequate explanation.
(Travis & Michael, 1983) also argued that, in the absence of a sufficient theoretical explanation, the remaining conclusion is that age has a direct effect on crime independent of other social factors and incapable of being explained by any existing social theories. This would seem to imply some sort of biological explanation, and they referred to a process of maturational reform, which occurs pervasively for all offenders, as an explanation of desistance. (Farrington, Ohlin, & Wilson, 1986) also suggested that maturational reform reflects some biological forces, noting age-related variation in physical strength and skills. Again, according to (Travis & Michael, 1983), because the age–crime curve is invariant, and because aging out of crime occurs similarly for everyone, attempts to explain these patterns with social forces, which are assumed to vary, is futile. These authors ultimately concluded that the correlation between various social factors and crime is spurious, calling into question all existing criminological theories.
The Age-Crime Relationship in Traditional Criminological Theory
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Despite the critique leveled by (Travis & Michael, 1983), the major theoretical traditions in criminology (i.e., strain, social control, and social learning theories) have all been used to provide explanations for variation in criminal behavior over the life span. For example, strain theory argues that adolescents and young adults experience more status frustration and strain, which eases with entry into adulthood and legitimate employment. The relative deprivation experienced by youth declines with entry into the legitimate adult labor market (Greenberg, Rohe, & Williams, 1985).
Theorists have also incorporated some elements of strain theory when considering Easterlin’s
(1978) perspective on relative cohort size. Easterlin argued that larger cohorts (e.g., the Baby
Boomers) face certain disadvantages, such as competition for scarce resources, that result in higher levels of economic deprivation for that cohort. Although Easterlin highlighted the negative economic conditions consistent with a strain perspective, he also suggested that large cohorts may overwhelm social institutions, subjecting cohort members to additional criminogenic social conditions, such as reduced supervision, weakened socialization, and lower levels of social control.
These conditions prove to be most detrimental for adolescents and young adults and may account for increasing crime rates when these large cohorts enter the most crime-prone years (i.e., late adolescence and early adulthood).
2.2.3 Natural Factors and Criminality
A lot is known about the nature and extent of criminal offending. The earliest thinking about crime came from religious leaders and philosophers; often, these perspectives speculated on both the origins and morality of criminal acts as well as the proper sort of responses to these offenses. The first true empirical studies of criminal offending were conducted by Cesare Lombroso, who believed that there was an important link between biological factors and crime causation. In other words, it was believed that certain offenders were born criminal and could be identified by certain
15 biological defects, such as high cheekbones, baldness, and shifty eyes. Scholarship on the nature and extent of crime has moved far beyond these appearance-based biological factors.
Contemporary thinking about crime causation is much more complex and often involves a mix of sociological or psychological factors. (Gina, 1911)
2.2.4 Impact of Education on Crime
The fact that states that have focused the most on education, in general, financial support tend to have lower rates of violent crime and incarceration have consistently been supported by comparisons of state-level education data and crime and incarceration rates. Although education can never be viewed as a “cure all” or magic bullet that will guarantee reductions in criminal activity or crime rates, research suggests that increased investments in quality education can have a positive public safety benefit.
One of the most principal ideas under the umbrella concept of education’s impact on crime is the belief that a reduction in crime can most often be achieved by increased crime prevention and that the most effective form of crime prevention is achieved through education. (Miller, 2009)
Education may change individuals’ preferences and, in turn, their breadth of choices. The second explanation is that education contributes to a lower time preference i.e., learning the consequences of one’s actions often make that individual postpone the direct satisfaction of needs. Some scholars argue that education leads to a lower time preference for consumption in the present, teaching one the potential negative aspects of immediate gratification and a higher time preference for consumption in the future i.e. teaching one the benefits of working in the present to prepare for the future. (Miller, 2009)
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Many researchers argue that formal education has a very strong impact on teaching students through the study of history, sociology, and other subjects on which they should focus more of their attention in the future. Formal schooling and instruction can interconnect images of the situations and difficulties of adult life, which are inevitable future issues for all adolescents. Thus, educated people should be more productive at reducing the remoteness of future pleasures.
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CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.0 Introduction
This section contains a description of how data was collected and statistics used to analyze the data and how they were computed.
3.0.1 Study Area
The research was conducted in Mukono District particularly from Nagalama Police Division. The area is a semi Urban, and semi-Rural area. Other police posts within this area report and forward investigated criminal cases to Nagalama Police Division.
3.0.2 Research Procedure
The researcher obtained an introductory letter from the School of Statistics and Planning College of Business and Management Sciences, Makerere University; which was presented to the Deputy
Officer in charge Criminal Investigation Department Nagalama Police Division and the letter that requests for permission to carry out the research.
3.1 Data collection
The data used in this study was cross-sectional data. The crime/offence data used was collected from the criminal records book in the records section from the office of the CID.
Records contained investigated offences/crimes, and related socio-demographic factors of the past criminal offences. Quantitative data on the criminal offences was for the period of 6 months, from
November 2017 to April 2018.
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3.1.1 Data collection form
A data collection form was used to collect the data for the criminal offences.
Table 3.1: Data Collection Form
S/No RefNo. Name Offence Sex Age(Yrs.) Occupation Education
Level
001 02/11/17/34 XXAA0001 CRIMINAL M 34 PEASANT
TRESPASS
Dummy names were used to ensure confidentiality of the offenders.
3.2 Data Analysis
3.2.1 Analysis of Quantitative Data
Analysis of quantitative data was done in two levels; i.e. univariate analysis, Bi-variate analysis.
This was achieved by the use of Stata Version 14.2, a statistical software package.
Univariate analysis;
The collected data was analyzed using descriptive statistics tools such as mean, frequencies, percentages and by visualization using bar plots.
Bi-variate Analysis;
The collected data was analyzed using the Chi-square statistic to access the relationship between the categories of crime and other factors such as sex of the offenders, age bracket, employment status of the offenders.
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(푓 −푓 )2 푋2=∑ 표 푒 푓푒
Where fo is the observed frequency
fe is the expected frequency
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CHAPTER FOUR: Research Findings
4.0 Introduction
This chapter presents the analysis and presentation of the findings in accordance to the stated objectives and research questions, these objectives included; to determine which crime is committed most in Mukono town, to find out whether there is a relationship between gender of an offender and crime committed, to establish a crime-occupational relationship of the offenders, to find out the relationship between the age group of offenders and crime committed.
4.1 Categories of Crime
Figure 4.1 :Bar graph showing the categories of Crime
From the figure 4.1 above, the highest committed offense is Thefts (42.86%), Violence and Land
Frauds each at 15.34%, 12,17% of the offences committed are sexual offences, 6.88% are
21 breakings, 2.65% are Narcotics, 1.59% are of Homicides, and 3.17% accounts for other crimes committed.
4.2 Gender distribution of the Offenders
Figure 4.2: A Bar graph showing the gender distribution of the Offenders
From the figure 4.2 above, majority of the offenders are Males (94.74%), whereas the least offenders are Females(5.26%).
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4.3 Age Group distribution of the Offenders
Figure 4.3: A bar graph illustrating the age group distribution of the offenders
Majority (76.84%) of the offenders are Youth (15 to 35 years of age), 21.58% are of Old Age (36 years and above), 1.58% of the offenders are Minor (below 15 years).
4.4 Occupation/ Employment status of the Offenders.
Figure 4.4: A pie chart illustrating the employment/Occupation status of the offenders 23
From the figure 4.4 above, majority of the offenders (75.79%) are engaged in Informal
Employment, 9.47% are engaged in Formal employment, 6.84% are engaged in Businesses, and
7.90% are unemployed.
4.5 Sex-Crime relationship
Table 4.1: A cross tabulation of sex and crime committed by the offenders
Crime Sex of Offender Total Category Female Male Thefts 3 78 81 3.70 96.30 100.00 Breakings 0 13 13 0.00 100.00 100.00 Sexual 0 23 23 0.00 100.00 100.00 Violence 2 27 29 6.90 93.10 100.00 Land Frauds 3 26 29 10.34 89.66 100.00 Narcotics 0 5 5 0.00 100.00 100.00 Homicide 1 2 3 33.33 66.67 100.00 Other crimes 1 5 6 16.67 83.33 100.00 Total 10 179 189 5.29 94.71 100.00 Pearson chi2(7) = 10.5823 P-value = 0.158
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From table 4.1 above, 96.3% of the thefts are committed by Male offenders, 3.7% of the thefts are committed by the Female Offenders.
Most of the breakings cases are committed by Male offenders (100%)
All of the sexual Offences are committed by Males (100%)
93.1% of crimes of Violence are accounted for by Male offenders, whereas 6.9% of these are accounted for by Female offenders.
89.66% of Land Frauds are committed by Male offenders, whereas 10.34% of these are committed by the Female offenders.
Only male offenders are involved in Narcotics (100%)
66.67% of the Homicides are committed by male offenders, whereas 33.33% of these are committed by the Female offenders.
83.33% of other crimes are committed by Males, whereas 16.67% of Other crimes are committed by females.
The p-value is 0.158, which is greater than 0.05. This implies that there is no significant relationship between the sex of an offender and the crime committed at 5% level of significance.
4.6 Age-Crime relationship
Table 4.2: Cross tabulation of age group and crime committed
Crime Age Group of the Offender Total Category Minor Youth Older Age Thefts 1 72 8 81
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1.23 88.89 9.88 100.00 Breakings 1 11 1 13 7.69 84.62 7.69 100.00 Sexual 0 17 6 23 0.00 73.91 26.09 100.00 Violence 0 18 11 29 0.00 62.07 37.93 100.00 Land Frauds 0 16 13 29 0.00 55.17 44.83 100.00 Narcotics 1 3 1 5 20.00 60.00 20.00 100.00 Homicide 0 2 1 3 0.00 66.67 33.33 100.00 Other crimes 0 6 0 6 0.00 100.00 0.00 100.00 Total 3 145 41 189 1.59 76.72 21.69 100.00 Pearson chi2(14) = 38.8969 P-value = 0.000
From table 4.2 above, the youth account for 88.89% of the theft cases, Minor account for 1.23%, and the older age offenders account for 9.88% of the thefts.
84.62% of Breakings are committed by the youth, The Minors and older age each account for
7.69% of Breakings.
73.91% of sexual offences are committed by the youth, and 26.09% of the sexual offences are committed by Older age adults.
62.07% of crimes of Violence are committed by the youth, 37.93% of crimes of violence are committed by Older age adults. 26
55.17% of Land Frauds are committed by the youth, 44.83% of Land frauds are committed by the
Older age adults.
60% of Narcotics is accounted for by the youth, as the minors and older age adults account for
20% each.
66.67% of Homicides are committed by the youth, whereas 33.33% is accounted for by older age adults.
The rest of the other crimes are accounted for by the youth (100%).
The p-value is 0.000, which is less than 0.05. This implies that there is a significant relationship between crimes committed and the age of the offenders.
4.7 Occupation-Crime relationship
Table 4.3: Cross tabulation of Employment status of offenders and crime committed
Crime Occupation/Employment Status of the Offender Total Category Informal Formal Business Unemployed Thefts 61 5 6 9 81 75.31 6.17 7.41 11.11 100.00 Breakings 9 2 1 1 13 69.23 15.38 7.69 7.69 100.00 Sexual 21 2 0 0 23 91.30 8.70 0.00 0.00 100.00 Violence 21 5 2 1 29 72.41 17.24 6.90 3.45 100.00 Land Frauds 23 2 2 2 29 79.31 6.90 6.90 6.90 100.00
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Narcotics 3 0 0 2 5 60.00 0.00 0.00 40.00 100.00 Homicide 2 0 1 0 3 66.67 0.00 33.33 0.00 100.00 Other crimes 4 2 0 0 6 66.67 33.33 0.00 0.00 100.00 Total 144 18 12 15 189 76.19 9.52 6.35 7.94 100.00 Pearson chi2(21) = 25.5766 P-value = 0.223
From the table above, 75.31% of Theft crimes are committed by offenders engaged in informal employment, 11.11% committed by those who are unemployed, 7.41% committed by offenders engaged in businesses, 6.17% committed by offenders who are engaged in formal employment.
69.23% of breakings are committed by offenders engaged in informal employment, 15.38% committed by offenders engaged in formal employment, and offenders engaged in businesses, and the unemployed offenders, each account for7.69% of crimes of Breakings.
91.3% of sexual crimes are committed by offenders engaged in informal employment, whereas
8.7% are committed by offenders engaged in formal employment.
72.41% of crimes of violence are committed by offenders betrothed in Informal employment,
17.24% are committed by offenders engaged in formal employment, 6.9% are committed by offenders engaged in businesses, and 3.45% are committed by the unemployed.
79.31% of Land frauds are committed by offenders engaged in informal employment, whereas offenders engaged in formal employment, Businesses, and unemployed offenders each account for
6.9%
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60% of crimes of Narcotics are committed by offenders engaged in informal employment, whereas
40% are committed by offenders who are unemployed.
66.67% of homicides are committed by offenders engaged in informal employment, whereas
33.33% are committed by offenders engaged in businesses.
66.67% of other crimes are committed by offenders engaged in informal employment, whereas
33.33% are committed by offenders engaged in formal employment.
The p-value is 0.223 which is greater than 0.05. this implies that there is no significant relationship between occupational/employment status and crime, at 5% level of significance.
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CHAPTER FIVE: Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations
5.0 Introduction
This chapter gives a summary, conclusion and recommendations of the main findings in relation to the stated objectives and results obtained from the findings from the previous chapter Four.
5.1 Summary
The summary of the results is in line with the stated specific objectives of this study which are;
i. To know which crimes are most committed in Mukono town and causes.
ii. To know if crime in Mukono is age and gender related. iii. To find out which gender category is more involved in criminal activities in Mukono town. iv. To discover if crime has a relationship with occupational/employment status.
5.1.1 Age-crime relationship
The results obtained show that most of the offenders (76.8%) are the youth (aged 15 to 35 years) as compared to other age groups. And that there is a significant relationship between age and crime as the p-value is 0.000 at 5% level of significance.
5.1.2 Gender-Crime relationship
The results obtained show that majority of the offenders (94.7%) are Males as compared to the
Female counterparts. However, there is an insignificant relationship between Gender and crime as the p-value is 0.158 at 5% level of significance.
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5.1.3 Occupation/Employment-Crime relationship
The results obtained show that majority of the offenders (75.8%) are engaged in informal employment as compared to other forms of employment. However, there is an insignificant relationship between occupational status and crime as the p-value is 0.223 at 5% level of significance.
5.2 Conclusion
The crime of thefts is committed most in Mukono town. For the age-crime relationship, since on cross tabulation the results were statistically significant evidenced by a lower p-value of 0.000, at
5% level of significance concludes that there exists a relationship between the age bracket of offenders and criminal offences, and the youth commit most of these crimes compared to other age groups i.e Minor, and the Older age. However, the sex-crime relationship was statistically insignificant at 5% level of significance evidenced by a higher p-value of 0.158 concluding that it does not matter whether an offender is Male or Female to be prone to commit a criminal offence and finally the Occupation-crime relationship was statistically insignificant evidenced with a higher p-value of 0.223 at 5% level of significance, concluding that whether offenders are engaged in informal employment, formal employment, Businesses, and unemployed, they were prone to committing criminal offences.
5.3 Recommendation
The government should engage the population, more so the youth in formal employment, so as to reduce the levels of crime.
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