CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY

Crime is an inevitable phenomenon in human existence because human beings are hedonistic in nature (pleasure seeking in nature). The rate at which teenagers and youths in the society commit crime cannot be overemphasized. Crime in schools is one of the most disturbing societal problems in the society today. The crime does not affect only the offender, victim or witness but it affects societal growth and stability at large.

A crime is an act committed or omitted, in violation of a public law, either forbidding or commanding it; a breach or violation of some public right or duty due to whole community, considered as a community. In its social aggregate capacity, as distinguished from a civil injury. (Wilkins v. u. s).

Crime is again defined as an intentional act or omission in violation of criminal law, statutory, case law committed without defense or justification and sanctioned by the state as a felony or misdemeanor. (Paul Tappan 1947)

Crime and criminal behavior is hard to define. This is due to the varying norms and ideologies in different societies, what is seen as a crime in a society will be part of the norms of another. A United Nations research institute observed that:

Crime, in the sense of a breach of legal prohibition, is a universal concept, but what actually constitutes a crime and how seriously it should be regarded, varies enormously from

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one society to another. Perceptions of crime are not determined by any objective indicator of the degree of injury or damage but by cultural values and power relations.

Various means have been provided to reduce the criminal behaviors amongst youth and various resources have been directed at developing various means of reducing criminal behaviors amongst students. Such means includes payment of fine, community service, rehabilitation, juvenile prison just to mention a few. But these various means have failed in achieving the means for which they were established, they have failed in reducing crimes in the society and also in reducing the high rate of recidivism in the society. The activities of students have long been subject to public concerns such as examination malpractice, physical assault, sexual assault, theft, bullying, and most times students always categorize some crimes as less crimes and this makes them commit some offences as if they were normal, this includes indecent dressing, going late for lectures just to mention a few.

In order to ensure the reduction of criminal behavior in schools, there should be an effective model put in place to ensure the reduction of criminal behaviors in schools. The main focus is to continue the downward trends in the high volume crime and to intervene in the increase of recidivism and effectiveness and efficiency of the intervention in addressing the behavior of the youth and the causes of such behavior and their needs.

1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

The history of criminal behavior in institutions has been seen to have grown over the years. This shows that this area of criminal acts among students have been neglected in that the same

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solution have been applied to the increase of these criminal behaviors in students and this has not yielded any positive result over the years.

Some of the problems include;

•           Increase in crime rate in the institutions

•         There is no standard measure of tackling criminal behaviors among students

•         Increase in victimization among students

•         Rise of tension among students

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The broad objective of the study is to evaluate the criminal behaviors of students of private institutions and to examine measures of reducing criminal behavior. Specific objectives include:

·         To identify the criminal behaviors of students in both Afe Babalola University and Bowen university

·         To compare the trend of criminal activities in both institutions

·         To compare both institutions students disciplinary committee with the intent of knowing how effective they have been in reducing crime

·         To analyze the success that has been achieved in reducing the crime

·         To identify the challenges faced in reducing criminal behavior

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1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS