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

Abstract

Background: For history, girls have been less delinquent than boys. Local media and presssuggest increasing involvement of females in violent crimes. Further, those females whobecome 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. Aimof the study: Aim of the present study was to explore the phenomenon of female juveniledelinquency in Egypt from institutions key workers' perspective. Subjects and methods: aqualitative research approach was performed by conducting in-depth interviews with 16 keyworkers from three residential correctional institutions affiliated to the Egyptian Ministry ofSolidarity and Social justice. Results: female juvenile delinquency is conceptualized asresulting from stacking sets of child personal, familial and extra-familial factors. Femalejuvenile delinquency is the result of influence, association, pressure, imitation, needs, wantsand desires. Conclusion: Risk factors can be captured in every life domain and they exertdifferent effects and do not operate in isolation. The most important cause of female juveniledelinquency as prioritized by key workers is the family. Recommendation: it is recommendedthat the study be expanded quantitatively to permit for generalization.