Introduction
For the past few decades, youth crime has grown to an uncontrollable limit in society ( Goldson & Muncie, 2015) . Several court cases nowadays entail youth delinquency. In some states in the US, offence by youths has been treated as a normal part of the adolescent growth. Proper parenting has therefore been assumed as the main means through which this vices can be curbed. This acts of massaging youth crime have however worsened the situation. Crimes have increased threefold and adequate measures should be undertaken to ensure that youth are mentored in the right direction to be resourceful members of the community.
Research hypothesis
Null hypothesis
There is a significant rise in youth crime to an uncontrollable limit in society. The dependent variable is the crime uncontrollable crime limit in the society while the rise in youth crime is the independent variable.
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Research design
This research will utilize a cross-sectional survey design involving the youths in Pittsburgh. Stratified sampling method will be used to divide the youths into different stratum, each stratum consisting of the youth of a particular stratum. The first stratum (Stratum I) will consist of youth between 18-19 years and the second stratum (Stratum II) will consist of youth between 20-22 years. The ration between the two strata will be 1:1. Random sampling will be used to identify the sample that will be used in the study.
Sample size determination
The Cochran’s formula (Bartlett et al. 2010) will be used to calculate the sample size.
n o = Z 2 p(q)
e 2
Where
n 0 - Desired sample size (where population > 10000)
Z - Normal deviation at the desired confidence interval in case it will be taken at 95%, Z value at 95% is 1.96
P - Proportion of population with the desired characteristics. Since the population with the desired characteristics is not known, 50% will be used. Therefore the proportion will be 0.5.
q - Proportion of population without the desired characteristics (1-0.5)
e- Degree of precision; will be taken to be 5% (0.05)
Survey design
Data will be collected from the research participants who meet the inclusion criteria. A self-administered questionnaire developed by the researcher will be used to collect data. The questionnaire will be administered after the participant has consented. Administration of questionnaires as a method of data collection will be used because it is easy to administer and analyze (Lynch, 2017). Questionnaires are also economical in terms of time and money.
Questionnaire
Demographic information
What is your age bracket?
14-19 years
20-24 years
What is your gender?
Female
Male
Other (Specify)
Independent variable (Tick where appropriate/Give a brief explanation where necessary)
What is your definition of youth crime?
What are the most common types of crimes in your society?
Theft
Public disturbance
Property destruction
Vandalism
Drugs
Other (Specify)
Do you know anyone who has taken part in the crime?
Yes
No
If yes (please specify the type of a person)
Have you ever been a victim of youth crime?
Yes
No
What do you think is the main reason why youth engage in crime?
Dependent variable (Tick where appropriate/Give a brief explanation where necessary)
Do you think youth crime is a problem in your society?
Yes
No
Do you agree that there has been a rise in the number of youth crimes in the society?
Agree
Disagree
Do you think security agencies are doing enough to combat youth crime?
Yes
No
References
Bartlett, J.E., Kotrlik, J.W.K.J.W. & Higgins, C., 2010. Organizational research: Determining appropriate sample size in survey research appropriate sample size in survey research. Information technology, learning, and performance journal, 19(1), pp.43–50.
Goldson, B., & Muncie, J. (Eds.). (2015). Youth crime and justice . Sage.
Lynch, M. (2017). Understanding youth crime: An Australian study . Routledge.
