NCJ Number
86443
Date Published
1982
Length
250 pages
Annotation
Traditional theories of crime and criminals in Nigeria and its relevant historical developments determine the characteristics of Nigerian prison inmates.
Abstract
This study administered a questionnaire designed to elicit background information (age, marital status, ethnicity, etc.) from the 478 inmates who responded. It found a moderate positive association between education level and income prior to incarceration and a substantial positive association between education level of inmates' fathers and inmates' own education levels. There is a low correlation between the following factors -- feelings of revenge and hatred, kinship traits, inmate's brother having a criminal record, and smoking Indian hemp -- and inmate status. The typical Nigerian criminal is a property offender under 35 years old, who is probably married, has inadequate income and education, comes from a broken home, and experiences strangeness and anonymity in the city. Shaw and McKay's ecological determinism 'delinquency areas' does not fit Nigeria. The data provide guides for the Nigerian government's radical intervention in crime control. Data tables, footnotes, over 100 references, the questionnaire, and additional study materials are appended. (Author abstract modified)