Perceived Social Determinants of Women Criminality in Informal Settlements in Kiambu County, Kenya

Abstract

There is an inclination of there being more men than women in prisons despite the point that most incarcerated men have close women allies in crime. This social collaboration suggests the existence of relatively similar numbers of men and women criminality with more protective dynamics that keep women offenders away from contact with law enforcement officers. The presence of unprosecuted female offenders in the general population poses the risk of the propagation of criminal activities in society through social interaction. To mitigate this trajectory, there was a need to examine perceived social determinants of women's criminality in informal settlements in Kiambu County in Kenya. The study employed the descriptive survey research design. A sample of 380 respondents was selected using purposive sampling, proportionate sampling, and simple random sampling techniques from a population of 40,050 residents of the informal settlements. Questionnaires and focus group discussion guides were used to collect the required data. The chi-square test statistics, frequencies and percentages were adopted for data analysis. The findings indicated that family structure, marital status, alcohol and drug abuse, peer pressure, level of education, cultural norms and media exposure were determinants of women's criminality. It was recommended that Law enforcement officers consider eradicating the use and misuse of alcohol and drugs in an attempt to curb women criminality in informal settlements; women in informal settlements consider living within family structure setups in order to mitigate the tendencies of engaging in criminal activities and policymakers in the ministry of education to initiate programs aimed at increasing literacy levels and reinforcing value-based cultural practices among women in informal settlements.