Nature of juvenile delinquency in Tanzania and relevance of treatment measures: the case of Dar es Salaam

The central hypotheses of this dissertation dwells around the following themes: First, although there is a popular belief that parents are the ones to be blamed far the high incidence of juvenile delinquency in Dar es Salaam region, the problem is more complex than that is believed, It will be submitted that juvenile delinquency is a problem of the society at large reflective of the social formation existing in any given society. Secondly, although the state has laid down laws governing the treatment of delinquents and that it has established institutions for correction it is' argued that treatment measures in use are mainly corrective rather than preventive. The measures are not directed at fighting the spread of delinquency and its causes. These arguments will enable us to find out why juvenile delinquency is rapidly increasing in Dar es Salaam city. What is the cause of such rapid increase. Shall we be on a correct line if we keep on blaming parents for their bad parental care or we need to search for appropriate reasons for the increase. Different ways and means of preventing delinquency or of treating established delinquents are suggested by different criminological theories but the situation leading to delinquency are so complex that many different lines of attack have to be tried. There is s need to assess the present treatment measures and their relevance to the problem and find out how far are they effective in combating juvenile delinquency. This dissertation is divided into five chapters: chapter one being an introduction on the 'basis for study chapter two the general theories on the causes of juvenile delinquency chapter three nature and extent of the problem in Dar es Salaam and its causes, chapter four is a critical assessment of current treatment measures and chapter five is a conclusion.