A qualitative study of selected juvenile offenders living in Sedgwick County Kansas

Abstract

This study details the life stories of three former juvenile delinquents by the use of a qualitative methodology in the form of a collective case study. A corollary purpose of the study was to determine if findings could be couched in Robert Agnew's (1992) General Strain Theory. Data analysis subsequently revealed six common themes among participants. Those themes were: (1) lack of parental control, (2) living in a high crime community, (3) experiencing school failure, (4) displaying early signs of delinquency through aggression, (5) substance abuse, (6) and having a desire to obtain money. Moreover, the results demonstrated several sources of strain in participants' lives at the time of their offending that can be explained by the General Strain Theory.