Table 1.
Socio-demographic characteristics of respondents (n = 178; 100%)
| Variable | Total (n = 178; 100%) | Gender distribution | Statistic | p |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male v. female | ||||
| Age in years (mean) | 15.19 ± 1.98 | 15.43 ± 1.94 v. 14.79 ± 1.98 | −2.12a | 0.035 |
| Reason for admission into the correctional facility | ||||
| Young offender | 34 (19.1) | 30 (88.2) v. 4 (11.4) | ||
| Accused of or remanded for theft/larceny/burglary | 19 (10.7) | |||
| Accused of or remanded for perpetrating physical assault/involvement in gang activities | 6 (3.4) | |||
| Accused of or remanded for murder/manslaughter | 5 (2.8) | |||
| Remanded for trespass of an aircraft (stowaway) or other private properties | 2 (1.1) | |||
| Accused of or remanded for being a perpetrator of sexual assault/rape | 1 (0.6) | |||
| Beyond parental control | 13 (7.3) | 8 (61.5) v. 5 (38.5) | ||
| Brought to the juvenile police by parents/guardian due to recurrent violation of rules | ||||
| Care and protection of the State | 131 (73.6) | 72 (55.0) v. 59 (45.0) | 12.6b | 0.020 |
| Run-away/street-hawking kid apprehended by police task-force during a street raid | 74 (41.6) | |||
| Handed over to juvenile police by concerned citizens having been found lost or wandering | 34 (19.1) | |||
| Victim of sexual abuse | 10 (5.6) | |||
| Victim of recurrent or single (major) physical maltreatment | 4 (2.2) | |||
| Known orphan or abandoned child | 4 (2.2) | |||
| Victim of forced child-labor | 3 (1.7) | |||
| Remanded for under-age pregnancy | 1 (0.6) | |||
| Institutionalization/recidivism | ||||
| Length of continuous stay within the institution (months)c | ||||
| Median length (12 months) and below | 67 (71.3) v. 27 (28.7) | |||
| Above the median length | 43 (51.2) v. 41 (48.8) | 7.58d | 0.006 | |
| Previous admissions into the institution (recidivism) | ||||
| Yes | 17 (9.6) | 12 (70.6) v. 5 (29.4) | 2.19d | 0.334 |
| Educational history | ||||
| School status as at the point of admission into institution | ||||
| In schoole | 63 (35.4) | 33 (52.4) v. 30 (47.6) | ||
| Dropped out of school | 89 (50.0) | 65 (73.0) v. 24 (27.0) | ||
| Never ever in school | 26 (14.6) | 12 (46.2) v. 14 (53.8) | 9.99b | 0.007 |
| Self-reported preexisting school-related problems before admission into institutionf | ||||
| Repeated a grade | 47 (26.4) | 34 (72.3) v. 13 (27.7) | 18.4d | <0.001 |
| School-refusal | 28 (16.7) | 22 (78.6) v. 6 (21.4) | 9.3d | 0.009 |
| Truancy | 33 (18.5) | 27 (81.8) v. 6 (18.2) | 10.7d | 0.005 |
| Pre-admission skill acquisition | ||||
| Ever registered to learnt a trade | 88 (49.4) | 71 (80.7) v. 17 (19.3) | 26.2d | <0.001 |
| Completed the training to the point of certification | 9 (5.1) | |||
| Experience of street-life/living alone | ||||
| Ever had to live on the streets or by selfg | 84 (47.2) | 59 (70.2) v. 25 (29.8) | 4.8d | 0.028 |
| Length of staying on the streets or by self (months) | ||||
| Median length (2 months) and below | 20 (45.5) v. 24 (54.5) | |||
| Above the median length | 37 (97.4) v. 1 (2.6) | <0.001h | ||
a
Student's t test.
b
Likelihood ratio.
c
Some were transferred from social-welfare homes such as orphanages.
d
Pearsons χ2.
e
Must have attended school up till 2 weeks before being admitted in the institution.
f
If ever in school.
g
Before the age of 18 years.
h
Fisher's exact test.