Geographies of juvenile crime: a study of crime in selected high schools in East London, South Africa

Youth crime has been and still is a social problem in South Africa. It is a problem that shakes the very fabric of the society. The problem with the youth in modern society is both a national concern and an important subject for academic study. High school environments are where youths converge for learning purposes, but they have also turned to hotspots for crime. Different theories on explanations for high school crime have been developed over time. This particular study, conducted in 2008, adopts the criminal opportunity theory to study the social, economic and the demographic characteristics of selected environments in which high schools are located to determine significant factors that are conducive for high schools to be crime hotspots. Three schools were selected in different neighbourhoods in East London for the study. The study used an intensive case design technique to conduct the research. Different characteristics of the communities in which the schools that were studied were located showed different crime pattern. The Law enforcement agencies also realize these differences and they try to address crime issues in various communities in the study areas individuall