Unemployment and Street Crime Among Youth (A Case Study of Central Jail, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan)

Abstract

Street crime among youth is a serious social problem in urban areas in Pakistan. Unemployment and insufficient financial means are the main hurdles that compel the youth to commit street crime. This study investigates the relationship between unemployment and street crime in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The primary data were collected from 40 respondents involved in street crime offenses. Using purposive sampling, data were gathered through a structured questionnaire and interview schedule and analyzed using SPSS. In addition to univariate frequency distributions, cross-tabulation analysis was used to examine joint patterns across age, education, employment status, monthly income, duration of unemployment, and the type of offense committed. The findings indicate that a large majority of offenders are young (15 to 35 years), mostly unemployed or underemployed, and drawn from low-income households. Poverty and unemployment emerged as the most frequently cited factors compelling youth toward street crime, and prolonged unemployment was associated with more serious categories of offense. The results support the hypothesis that a higher rate of unemployment is associated with a higher incidence of street crime among youth. The finding of the study is that 87.5% of poverty and unemployment factors are most associated with street crimes. The study recommends offering more job opportunities, encouraging small-scale skills businesses, and providing loans for businesses, IT programs, and community support to young people.

 Keywords: street crime; youth unemployment; Pakistan; Peshawar; cross-tabulation; sociology of crime

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22735610