Epidemiological and Psychosocial Profile of Juvenile Delinquency: Case Study of Delinquent Children and Adolescents under Court Order in Benin (2015)

Background: Given the scale of juvenile delinquency in Benin, families, judicial bodies and the society seemed overwhelmed. The objective was to study the epidemiological and psychosocial profile of delinquent children and adolescents under court order (DCAUCO) in Benin civil prisons in 2015. Methods of study: It was a descriptive and cross-sectional study which involved 117 children aged 11 to 18 years, recruited from 6th May to 10th September 2015 in nine Civil Prisons and a Child and Adolescent Care Center in Benin. Data were collected through face-to-face interview between the interviewer and the interviewee in addition to ASSIST-WHO, Family Assessment Device and ParentalAcceptance and Rejection Scale. Results: The average age was 16.1 ± 1.1 years, ranging from 11 to 18 years. Sex ratio M/F was 22.4. School dropout rate was 76.9%. Orphans represented 53.9%. The proportion of juvenile offenders coming from broken families was 30.8%. Theft (46.2%) and rape (19.7%) were the main offenses committed. 99.1% had no criminal records and the judge requested for all of them a detention warrant. Psychoactive substance consumption records (46.2%) were found, including: alcohol (46.2%), tobacco (23.9%), and cannabis (10.3%). They felt maternal and paternal absence respectively in 48.7% and 44.4% cases and pleaded guilty in 71.8%. Pleading guilty was a resilience factor on which the counseling would have to rely for their rehabilitation and social reintegration.