JUVENILE DELINQUENCY AND VICTIMIZATION IN CAPE VERDE: INDICATORS OF PREVALENCE AND CHARACTERIZATION

The main objectives of this study are: (i) identify and describe delinquent behaviors reported by young offenders in Cape Verde; (ii) identify and describe the victimization experiences reported by young offenders in Cape Verde; (iii) analyze whether delinquent behavior and victimization experiences differ according to socio-demographic characteristics gender and age. To accomplish the above-cited objective, 601 youths between ages 12 and 21 were surveyed. Their participation was based on the different types of crime related to delinquent behavior, as well as the experiences of victimization. Of the 511 validated cases, 29% of young people admitted having committed some sort of crime against property, 9.0% indicated having committed some sort of crime against people and, 18% indicated having been involved in both types of crimes. Results showed that boys suffered more from some type of victimization, in compression to girls who reported having been insulted via SMS/internet. Finally it was concluded that crimes against property committed by young people are those more reported in Cape Verde.