Urbanization and Male Delinquency in Ghana

The urbanization process in Ghana involves the local commu nity, the family, the school, and the peer group in a continuous sequence of influences upon the behavior of youth. Initial effects of urbanization are a disproportionate age concentration, an un even male-female ratio, and the diminution of traditional kin ship controls which are replaced by the less effective controls of the contemporary urban family. The male delinquency which oc curs as a consequence of these factors, in both the central city and the adjacent villages, is also affected by the urban gangs that roam into the villages periodically to steal and to recruit mem bers. Delinquent behavior may be seen as an adaptation by youths who have become alienated from the family and school and are thrust into a marginal social position for which the urban community lacks the institutions and agencies to channel the youngsters' needs and energies into conventional outlets. In this anomic state, some boys become attracted to deviant peers in the street society and look to them for guidance. These deviant reac tions by youths can be seen more readily in the newly developing urban societies than in the more complicated urban societies of Western countries.