Youth Empowerment and Crime Reduction Among Youth:a Study of Abubor Nnewi Youths

ABSTRACTThe study investigated the youth empowerment and crime reduction in Abubor Nnewi, Anambra State. Youth empowerment is a crucial strategy in the fight against crime. The research aimed to assess the current state of youth empowerment programs in Abubor Nnewi, investigate the relationship between youth empowerment and crime reduction, identify the challenges faced by youths in accessing and benefiting from empowerment programs and evaluate the effectiveness of existing empowerment initiatives in reducing youth crime. The theoretical framework for this study was anchored on Strain Theory by Robert K. Merton and the Social Learning Theory by Albert Bandura. The study adopted a Descriptive survey research, employed questionnaires as data collection instruments and simple random sampling was utilized, with a sample size of 387 chosen from a total population of 12000 using Taro Yamani’s formula. Findings revealed that respondents are aware of youth empowerment programs like skills training, entrepreneurship, and scholarships, view these programs as effective in reducing crime, and have observed decreased crime rates, though challenges such as lack of awareness, financial barriers, and limited program availability persist, necessitating improved outreach and mentorship. It concludes that youth empowerment programs in Abubor Nnewi have been found to play a significant role in crime reduction, are generally well-regarded and