PARENS PATRIAE OF THE STATE: IN LOCO PARANTIS OF INSTITUTION

Emmanuel TWENEBOAH SENZU†

CASE STUDY

The central objective of the article is to respond in a Policy proposal, how the growing trend of the Juvenile delinquent behaviour and social crime in Sierra Leone, and most importantly within the Southern province could be minimized in the system. As at the year (2023) , the crime record by the Sierra Leone Police Institution indicated that the Southern province recorded (11)% as the 3^rd Highest Criminal spot in the Country. Offenses against women and children considered as domestic violence, the Province registered the 4^th position in the whole Country, the same as the offence against property like robbery, burglary etc. In terms of drug trade, Sierra Leone as a country is noted in International records to have become a transit and distribution zone for European Consumption by a Criminal organization from South America and West Africa. And in most cases Freetown has become a primary hub for drug trafficking operations through the maritime routes. The same study has revealed that Sierra Leone has become a major producer and exporter of Cannabis, with the ease to smuggle Cannabis across the border to Guinea, Liberia, and other African nations, Middle East, Europe and USA, which in the Mano River Union, Sierra Leone is noted as the key producer and exporter of Cannabis. Africa Organized Crime Index  recently reported, the Street Hawkers play a major role in the sale of both opioid and kush drugs.

 Tramadol and LSD markets in Sierra Leone, primarily relies on supplies from China and Vietname, facilitated  by Indian importers. Marijuana and kush consumption is widespread among the Youth, with the Kush manufactured in clandestine laboratories in Freetown.

The submission herein is build on the premise that a comprehensive efforts is required beyond the current methods of fighting crime, thus, subscribe to prevention policies as an effective approach because population growth is always accompanied with increase of crime through accumulation of existing crime circumstance. Thus, the article intent is to argue for a less conducive crime environment with policies that stimulate a system of crime prevention.

Sufficient studies attest to the fact that ‘low Self-control’ consigns individuals to a life of social failure and way ward conducts from childhood. And most criminal behaviour adopted from childhood to adulthood were learned through cultural transmission. It is further established, within the age of (7) years to (25) years has the highest crime rate of youths age brackets, and begins to decrease by age (28) years thereof.

It is further studied that Criminal behaviour emerges in a person as a developmental process, in which the person and the Environment interact, thus, the individual becomes a products and architects of their environments.

In addition, a poor parental child-nurturing and failure to develop close emotional attachment bonds to children due to disruption in families has a significant contribution to Juvenile delinquency behaviour.

Findings of the study, establishes, the disruption storm against family enterprises within the usual West Africa environmental settings, has always been the stresses that accumulate into depression and psychological disorder, and commonly identified to be associated with unemployment, family violence or conflict, disturbing effective parental management.

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

1. The article recommends a promotion of applicable socialization features for the growing up Children of the society because they depend on both ‘External’ and ‘Internal’ social bonds to insulate them from criminal activities.
2. Internal Bonds in Children should focus in the ability to orient the Child mental focus to personal attachment of conventional roles. And the ability of the child to be helped in envisioning who they are and what they might be, considered herein as Internal cognitive transformation.
3. The External bonds should be the ability to hook the children to Institutions that paint an external cognitive pictures, which resonate with childhood internal cognitive transformations, the absolute means to entrench the loyalty and character to personal vision and goals of life, is such an effective policy program to prevent Juvenile delinquency.

CHILD BONDING DYNAMICS

• The requirement of Guardian for one-to-one special engagement with children to understand their professional perceptions and career desires.
• The need to set-out networks as guardian that facilitate fertile grounds for nurturing kids to grow in their passion, incorporating all the elementary requirement as in character, attitude, responsibility and service towards aspiration.
• If parents lacks the ability for proper child upbringing, what should they do ? It is necessary to spend good time to find Institutions with outstanding testimonial records for supporting parents in child nurturing as in Religious organizations, NGOs etc., that offers such support to compliment parental efforts in circumstance they are unable to offer best care for their kids at the individual capacity.

CONCLUSIONS

 In-conclusion, the article is established on the following theoretical foundations as the causal of Juvenile delinquency behaviour;

1. Poor Parental Nurturing
2. Low self-control
3. Cultural transmission of crime within the society

 Which is expected to ignite a forum of practical discussion of alternative methods in promoting social bonds among children within their spotted crime age curve as a control mechanism against Juvenile delinquency behaviours in the Southern province of Sierra Leone by extension to all other regions of the Country, and West Africa as a whole.

Secondly, how do we nurture the kids to have a high Self-control when faced with emotional destabilizing strains?

And finally recommend the following Policies;

1. A State Policy as a parental role
2. Intra-national institutional nurturing as a guardian

 † Emmanuel T. Senzu, DBA, Ph.D., SJD., is a professor of Constitutional Law and Economic criminology. The Executive Director of Blackstone Africa-Asia Jurists Center, Faculty fellow Njala University, Sierra Leone, West Africa. etsenzu@baa-jurists.org