Chapter I
The Problem and Its Scope

Rationale Juvenile Crime or Juvenile Delinquency is one of the most serious problems our country is facing these days. Although crime rates differ from region to region in the Philippines, juvenile delinquency remains a very broad issue which affects day to day living in our society. It is disturbing to see a 14yr old boy runs across a busy highway with hi-speed trucks and play “patintero” on them just to get away with a newly snatched bag. And multitude of researches found many factors pushing kids to do crimes such like this. With recent disturbances like war and natural disaster struck Zamboanga City, it is just timely to assess similar situation especially on a depressed placed like Barangay Sta. Catalina which was directly affected by the 2013 Zamboanga Siege. According to Villanueva (2006), juvenile delinquency refers to an anti-social act or a child/minor/youth’s behavior which deviates from the normal pattern of rules and regulations, custom and culture which the society does not accept. Bocar (2012) mentioned that the prevention of juvenile delinquency is an essential part of crime prevention in society. Guevara and Bautista (2008) quoted that, “an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure”, this clearly manifests the importance of misbehavior deterrence among the youth.

Theoretical Framework Numerous theories tried to explain many factors causing juvenile crimes or juvenile delinquency. One of which is Robert Merton’s Strain Theory. Strain theory holds that crime is caused by the difficulty those in poverty have in achieving socially valued goals by legitimate means, making poverty the reason to commit crime. Another theory that juveniles turn to crime is the differential theory. The theory of Differential association also deals with young people in a group context, and looks at how peer