Addis Ababa University
College of Social Sciences
School of social work

Title: Exploring the Factors Pushing Criminal Suspects to Commit Crime:
The Case of Soddotown in Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia.

Prepared By: Fereje Fanchu

Advisor: Comdr. Demelash Kassaye (PhD)

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June, 2017
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Exploring the Factors Pushing Criminal Suspects to Commit Crime:
The case of SoddoTown in Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia.

By: Fereje Fanchu

A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies of Addis Ababa University in
Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Social Work

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June, 2017

DECLARATION
I, the under signed, declare that this MA thesis entitled " Exploring the Factors Pushing

Criminal suspects to Commit Crime: The case of Soddo town in Wolaita Zone, Southern
Ethiopia." is my original work and has not been presented for degree requirement by any
other individual; and that all the source materials used for this thesis have been
acknowledged.

Student Name: Fereje Fanchu
Signature:………………………………………………………….
Date:…………………………………………………………………

Confirmed by:
Name :………………………………………………………..( Thesis Advisor)
Signature:…………………………………………………..

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Date:………………………………………………………….

Addis Ababa University
School of Graduate Studies

Title: Exploring the Factors Pushing Criminal Suspects to Commit Crime:
The Case of Soddotown in Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia.

By
Fereje Fanchu Gechere

School of Social Work
Approved by Board of Examiners:


………………………………

…………………………………

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Advisor

Signature

………………………………

…………………………………

Examiner

Signature

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Examiner

Signature

List of Acronym and Abbreviation
BFED


Bureau of Finance and Economic Development

CSA

Central Statistical Agency

FDRE

Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

SNNPR

South Nation Nationalities and People Region

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Acknowledgements
First and for most, I would like to express my sincere appreciation and heartfelt
thanks to my advisor Dr, Commander Demelash Kassaye for his constructive and
consecutive support, suggestions, comments, encouragements and useful hints to develop
this thesis work. Secondly, my deepest gratitude thanks goes to my parents and my
relatives for their support starting from childhood up to now through their material and
mental help.
I greatly appreciate the staff of Wolaita zone police commission for their provided
the required data equally. My heartfelt thanks go to the participants who answered the
required data without hesitation.
Finally, I would like to thanks my friends who are Mr. Mekonin Debara and
Awoke Bezabih for their kindly cooperation that providing any kind of materials for me


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to finish my research project.

Thank You!!!

Abstract
As third world, urbanization has not been accompanied by industrialization,
because unemployment born crimes are expanding in urban areas. Thus, this study
explores the Pushing Criminal suspects to commit Crime. The types of crimes most
dominantly practiced in the soddo town, pushing factors, as well as prevention methods
were included. According to the contextual definition and related literature explanation,
crime is a product of psychological mechanisms (instantiated in the brain) combined with
environmental input that activates them or inhibits their activation. In addition Crimes
such as robbery, assault, rape, and murder comprise a subset of human behavior.
Furthermore the problem impact on psychological, physical, psycho social aspects of the
society. In order to assess the life of participants, the researcher used qualitative research

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.under this research type, explanatory method has been utilized and the researcher
interviewed 20 informants, specifically 11 offenders and 9 police officers. The result has
shown that a number of pushing factors lead people to becoming a victim of crime. Based
on the finding of this study, the main pushing factors of offenders explained by key
informants are unemployment, peer pressure and substance addiction. Moreover, the
researcher concluded that crime waves, however, come and so and no one stay young and
adult forever. Therefore, involvement in crime appears to decrease consistently. Finally,
the researcher strongly recommended that government and academic institution

professionals should pay much interest about the problem in order to outline the root
cause of crime based on the nature of causes, and they should arrange the welfare
measures as it requires deserves.

CHAPTER ONE
Introduction

The aim of this MA thesis entitled, “Exploring the Factors Pushing Criminal suspects
to Commit Crime in Soddo town Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia.”, was to explore the
factors pushing criminal suspects to commit crime in Sodo town. The Specific objectives
were to identify the major factors that pushes individuals to involve in various criminal

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acts in the town, identifying the common types of crimes that have been practiced in the
Soddo town and examining the major prevention methods of crime. The qualitative
research paradigm is employed as the main method to explore the practice.
The Study participants were enlisted from police commission especially from traffic
accident and crime investigation department and offenders who are sentenced under
Soddo police commission. The thesis covers five chapters. Chapter one sets out the
study introduction, study background, problem statement, research questions, study
objectives, significance of the study, scope of the study, purpose of the study,
operational definitions of key terms in the study, study areas and limitation. The second
chapter presents a review of related literature; while the third chapter discusses research
methodology. The next chapter presents and analyzes the data generated. The final
chapter deals with the discussion, conclusions, and recommendations.

 Background of the Study
In the history of human society in one way or another, there has been no time that

man becomes free of problems. Man, crime and reaction to crime are part of the regular
operation of the society. Man has attempted to understand the problem and factor of
crime since ancient period of time. It has also formulated different mechanisms on how to

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control crime and to reduce the number of criminals. During the medieval and early
modern periods, the empirical explanation of crimes was stated. The principal
explanation during this time was crime was due to innate wickedness and the instigation
of the devil. During these courses of time, although rational change had been taken place
in the society to understand the real causes of criminal behavior, the systematic study of
crime causation is a recent origin (Gibbons, 1992). In fact, criminology is a study of
crime and criminal behaviors. Criminologists are also professionals who try to discover
why people became criminals and when and where varies type of crimes occur and how
crime can be prevented (The New Book of knowledge, 2007).

Crime has been a practicing in the society since people began to live together in
groups. However, at different times and wide variety of societies people have different
idea about crimes. Thereby an act is considered as a crime in one society or country may
be legal in another. For example, in the United States people are free to practice any
religion and the same sex marriage (gay marriage) where as in other countries it may be
crime to practice. Some laws prohibit behavior that endangered people or properties
while other outlaw behavior that is viewed as morally wrong. Values and moral change
over times and so do beliefs about what behaviors considered crimes. Despite such
differences however certain acts are considered crimes in most modern societies (The
New Book of knowledge, 2007).

According to the Bimal K.N. (2013) there are different reasons for development
of crime in different countries like political, social, economic and even moral or spiritual


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in nature where as geographical analysis suggests that countries with more urbanized
population have higher registered crime rates as do those with strong rural life styles and
communities. The ongoing process of urbanization in developing countries is
contributing to juvenile involvement in criminal behaviors.
Ethiopia is faced with many social and economic problems which in turn causes
crime. Ethiopia is suffering from the lack of basic needs of life, such as food, health care,
housing and education. Ethiopia’s rapid population growth also presents great problems
for the nation. Homelessness in the capital city is a serious social problem. The growing
of slum areas in major cities of the country causes criminal activity. Many street children
resort to theft to feed themselves (Andargachew, 2004).

Studies carried out by Macions and John. J. (2005) pointed that urbanism is
viewed as the combined concept of size, density and the presence of certain institutions
associated with an urban life style. Demographic studies reveal the common
characteristics of urban communities like; a heterogeneity of culture with concomitants
differences in beliefs and behaviors, differences among group members with relationship
between people restricted specific needs, increased mobility, impartiality, and anonymity,
people who vary in age, race, ethnicity, norms and values. These are predisposing factors
that breed urban criminality. Therefore, deteriorating conditions of living in urban areas
has produced its share of Juvenile delinquency, drug dependency, prostitutions, mental
illness, physical disabilities, suicides, family and personal organization, garbage and
sewerage disposals and trapped Jams and congestion conditions that creates fertile

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breeding grounds for crime (Macions. JohnJ).

Many social scientists also argued that crime is closely related to work; education,
poverty and that truancy, youth unemployment and crime are by product or even
measures social exclusion. Thus, criminals often have limited education and possess
limited labor market skills (Ann and Robert, W. 2000).
Soddo is one of the second biggest towns in the southern, Nation, Nationalities
and People region that has a long and old history. People who are living in the town
engaged in various economic activities like agricultural products and small enterprises
for the development of the town. Now a day most of unemployed people are migrating
from rural area to the Soddo town. Those who migrated from rural areas also faced a
future of low-wage employment, unemployment, poverty, drugs, and crime. Therefore,
the development of urbanization decreased the traditional social control values in the
town and social bonds in the society at the time going to be diminished. As result, there
are a large number of criminals in the town and opportunity for individuals to become
criminals wider than prior. Accordingly, this study has mainly explored the factors
pushing criminal suspects to commit crime.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The study has addressed and explored the factors pushing the criminal suspects to
commit crime: the case of Soddo town in Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia. According to
Bureau of justice statistics (2000) urban and sub urban violent crimes tend to be different
in nature and frequency. Violent victimization rats tend to be higher in urban areas than

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in suburban or rural areas, and urban crimes are more likely to be committed by
strangers.
Bimal K.N. (2013) has done study on the title of “Juvenile Delinquency: Its
magnitude and impact at Gondar Town in Ethiopia” this study indicate that crime is more

related with Urbanization, Economic, social and Cultural factors. Accordingly, the
problem of juvenile delinquency is universal in nature and more relevant and found in
developing countries worldwide. Both boys and girls of adolescent age from different
background are easily victimized and get involved in different kinds of anti-social
activities in the community such as crime involving theft, vandalism, or violence, the
victim always suffers loss.
Habtamu (2007) also has done in the title of assessing the pattern and trends of
crime against the women prison. The study explains the case of delinquency in relation
with genetic factor and socialization. According to this study, genetic factor related
manhood and womanhood can be responsible for some of explicit and implicit behavior
of man and women. Albeit the research has done, it fails to indicate clear target about the
pushing factors of offenders to commit crime and the most dominantly practiced crimes
in the area.
Andrgachew (2004) has conducted study on crime problem and its correction
methods in Ethiopia also explained that crime problem and the way of correction
methods that has been taken through during Haile selassie up to current regime (FDRE).
Even if the study has conducted, the researcher did not indicate clear benchmark about
the driving factors of people to commit crime and its type.

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In addition studies carried out by Nega. J & Berhanu, (2014) done research on the
title of Crime Situations and Reaction of Criminal Justice System in Oromia, Ethiopia. It
attempted to analyze incidence and types of crime, determine crime and criminal rate,
appraise the efficiency and measures taken by criminal justice system, and provide
possible explanations on crime situations using a selected theoretical framework. Socio
cultural theoretical frame work is used in explaining factors of crime. Even if the study
has conducted, the researcher did not point out the driving factors of people to commit
crime in the urban areas and the type of crimes that have been practiced in the urban area.

So this study has filled a critical gap of research as far as types, exploring factors
pushing criminal suspects to commit crime in the Sodo town. Many studies have
conducted as researcher examined above, explain that different aspects of crime in
Ethiopia. However, no research that specifically focused Soddo town in Wolaita Zone,
Southern Ethiopia.
1.3 Basic Research Questions
 What are the major factors that motivated individuals to involve in criminal acts
in the Soddo town?

 What are the common types of crimes most dominantly practiced in the Soddo
town?
 What are the major prevention methods of crime that has been taken from the
government and the community?

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1.4 Objective of the Study
1.4.1. General Objective
 The general objective of the study was to assess the factors pushing offenders into
a criminal act in Soddo town at Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia.



Specific Objectives

 To assess the major factors that push individuals to involve in various
criminal acts in the town

 To identify the common types of crimes that have been practiced in the Soddo

town

 To examine the major prevention methods of crime.

 Operational and Conceptual Definition of Key Terms
Offender: offenders are delinquents who convict under the law and commit illegal action.
Burglary: the unlawful entry of structure to a felony or thefts.
Criminal law: a body of law that regrets actions which have the potential to harm
interests of the state or the federal government.
Criminology: is interring disciplinary professions built around the scientific study of

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crime and criminal behavior including their form, causes, legal aspects and control.
Felony: a serious criminal offence specially one punishable by death or by incarceration
in prison facility for a year or more.
Misdemeanor: a criminal offence which is less than a felony, one punishable by
incarceration for a year or less.
Larceny: unlawful taking, carrying, leading or riding away of property from the
possession or constructive possession of another.
Arson: any willful or malicious burning or attempt to burn with or without intent to
defraud a dwelling house, public building, motor vehicle, or air craft, personal property
of another etc.
1.6 Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study has to explore the pushing suspects to commit criminal acts.
Furthermore, the studies has shown the gap for future research and recommended
solutions for the identified problems. In addition, crime is serious issue in developing
countries and the concerned bodies like community, schools, police commission and
religious institution should teach youths to reduce involving in criminal activities in the

Soddo town. In general, this study finds out the factors pushing suspects to commit crime
and its prevention methods.

1.7 Significance of the Study
This study has dig out the pushing factors of offender suspects to commit crime. It is also

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very important that showing the rigorousness of consequences to the society and how to
protect offenders before committing the criminal acts. Moreover, the findings of this
study has helped policy makers and social work practitioners in the area of assessing why
the offenders suspects to commit crime and also it has expanded the knowledge prospect
in social work, and serves as a landmark for other researchers to carry out a detailed
study on the area under investigation.

1.8 The Scope of the Study
The Soddo town which is my study area found in center of Wolaita Zone,
Southern Ethiopia delimited with Soddo Zuriya Woreda. The scope of this study was
focus on exploring pushing factors suspect to commit criminal acts in the Soddo town
because there are many people who are involved in unnecessary activities, such as crime
involving theft, vandalism, or violence, the victim always suffers loss to satisfy them and
to fulfill their daily basic needs.
1.9 The Description of Study Area
Wolaita is one of the 13 Zonal Administrations of the Southern Region in
Ethiopia, Located 300 kilometers south of Addis Ababa. It has a latitude and longitude of
6°50′N 37°45′E.Based on the 2007 Census conducted by the Central Statistical Agency
of Ethiopia (CSA), Specifically, my study area which is Soddo town has total population
of 78,253 of whom 38,565 are men and 39,688 women, based on the 2016, Wolayta Zone
Bureau of Finance and Economic Development (BFED). In addition, Soddo town which


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found in the center of Wolayta Zone delimited with Soddo ZuriyaWoreda.
1.10 Limitation of the Study
In this study, the investigator has faced the scarcity of resources and
unwillingness from the side of participants of this study to record their voices. Therefore,
this thing was one of challenges to easily handle during the process of data collection.

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CHAPTER TWO
Literature Review
This part of the study has presented about reviewed literature regarding with the
exploring the factors pushing criminal suspects to Commit Crime. The literature also
evaluated the holistic concept of the study and fit the objective set by the investigator.
Moreover, this part enhanced the finding of the study in relation to the general and
specific objectives.
2.1 Conceptualization of Crime
2.1.1 The Evolutionary Psychology Definition of Crime
According to evolutionary psychology, all human behavior, criminal or otherwise,
is a product of psychological mechanisms (instantiated in the brain) combined with
environmental input that activates them or inhibits their activation. In addition Criminal
acts such as robbery, assault, rape, and murder comprise a subset of human behavior.
They occur at non-trivial rates in all known cultures in predictable patterns. For example,
in every culture, criminal behavior such as sexual assault, non-lethal violence, and
homicide shows cross-culturally predictable age and sex distribution. These forms of
criminal behavior are perpetrated many times more by males than by females (David M.


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Buss 2012).

2.1.2 Sociological Explanations of Crime
Studies carried out by D. Zembroski (2011) explain that crime is a product of conflicts
over the distribution of resources and the illegitimacy of such a distribution, especially as
it impacts the poor and the groups that seek to organize and bring conflict out into the
open. Many sociological explanations of crime had proffered that economic deprivation
acts as a motivational factor in the manifestation of crime. While the causal role that
economic hardship plays in promoting criminal behavior differs, most explanations had
advanced some variant of the basic theme that poverty in a stratified society weakens
institutional legitimacy and undermines the social bonds between these institutions and
the impoverished (Lisa Stolzenberg et.al, 2006).
Studies carried out by Stergios. S. (2001), from all other type of crime, organized
crime emerges out of the power that is created by the absence of state enforcement, and
which can have many sources: geographic, social, and ethnic distance, prohibition, or
simply collapse of state institutions. Different criminologists define crime differently and
its definition also different from country to country, place to place and time to time.
Crime as “an international act in violation of the criminal law committed without defense
or excuse and penalized by the state as a felony or misdemeanor”
In addition, studies carried out by (Frank, 1999) explained that, Crime is also a
term that refers to as many type of misconduct and forbidden by law. Murder also called

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homicide is a crime in all countries. In a United State stealing a car is a crime so it is

resisting arrest possessing or selling illegal drugs and using mails to cheat someone.
Other crimes including appearing a nude on Public Street driving while under
influence of alcohol and reburying a bank. The list of acts considered crime is constantly
changing. In England during 1970s it was not a crime for people to steal money entrusted
to their car by employer. Today this type of theft is called embezzlement which is a crime
(world book encyclopedia, 1992).
As literature explained above, all human behavior criminal or product of psychological
mechanism that combined with environmental factors, product of conflict over the
production of resources, the absence of state, geographical, social, economic, are also
some of pushing factors that people motivated to commit criminal acts. Therefore, the
researcher believed that those all above mentioned realities are the result of criminals and
that should be pushing factors of offenders to commit criminal acts.
2.2 Factors Pushing Criminal Suspects to Commit Crime
2.2.1 The Role of Early Life Experiences
Patrick V. Murphy (1985) noted that, early life experiences appear likely to have
an especially strong influence on the development of criminality because individuals
acquire their traits sequentially. The traits we possess at any juncture are the result of the
cumulative cognitive, affective, physical, and social effects of a sequence of events that
began at conception. As a result of these events, individuals acquire a strategic style over

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the course of their lives. Some individuals develop a strategic style that emphasizes the
use of force, fraud, or stealth to obtain resources and is characterized by selfcenteredness, indifference to the suffering and needs of others, and low self-control
criminality.
2.2.2 Family Structures as a Factor of Crime
The families are uniquely placed in contributing to raising healthy responsible
members of society. But the task of putting children first goes well beyond the family to
include communities and society. Dysfunctional family conditions contribute to future

delinquency (Dennis O.Edewor, 2014).
2.2.3 Unemployment as Factor of Crime
Researching has long been curious about the impact of economic fluctuations on
crime rates. These questions reflects a long standing suspicion that private deviant
behavior has public roots in the economic conditions of the wider society.
Unemployment is one measure of economic well-being although its impact falls
heavily on minority rather

than all citizens

generally. In addition, increases

in

price and a decline or disappearance of income involve obvious material
consequences. Beyond these important effects, economic change presumable alters
the attitude and emotion of affected individuals and their families.
It is conceivable that these material and non material changes accumulate to
increases the probability of crime and violence (Richard T. Shaufor, 1995). The
empirical evidence on the relationship between unemployment and criminal activity

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has been the subject of much investigation. As Freeman (1996) pointed out,
unemployment has an influence on the opportunity cost of illegal activity. High rates
of unemployment growth could be taken to imply a restriction on the availability of
legal activities, and thus serve to ultimately reduce the opportunity cost of engaging
in illegal activities. Most empirical researches on the relationship between
unemployment and crime have provided evidence on the positive relationship on

unemployment and crime. For example, Clinard, M. B. and Abbott, D. J. (1986),
observed the relationship between unemployment and crime and they found that,
unemployment had a significant effect on crime.
2.2.4 Addiction as a Factor of Crime
This is not an important factor in criminal behavior, though it may play a part in
the causation of crime in later adolescence and more particularly in adulthood. It is a
crime in itself, but, like truancy, it may also be a causal factor in other criminal behavior,
such as stealing, sex offenses, or disturbing the peace.' A great variety of mental,
physical, and environmental factors contribute to drug addiction as to any other form of
undesirable behavior (K. M. Bonham Bridges, 1997).
2.2.5 Peer Influences as Factor of Crime.
Studies carried by Steinberg, L. (1987) explained that the factors such as peer
criminals, peer approval of delinquent behavior, attachment or allegiance to peers, time
spent with peers, and peer pressure for the involvement of the crime have all been
associated with adolescent antisocial behavior. Hence, the influence of peers and their

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acceptance of criminal behavior are significant, and this relationship is magnified when
youth have little interaction with their parents.
Negative peer group members indulge in activities that might require funding.
They therefore ask the new entrants to arrange the funds by stealing from their parents or
from other students. The new entrant also agrees to do it in the hope that he/she will be
considered as a member of the peer group. Gradually this stealing exceeds the limits and
goes beyond the parent’s and class mate’s purses and go towards stealing other people
money (Seigal, 2003).

2.2.6 Social Environment as Factor of Crime
Our social structure mirrors to citizens and communities what we value and how

we set priorities. Social root causes of crime are: inequality, not sharing power, lack of
support to families and neighborhoods, real or perceived inaccessibility to services and
lack of leadership in communities, low value placed on children and individual wellbeing, the overexposure to television as a means of recreation (Dennis O.Edewor, 2014).
2.2.7 Inequality as Factor of Crime
A different perspectives has focused not on national income will being as a
whole but instead on the inequality . They say measure of inequalities like income,
Wealth, land or other are unequally distributed thorough out population. When these
indicators are compared with national offense rates, an inverse relationship is generally
found. The most common progression of vents that generates social relations that in

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turn create latent conflict, that conditions are ripe will become violent conflict
(Macions . John J. 1994)

2.2.8 Economic Factors/Poverty as a factor of crime
Many social scientists argue that crime is closely related to work, education and
poverty and that truancy, youth unemployment and crime are by products or even
measures of social exclusion. In addition, lack of financial resources, lack of educational
opportunities, and lack of meaningful employment options, poor housing, lack of hope
and the prejudice against persons living in poverty (Dennis O.Edewor, 2014).
As literature reviewed above, same individuals develop a strategic style that
emphasizes the use of force, fraud, or stealth to obtain resources, public
formlessness/environmental instabilities, poor administration of justices, poor
socialization, religious sentiments, a shortage of farm land; poor land management,
unemployment, peer influence, substance addiction, inequality and mental instabilities
are some of root factors of crime. In general, these all factors are the result of economic,
social environment, personal and family structures. Consequently, the researcher believed
that those root factors should be similarly affect people to commit criminal acts in the

study areas.
2.3 Types of Crime
A crime is an act which is prohibited and made punishable by law or an act
consists of the commission of what is prohibited or the omission of what is prescribed by
law. There are many different types of crimes, from crimes against persons to victimless

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