Assessment of Attitudes towards Crime among Male Sexual Offenders: The Case of Nairobi West Prison, Nairobi City County

Abstract

The rising cases of sexual offending suggest that justice and correctional mechanisms need to explore the attitude of the offenders to inform on additional rehabilitation strategies for the offenders. The question, however, was: what is the perception of the sexual offenders towards sexual crimes? Focusing on sexual offenders aged between 18 and 45 years old, the author conducted the study in Nairobi West Prison, a male captives’ facility based in Nairobi City County, Kenya. A mixed method research design involving both qualitative and quantitative approaches was adopted. Data was collected using questionnaires and focus group discussion guide. Stratified random sampling was used to select 61 male offenders convicted for defilement and rape. Attitudes towards crime were measured using an attitude questionnaire. Focus group discussion guide had five leading questions based on the research questions. This paper presents findings on male sexual offenders’ attitudes towards crime.