Patterns of Youth Violence: A Profile Analysis of State Court Cases in Singapore

Abstract

This research examines 210 cases of youth offenders, aged 18 to below 21, tried in Singapore’s State Courts for violent offences, excluding sexual violence. While global research on youth crime is extensive, local studies have been limited. This study adopts a sociological model to explore both structural and contextual factors contributing to youth violence. Using an integrated framework of social capital, social control, routine activities, and the subculture of violence, the study analyses how a lack of social and cultural capital correlates with low social control, leading youths to engage in violent subcultures. The findings reveal that males were notably overrepresented in this cohort. Violent offences in Singapore typically involve assaults and rioting, attributed to strict legal sanctions against weapons possession and collectivist cultural norms. The dominant form of violence observed was “expressive” in nature, shaped by the prevalent subculture of violence. The study found that demographically similar individuals and groups with comparable violent tendencies often converge, resulting in violent incidents.