PLoS ONE
Volume 14, Issue 1, 2019

Community context and individual factors associated with arrests among young men in a South African township (Article) (Open Access)

Christodoulou J.* , Stokes L.R. , Bantjes J. , Tomlinson M. , Stewart J. , Rabie S. , Gordon S. , Mayekiso A. , Rotheram-Borus M.J.
  • a Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, United States
  • b College of Public Health and Human Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States
  • c Department of Psychology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
  • d Department of Psychology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
  • e Department of Psychology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
  • f Department of Psychology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
  • g Department of Psychology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
  • h Department of Psychology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
  • i Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, United States

Abstract

Background In high-income countries, individual- and community-level factors are associated with increased contact with the criminal justice system. However, little is known about how these factors contribute to the risk of arrest in South Africa, which has one of the highest rates of arrests globally. We examine both individual- and community-level factors associated with arrests among young men living in the townships of Cape Town. Methods Data were collected from a stratified community sample of 906 young men aged 18–29 years old living in 18 township neighborhoods. Communities with high and low rates of arrest were identified. Logistic regression models were used to assess which individual-level (such as substance use and mental health status) and community-level (such as infrastructure and presence of bars and gangs) factors predict arrests. Results Significant predictors of arrests were substance use, gang activity, being older, more stressed, and less educated. Living in communities with better infrastructure and in more recently established communities populated by recent immigrants was associated with having a history of arrests. Conclusions When considering both individual- and community-level factors, substance use and gang violence are the strongest predictors of arrests among young men in South Africa. Unexpectedly, communities with better infrastructure have higher arrest rates. Community programs are needed to combat substance use and gang activity as a pathway out of risk among South African young men. © 2019 Christodoulou et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Author Keywords

[No Keywords available]

Index Keywords

immigrant community program mental health human violence Substance-Related Disorders South African drug dependence neighborhood South Africa Young Adult Humans human tissue Black person Adolescent African Continental Ancestry Group male substance use gang Article major clinical study adult human experiment community sample law enforcement
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85060158321&doi=10.1371%2fjournal.pone.0209073&partnerID=40&md5=14a4be0915cbf2800b2f1cf485c531ac
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0209073
ISSN: 19326203
Original Language: English