Understanding Male Youth Crime Through a Multidisciplinary Lens: Socio-economic and Human Resource Management Perspectives from Kinondoni District, Dar es Salaam

The increasing involvement of male youths in criminal activities within Kinondoni District, Dar es Salaam, reflects a complex interplay of socioeconomic, human resource, and demographic factors. This multidisciplinary study investigates the root causes of youth criminality by integrating perspectives from Human Resource Management (HRM), criminology, and social development. Specifically, it examines how unemployment, poverty, lack of vocational skills, family disintegration, peer pressure, and urban marginalization contribute to criminal behavior among jobless male youths. Guided by the economic theory of crime, social control theory, and age-graded theory, the study employs a mixed-methods approach, Convergent Parallel designed with pragmatism philosophy. Data were collected from 93 respondents including prisoners, police officers, ward executive officers, and youth using stratified and purposive sampling techniques. Tools such as structured questionnaires, interviews, and police document reviews were employed. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively, while 10 informants who volunteered after filling questionnaire were interviewed and data underwent thematic analysis while documentary data involved content analysis. The findings reveal that male youths aged 15–21 are particularly vulnerable to crime due to a combination of economic hardship, poor family structures, social exclusion, and lack of access to employment and skills training. The study concludes that youth crime prevention requires a holistic, cross-sectoral strategy involving economic empowerment, targeted Human Resource Management interventions, community engagement, and social policy reforms. It recommends investing in skill-building programs, employment pathways, and community-based rehabilitation initiatives to address the root causes of youth involvement in crime and promote long-term social stability.