prepared by :
Tahera khatoon
SEMESTER- IV
SOC GE 404:
TOPIC: JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
MEANING: Juvenile delinquency is one of the serious
problems of the mess society. This has almost become a
universal problem in most of the industrialised countries
including India. Delinquency is a kind of abnormality. When
an individual deviates from the course of normal social life,
his behaviour is called delinquency. When a juvenile, below
an age specified under a statute exhibits behaviour which
may prove to be dangerous to society and to himself he may
be called ‘juvenile delinquency’
1. According to Cyril Burt delinquency as occurring in a child
“when his antisocial tendencies appear so grave that he
becomes or ought to become the subject of official action”.
2. Friedlander says, “Delinquency is a juvenile misconduct
that might be dealt with under the law”
3. C. B. Mamoria , “the phrase ‘juvenile delinquency’ may be
loosely used to cover any kind of deviant behaviour of
children which violates normative rules, understanding or
expectations of social system”.
So we can said that juvenile delinquency is type of abnormal
and antisocial behaviour by a juvenile between the age of
seven and 16 or 18, as prescribed by the law of the land.
Classification of juvenile delinquency
Juvenile delinquents have been classified by different
scholars on different basis.
Hirsh has classified them in six groups,
1) Incorrigibility (Disobedience, keeping late hours…)
2) Truancy ( staying away from school)
3) Larceny
4) Destruction of property(including both public and
private property)
5) Violence
6) Sex offences.
Trojanowicz has classified them as
1. accidental
2. Un-socialized
3. Aggressive
4. Occasional
5. Professional
6. Gang- organized
Causes of juvenile delinquency
The causes of juvenile delinquency may be classified
under two major factors: (A) Social factors
(B) Physical factors
(C) Economic factors
(D) Geographical factors
(E) Psychological factors
A. social factors favouring juvenile delinquency
1. Broken Homes: The children from broken home
Broken home means a home where either of the
parents is dead or living separately or is divorced
or that parents are drunkards or drug addicts or he
parents or any other member of the family often
fights with each other. In such circumstances, the
child feels disowned and insecure and thereby
finds his way on the cross roads. He is exposed to
the anti-social activities, which he adopts to satisfy
himself and in the process, he or she is led towards
delinquency.
2. Parents attitude at home: If the parents behaviour
at home is not good, the child also behaves in a
socially unacceptable manner. This further leads him to
be a juvenile delinquent.
3. Urbanization: In modern families, the parents find
less time to spend with their children. Due to lack of
guidance, the child may lead non ideal life.
4.Lack of proper education: Improper education and
lack of proper guidance during school days can
increase the criminal activities.
B. Physical factors
1. Hereditary: If the father is a delinquent, this
character may be transmitted to his offspring through
hereditary. Thus, since his childhood he may have the
tendency to be a delinquent and may express anti-
social behaviours.
2. Physical disabilities: some societies do not accept
the physically disable or handicapped children like
blind and deaf children as they believe that they are
good for nothing. Even some parents refuse to take
care of these children. These problems can lead the
child to become a juvenile delinquent.
C. Economic factors
1. Poverty: Due to the poor economic status or due to
the death of the breadwinner of the family, the
children compelled to do some anti-social activities like
theft for leading their life. When some parents are not
able to meet the basic needs of child he starts to
involve in truancies.
2. Child labour and child abuse: Abusing and
neglecting the children creates more number of
juvenile delinquent.
D. Geographical factors
1. Overcrowding and slums areas: children from slums
area have more chance of developing criminal
behaviours. These children at the age of learning good
behaviours, learn how to steal and rob things.
2. Isolated areas: People living in isolated areas do not
have good socialization. The children of these areas
may not able to interact with the society. Since there is
no good socialization with the people, these children
may develop antisocial attitudes.
E. Psychological factors: neglected children, children
from broken homes and death of parents in the early
childhood may lead to develop psychological defects,
they may develop impulsive behaviour. These
situations the child to develop physically and mentally
aggressive involve with anti-social activities.
Remedial Measures
Two methods have been suggested to deal with this
problem:
A. Preventive Measures:
1. Establishing child guidance clinics to give appropriate
treatment to the disturbed and mal-adjusted children.
2. Giving proper training to the members and staff of
all organisations concerned with delinquency control.
3. Educating of the family so as to help the parents to
realise the importance of giving proper attention to
needs of their young children.
4. Giving proper assistance to under privileged children
to build them good character and law-abiding attitude.
5. Adopting various means of propagandas such as
radio, movies, television, Newspaper, magazines etc.,
to realise the importance of law-abidingness and how
it is always appreciated and rewarded.
6. Improving the social environment ---slum areas,
busy market place, gambling centres etc., to prevent
children to get polluted.
7. The problems of beggary and poverty are to be
removed or controlled and the general economic
standards of the people must be increased to prevent
children from becoming delinquents due to economic
exigencies.
8. Training for parents in parental responsibility.
Method of Rehabilitation
The main purpose of the method of rehabilitation is
not punish nor to take revenge upon the delinquent.
The intention behind this method is to help the
delinquent children to get proper guidance and
training so that they so become normal children and
never repeat delinquent acts. Various legislations have
been made to deal with juvenile delinquency.
a. The first juvenile court was set-up in England.
b. The children Act pass in India in 1960
c. Apprentices Act of 1850
d. Reformatory schools Act of 1897
e. Juvenile smoking Acts.
f. Suppression of immoral traffic Acts.
g. Probation of offenders Act.
h. Borstal school Acts for adolescents.
Institutions to Rehabilitate Juvenile Delinquents.
1. Remand Homes: When a child is apprehended under
the act, he is brought before magistrate within 24
hours he is kept in the remand home until the final
disposal of the case take place.
2. Certified schools: Certified schools are for the
treatment of children with subnormal mental ability
and they are sent for long-term treatment.
These are two types of school:
a. Junior schools: under 12
b. Senior schools: under 16
3. Auxiliary Homes: Delinquents are kept for some
time and studied by a social worker and then sent to
the certified schools.
4. Foster Homes: These are for delinquent children
under 10 years, who cannot be sent to approved or
certified schools, unless the court is satisfied that they
cannot be dealt with otherwise.
4. Reformatory school: These are meant for the
education and vocational training of delinquent
children with much regard to the type of crime
committed. The delinquent are removed from bad
environment and places in the reformatory school for
some time after which they can adopt some vocational
learnt in the school.
5. Borstal Institutions: social treatment is provided for
adolescent offender between the age of 15 to 21 years.
There are two types of borstal institutions.
a. Close Institution: it is converted prison building and
security is provided when necessary, but the gates
remain open and large parts of the activities are
carried outside the walls.
b. Open Institutions: It is a camp or building in open
with no surround wall. The training is different for boys
and girls such as mixed farming, building and cooking
and home use work for the latter. The term of borstal
is 2-3 years.
Borstal schools are in Chennai, West Bengal, Mumbai
and Karnataka state at present.
It may be concluded that the
development of a sound public policy regarding all
aspects of delinquency prevention and control requires
both planning and evaluation by rigorous research
methods. This requires coordination between the
government agencies, universities, police, judiciary and
social workers.
