Juvenile Delinquency

Table of Contents
Introduction
Causes
Classification
Risk Factors
Mental Disorders In Juvenile Delinquency
Punishment
Prevention
Conclusion
Definitions
Nature: This is defined as the usual way a person or an animal behaves that is part of their
character.
Consequence: This simply means a result of something that has happened.
Juvenile: This refers to a person who has attained the age of 14 but is under 17 years. That is a
young person who is not yet an adult (Oxford English Dictionary).
Delinquent: It is a person who deviates from or violated the stipulated law that guides code of
conduct of a particular country or society.
Juvenile Delinquency: This is defined it as any social deviation by a youth from the societal
norms which results in his contact with law enforcement agents. It is an act committed by a
young person which violates the stipulated law of that country or society.
Introduction
Juvenile Delinquency is a Legal term that was first defined in 1889 when Illinois passed the first
law on Juvenile Delinquency.

The Nigeria constitution of 1979 defines juvenile delinquency as “a crime committed by a young
person under the age of 17 years as a result of trying to comply with the wishes of his peers or to
escape from parental pressure or certain emotional stimulation.

Before a youth in Nigeria is classified a delinquent, he must have been arraigned before a
juvenile court and proved to be guilty of some offences.
Introduction
Examples of such offences are habitual truancy, drug addiction, prostitution, stealing, cultism,
armed robbery etc. In the United States age of juvenile ranges from 16 to 21 but 18 is the most
common. In England, a child below 10 cannot be committed of any criminal offence because of
an irrefutable presumption of innocence and absence of men’s rea. Between the age of 10 and 14
they are in a "twilight zone in which they are morally responsible not as a class but as
individuals, when they know their act to be wrong. In France and Poland, the age limit is 13. In
Australia, Germany, Norway and Czechoslovakia it is 14 and in Denmark and Sweden it is 15.
CAUSES
Economic and social factors
Cultural factors
Urbanization
Family
The media and Peer influence
Personality factors
Economic and social factors
Juvenile delinquency is driven by the negative consequences of social and economic
development, in particular economic crises, political instability, and the weakening
of major institutions (including the State, systems of public education and public
assistance, and the family). Socio-economic instability is often linked to persistent
unemployment and low incomes among the young, which can increase the likelihood
of their involvement in criminal activity. The use of alcohol and illegal drugs by
juveniles is one cause of delinquency, as they are often compelled to commit crimes
(usually theft) to obtain the cash needed to support their substance use.
 Cultural Factors
Delinquent behavior often occurs in social settings in which the norms for
acceptable behavior have broken down. Under such circumstances many of the
common rules that deter people from committing socially unacceptable acts may
lose their relevance for some members of society. They respond to the traumatizing
and destructive changes in the social reality by engaging in rebellious, deviant or
even criminal activities.
Urbanization
Geographical analysis suggests that countries with more urbanized populations

have higher registered crime rates than do those with strong rural lifestyles and

communities. This may be attributable to the differences in social control and social
cohesion. Rural groupings rely mainly on family and community control as a means
of dealing with antisocial behavior and exhibit markedly lower crime rates. Urban
industrialized societies tend to resort to formal legal and judicial measures, an
impersonal approach that appears to be linked to higher crime rates
Family
Dysfunctional family settings characterized by conflict, inadequate parental control, weak internal
linkages and integration, and premature autonomy—are closely associated with juvenile delinquency.
Children in disadvantaged families that have few opportunities for legitimate employment and face a
higher risk of social exclusion are overrepresented among offenders. The plight of ethnic minorities and
migrants, including displaced persons and refugees in certain parts of the world, is especially distressing
The absence of fathers in many low-income families can lead boys to seek patterns of masculinity in
delinquent groups of peers. These groups in many respects substitute for the family, define male roles,
and contribute to the acquisition of such attributes as cruelty, strength, excitability and anxiety.
The media and Peer influence
Many researchers have concluded that young people who watch violence tend to behave more
aggressively or violently, particularly when provoked. This is mainly characteristic of 8- to 12-
year-old boys, who are more vulnerable to such influences. Peer rejection in childhood is also a
large predictor of juvenile delinquency, This rejection can affect the child's ability to be
socialized properly and often leads them to gravitate towards anti-social peer groups. Association
with anti-social groups often leads to the promotion of violent, aggressive and deviant behavior.
Personality factors
Juvenile delinquents are often diagnosed with different disorders. Around 6-16% of male teens and 2-9%
of female teens have a conduct disorder. These can vary from oppositional-defiant disorder, which is not
necessarily aggressive, to antisocial personality disorder, often diagnosed among psychopaths. A conduct
disorder can develop during childhood and then manifest itself during adolescence.

Juvenile delinquents who have recurring encounters with the criminal justice system, or in other words
those who are life-course-persistent offenders, are sometimes diagnosed with conduct disorders because
they show a continuous disregard for their own and others safety and/or property. Once the juvenile
continues to exhibit the same behavioral patterns and turns eighteen he is then at risk of being diagnosed
with antisocial personality disorder and much more prone to become a serious criminal offender.
Personality factors
One of the main components used in diagnosing an adult with antisocial personality disorder
consists of presenting documented history of conduct disorder before the age of 15. These two
personality disorders are analogous in their erratic and aggressive behavior. This is why habitual
juvenile offenders diagnosed with conduct disorder are likely to exhibit signs of antisocial
personality disorder early in life and then as they mature. Some times these juveniles reach
maturation and they develop into career criminals, or life-course-persistent offenders. "Career
criminals begin committing antisocial behavior before entering grade school and are versatile in that
they engage in an array of destructive behaviors, offend at exceedingly high rates, and are less
likely to quit committing crime as they age
Classifications
Different classifications of the juvenile delinquency and delinquents have been given by various
authors. It is extremely difficult to assess precisely the extent of the problem in any part of the country
since accurate statistics are not available and are not indicator of the true extent. This is because of the
fact that a large number of such acts remain undetected or unreported. Nevertheless, it has been
observed that delinquency rates are highest in all developed countries. It is in countries with the
highest levels of technical and economic advancement that social change occurs most rapidly, and
traditional social roles and institutional controls over child conduct tend to breakdown.

Trojanovicz classified juvenile offenders in the following five categories;

Classifications
Gang Organized Delinquency: According to this classification youngster formed groups and do their
illegal activities within a group. These juveniles often suffer from the frustration of inability to achieve
goals of middle class and come from backward areas and often express themselves and try to achieve their
objectives through their gang.

Unsocialized Delinquents: Delinquents classified in that category would have criminal records

and generally come from the homes where they were neglected and rejected. Families of these children are
prone to physical violence. They had seen hate and aggression within the homes and families; it often
transmitted to the theses children and by the time they become very aggressive. These delinquents do not
be taught how to control their impulses in a socially acceptable manner.
Classifications
Accidental Delinquency: In this category delinquents would be one who is law-abiding most of

the time but who has a lapse of judgment. They involve himself accidently in a delinquent activity. These
delinquent are a problem to any one because their delinquent behavior comes to an end when he realizes
what he has done or when they have been caught in the delinquent activity.

Occasional Offender: The occasional offender/delinquent is parallel to the accidental delinquent in that
they becomes indulge in minor offenses but they are not habitual.

Professional Delinquency: In this category delinquent usually steals things for getting some

profits. They have done stealing for economic gain and to satisfy their desire.
 Risk Factor
Domain Early Onset (ages 6–11) Late Onset (ages 12–14) Protective Factor
Individual General offenses General offenses Intolerant attitude toward
Substance use Restlessness deviance
Being male Difficulty concentrating High IQ
Aggression Risk taking Being female
Hyperactivity Aggression Positive social
Problem (antisocial) Being male orientation
behavior Physical violence Perceived sanctions for
Exposure to television Antisocial attitudes, transgressions
violence beliefs
Medical, physical problems Crimes against persons
Low IQ Problem (antisocial)
Antisocial attitudes, beliefs behavior
Dishonesty Low IQ
Substance use
 Risk Factor
Domain Early Onset (ages 6–11) Late Onset (ages 12–14) Protective Factor
Family Low socioeconomic Poor parent-child Warm, supportive
status/poverty relationship relationships with
Antisocial parents Harsh or lax discipline parents or other adults
Poor parent-child Poor monitoring, Parents’ positive
relationship supervision evaluation of peers
Harsh, lax, or inconsistent Low parental Parental monitoring
discipline involvement
Broken home Antisocial parents
Separation from parents Broken home
Other conditions Low socioeconomic
Abusive parents status/poverty
Neglect Abusive parents
Family conflict
 Risk Factor
Domain Early Onset (ages 6–11) Late Onset (ages 12– Protective Factor
14)
School Poor attitude, Poor attitude, Commitment to school
performance performance Recognition for
Academic failure involvement in
conventional activities

Peer group Weak social ties Weak social ties Friends who engage in
Antisocial peers Antisocial, delinquent conventional behavior
peers
Gang membership

Community Neighborhood crime,

drugs
Neighborhood
disorganization
Mental Disorders In Juvenile Delinquency

Commonly found mental health disorders in youth offenders include; affective disorders (major
depression, persistent depression, and manic episodes), psychotic disorders, anxiety disorders (panic,
separation anxiety, generalized anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress
disorder), disruptive behavior disorders (conduct, oppositional defiant disorder, and attention-deficit
hyperactivity disorder), and substance use disorders.

Of youth involved with the juvenile justice system, estimates suggest that approximately 15% to 30%
have diagnoses of depression or dysthymia (pervasive depressive disorder), 13% to 30% have diagnoses
of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, 3%–7% have diagnoses of bipolar disorder, and 11% to 32%
have diagnoses of posttraumatic stress disorder.
Punishment
The Children and Young Persons Act II is the major piece of legislation dealing with matters affecting
children and young persons in Nigeria. its stated purpose is "to make provision for the welfare of the
young and the treatment of young offenders and for the establishment of juvenile courts." This Act was
first enacted in 1943 by the British Colonial Government for application in any part of the Protectorate
of Nigeria on the order of the. Governor-in-Council. It was specifically enacted for Lagos in 1946 and
was extended to the Eastern and Western Regions of Nigeria in that year. A very similar law was
enacted for the Northern Region of the country in 1958. On the introduction of a state structure in the
country, Lagos State (in common with many others) enacted its own Children and Young Persons Law
(hereinafter referred to as the CPYL) which is almost identical to the 1943 legislation.
Punishment
Age of criminal responsibility

Rather than adopt a single age of criminal responsibility, Nigeria has adopted various age demarcations
under which responsibility may or may not be assigned depending on the circumstances or the offence.
Thus, a child below the age of 7 is not criminally responsible for any act or omission. A child between the
ages of 7-12 will not normally he held responsible for his actions unless it can be proved that at the time
of committing the offence he had the capacity to know that he ought not to do it. A male child under the
age of 12 is always assumed to be incapable of having carnal knowledge and therefore cannot be held
responsible for offences requiring that element. A child above 12 is fully responsible for his actions;
however such a child remains subject to criminal proceedings in a juvenile court until the age of 18
 Special Provisions for the Juvenile Delinquents
“The center of interest in juvenile court is always a juvenile and his welfare, and not the act or its consequences which might have resulted
in his or her being brought before the court.” The Juveniles have been given special rights for under the Act:

 Juvenile cannot be kept in police lock-up or jail.

 Juveniles cannot be treated or sentenced in the same manner as the adult criminals.

 Cases involving juveniles are tried by juvenile Justice Board and not by regular courts.

 Juvenile Justice board consists of magistrate and two social workers.

 The case is decided by majority.

If a Juvenile criminal is convicted, at maximum he gets three years in a reform facility. Thereafter he must be released on probation.

Juvenile can only be kept at the special home till he attains 18 years of age.

Capital punishment (hanging) or life imprisonment cannot be imposed on a Juvenile offender, irrespective of the gravity of the crime.
Prevention
Primordial level of Prevention
Primary level of Prevention
Secondary level of Prevention
Tertiary level of Prevention
Quaternary level of Prevention
Prevention
Primordial level of Prevention involves education which promotes economic growth, national
productivity and innovation, and values of democracy and social cohesion, Prevention through
education has been seen to discourage delinquency for minors and help them strengthen the
connection and understanding between peers. Primary prevention is concerned with preventing
children at risk of becoming juvenile offenders from committing their first offenses. Secondary
prevention involves intervention with juvenile offenders in the early stages of their offending
histories to prevent further involvement in the juvenile justice system. Tertiary prevention focuses
on the rehabilitation of hardcore, serious offenders.
Conclusion
Juvenile Delinquency is defined it as any social deviation by a youth from the
societal norms which results in his contact with law enforcement agents. It is an
act committed by a young person which violates the stipulated law of that
country or society, Examples of such offences are habitual truancy, drug
addiction, prostitution, stealing, cultism, armed robbery etc.
Thank you for listening
“ C H I L D R E N N E E D LOV E , E S P E C I A L LY W H E N T H E Y D O N O T D E S E RV E I T. ”
- H A R O L D S H U L B E RT , C H I L D P S YC H I AT R I S T