Juvenile delinquency is one of the serious problems of the modern society. It is the outcome of rapid urbanisation and industrialisation of modern age. Social conditions associated with these two processes have affected the family pattern. This has resulted in an atmosphere that is favourable to the growth of juvenile delinquency. A large number of children moving from rural areas to the cities or living in slums in cities are found to be highly vulnerable to this problem. This has almost become a universal problem in most of the industrialised countries including India. G.C.Dutt observes, “Juvenile delinquency is rapidly becoming a serious menace in India. and with the progressive industrialisation of many parts of the country… this problem will soon assume the same proportions as in many of the western countries”
MEANING OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
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/ or to himself, he may be called a juvenile delinquent. Each state has its own precise definition of the age range covered by the word juvenile
Definitions
1. Cyril Burt defines 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. The Second United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and Treatment of Offenders (1960) states, “by juvenile delinquency should be understood the commission of an act which, if committed by an adult, would be considered a crime”
4. C.B.Mamoria writes, “the phrase juvenile delinquency may be loosely used to cover any kind of deviant behaviour of children which violates normative rules, understanding or expectation of social system”
5. KL. Sharma: “A delinquent child is one who deserts hix home, who is habitually disobedient or is beyond the control of his parents who violates the law of the land, or who does not abide by the rules which he is required to follow
In simple words, it can be said that juvenile delinquency is a type of abnormal or antisocial behaviour by a juvenile who is below an age specified by statute.
Types of Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile delinquency assumes various forms or types of which the following are to be considered at some length.
(i) Individual Delinquency:
In this type, the cause of delinquency is located within the individual himself. Delinquent behavior pertaining to this type is mostly interpreted by the psychiatrists who feel that it is caused by the psychological problems emerging from the defective family interactive patterns. Their studies have revealed that almost 90% of the delinquents of this category have unhappy home life and felt disgusted with their life circumstances. As a result, some felt rejected by parents and others felt inferior or jealous of siblings and some others suffered from mental conflicts. They indulged in delinquency as a solution to these problems.
(ii) Group-Supported Delinquency:
In this type, the cause is mostly rooted in the culture of the individual’s home and neighborhood, and not in the personality of the individual. The main finding of the studies in relation to this type of delinquency is that delinquent’s association and companionship with others who are already delinquents – is the main cause of delinquency.
(iii) Organized Delinquency:
This is a type in which delinquent acts are committed due to organized group efforts. As far as India is concerned, this type of delinquency is comparatively rare. American sociologists developed the concept of “delinquent sub-culture” to explain and analyse this type of delinquency. The concept refers to the set of values and norms that guide the behaviour of group members and encourage the commission of delinquencies’. Albert Cohen was the first sociologist to refer to this type of delinquency.
(iv) Situational Delinquency:
The basic assumption in this type is that delinquency is not deep rooted but it is only situational. Thus, a young boy or a girl indulges in a delinquent act, say, pre-marital sexplay, without much thinking and without having any commitment to delinquency. He or she is more susceptible to do because, the individual has not developed any self-discipline to control his or her impulses, or the individual’s family has less control over the behaviour of its younger members. The individual may also feel that he or she has nothing to lose, even if caught.