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Lecture-10
Deviance and Juvenile Delinquency

Deviance
Deviance is behavior that violates the norms of social groups. It is true that the
social order is mainly maintained by means of social control and socialization. It
is equally true that most of the people follow or conform to most of the norms
most of the times. But all the people or even most of people do not conform to all
the norms always. As young and Mack have pointed out, “No norm is always
obeyed, no individual always conforms to every set of expectations”. Hence,
deviance, that is, the act of going against the rules norms is there everywhere.
Deviant be behaviors such as knavery, cheating, adultery, unfairness crime,
malingering, immorality, dishonesty betrayal, burglary, corruption, cunningness,
sneakiness,. wickedness, gambling, drunkenness etc, go along with conformity.
Deviance in one shape or another is found everywhere.

Factors Facilitating Deviance

Social deviance refers to the non-conformity to or violating of the norms of the

groups. The violation of norms is not evenly spread in a population. In the same
way, all the norms are not violated. What we normally observe in society is that
some particular norm is violated or some particular persons violate a given
norm, or both. H. M. Johnson had listed a few factors that facilitate deviance
among which the following may be noted.

Faulty Socialization:

Socialization is the process by which the individual learns to conform to the

norms of the group when he fails to conform to the norms systematically he
becomes a special deviant. Socializing agents often fail to inculcate in the new
born person the strong morals. Sometimes socializing agents themselves may
directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly, consciously or half-consciously
encourage such deviant behavior of the new members. Persons has pointed out
that deviance proneness is more potential in the lower classes mainly because
of failure in socialization.

Weak Sanctions:

Sanctions refer to the rewards or punishments used to establish social control or

to enforce norms in a society. It the positive sanctions (rewards) for conformity
and the negative sanctions (punishment) for deviance are weak, the individual
may simply neglect them.

Poor Enforcement:

Even though the sanctions are stronger they are often not enforced effectively
due to the too small enforcement staff. Because of this the validity of the norm is
weakened. For example, it is not possible for a handful of traffic police staff to
enforce traffic rules on all vehicle riders. The result is, many ignore an some
even openly violate traffic rules.

Unjust or Corrupt Enforcement:

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People may lose respect for law and norms when they have no faith in law
enforcement agency or authority. It is known that police corruption and illegal
violence damage very much respect for the law in the areas affected by such
practices. It is also observed that in some instances police maintain informal
relations or secret understanding with violators. As a result, such relations
condone the activities which the police are supposed to suppress.

Ambivalence of the Agents of social Control:

Ambivalence refers to the co-existence in one person of opposing emotional

attitudes to wards the same object. For example, a person may consider woman
not only as an object of respect, but also as an object of love, particularly of
sexual love. A doctor with such ambivalent attitude may inflict sexual crime on
young and beautiful female patient. Policemen, teachers, parents, business
superiors, all may have such complex personalities with unconscious deviant
tendencies. These tendencies may lead them unconsciously to encourage
certain kinds of deviation rather than to counteract it.

Sub-cultural Support of Deviance: Different groups have different ideas of

permissible behavior. The range of acts that would be approved by the working
class people differs from that which would be approved by the middle class
people. What is non-conforming in the outside world becomes conforming in the
group. For example, the frustrate children of the working class block together in
little gangs. The subculture of this gang may emphasis malice and negativism.
The gang may even reward delinquent behavior for it represents an attack on
the value of the respectable middle class.
Indefinite Range of Norms:

Some norms relating to some values are not probably specified. For example
the scope of patriotism and freedom (Political Values) is not clearly defined.
Hence, some even defend their deviant behavior in the name of patriotism and
freedom. Thus one may use harsh language against another in the name of
freedom.

Secrecy of Violations: Some susceptible persons are more prone to commit

deviant acts if they are assured that such acts are not going to be made public.
For example, sex crimes and illegal abortions very often take place because of
the confidence on the part of the actors that their behavior would remain secret.

Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Delinquency is one of the serious problems of mess society. It is almost
an out comes of rapid urbanization and industrialization of modern times. Social
conditions associated with these two processes have affected the family pattern.
This resulted in an atmosphere that is favorable to the growth of juvenile
delinquency.

Delinquency is a kind of abnormality. When an individual deviates from the

course of normal social life, his behavior is called "delinquency". When a
juvenile, below an age specified under a statute exhibits behavior which may
prove to be dangerous to society and/or to himself he may be called a 'Juvenile
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delinquent'. Each state has its own precise definition of the age range covered
by the word 'juvenile'.

Definitions

Cyril Burt defines delinquency as occurring in a child "When his anti-social

tendencies appear so grave that he becomes or ought to become the subject of
official action".

Friedlander says, "Delinquency is a juvenile misconduct that might be dealt with

under the law".

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.“

C.B. Mamoria writes, "The phrase 'juvenile delinquency' may be loosely used to
cover any kind of deviant behavior of children which violates normative rules,
understanding or expectations of social system".

In simple words, it can be said that juvenile delinquency is a type of abnormal or

anti-social behavior by a juvenile who is below an age Specified by statute.

Causes of Juvenile Delinquency

There is no single cause or simple explanation for the development of delinquent

behavior. According to Healy and Bronner, the causes of juvenile delinquency
are—(1) Bad company, (2) adolescent instability and impulses, (3) early sex
experience, (4) mental conflicts, (5) extreme social suggestibility, (6) love of
adventure, (7) motion picture, (8) school dissatisfaction, (9) poor recreation, (10)
street life, (11) vocational dissatisfaction, (12) sudden impulse; and (13) physical
conditions of all sorts.

The causes of juvenile delinquency may be classified under two major factors:
(A) Social factors, and (B) Personality factors.
Social Factors Favoring Juvenile Delinquency

Broken Homes:

British and American investigations reveal that nearly 50% of the delinquents
come form broken homes. In one of the studies conducted by Uday Shankar in
India only 13.3% of the 140 delinquents that he studied came from broken
homes- (1-34). This shows the cultural differences between Indian and the
Western countries. Still it can be said that broken homes and families, lack of
parental affection and security, absence of a loving mother in the childhood or
an affectionate mother substitute, lack of family ties, parental irresponsibility and
a steep rate in divorce, desertion and separation are all contributory factors to
delinquency.

Poverty:

A very large proportion of delinquent children come from poor homes. It is

generally, although not unanimously, accepted by professional students of
juvenile delinquency that the vast majority of delinquents come form the lower
class. They commit their offences as member of gangs. Uday Shankar's study
has revealed that as many as 83% of the children come from poor families. Still
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it cannot be generalized that the children of the poor homes invariably become
delinquents.

Poverty compels sometimes both of the parents to be outside the home for a
very long period to earn their daily bread. The children will be uncared for such
children may consciously or unconsciously join hands with gangsters and
become delinquents. This mostly happens in slum areas and areas in which
mostly working class people live.

Delinquency Areas:

It is said that some areas are highly vulnerable to delinquent trends. Long ago
Burt in his study showed that there are certain areas in London from which the
majority of delinquent children come. The delinquents mostly come from the
areas of poor housing, overcrowding and the areas in which cinema houses,
hotels, night clubs, and liquor shops are found in a large number. It is true that
when a family is living in the heart of the town the chances are greater for the
children of such families to pick up delinquent behavior. It is to be noted that not
all the children living in the delinquent areas are delinquents.

Companions and Gangs:

As the child grows older he goes into the neighborhood and becomes a member
of the playground or peer group. If by chance he joins the group or the gang that
fosters delinquent attitudes he is also likely to become a delinquent. In fact,
much delinquency springs up from the prevalent attitudes in the groups within
which the youth has immediate contacts. Charles Shaw has opined that
"delinquency is a product of community forces".

Due to bad companionship also offences are committed by the adolescents.

Studies have shown that delinquent acts are done in company. In his Illinois
Crime Survey of 1928 Shaw analyzed 6000 boys were involved in the crime. He
found that 90% of the cases two or more boys were involved in the crime. But in
Uday Shankar's study in India only23% of persons committed delinquent acts
due to bad company. It cannot, however, be presumed that mere companionship
by itself causes delinquency.

Beggary:

Beggary is often the cause of juvenile delinquency. Child beggars mostly come
from either very poor families or broken homes. These children are betrayed, of
the needed love and affection of the parents. They crave for the satisfaction of
their inner impulses, desires and ambitions. They choose to become beggars for
the same. As beggars they get annoyed to see others enjoying life. Some 0f
them may even become rebels. They realize that only through
deviant practices, they can satisfy their desires and meet their needs. They thus
become delinquents.
Other Social or Environmental Factors

School Dissatisfaction:

Some students get dissatisfied with school life. Parental irresponsibility,

unmanageable student-teacher ratio, lack of entertainment and sports facilities
in schools, indifference of the teachers may contribute to this. Such dissatisfied
students become regular absentees in schools and start wandering in streets.
They may even form gangs of their own and become gamblers, eve-teasers,
pick-pockets, drunkards, smokers and drug addicts.
Films and Pornographic Literature:
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It is also added to the magnitude of delinquency. Cinema, television and
obscene literature may often provoke sexual and other impulses in adolescents.
Hence they may start their 'adventure' in satisfying them in the process of which
they commit crimes.

Remedies for Juvenile Delinquency

The problem of juvenile delinquency is one that has drawn the attention of
society. It is known that the delinquent child of today may turn out to be a
chronic criminal tomorrow. Two methods have been suggested to deal with this
problem: (A) preventive method, and (B) rehabilitative or curative method.

Preventive Measures

In order to prevent juvenile delinquency from taking place the following

measures may be suggested:

1. Creating and inspiring a team of work of private and public agencies devoted
to preventive work.

2. Giving proper training to the members and staff of all organizations concerned
with delinquency control.

3. Establishing child guidance clinics to give appropriate treatment to the

disturbed and mal-adjusted children.

4. Educating of the family so as to help the parents to realize the importance of

giving proper attention to the needs of their young children.

5. Establishing wholesome recreational agencies to prevent young children from

becoming the victims of illicit or unwholesome recreation.

6. Giving proper assistance to under-privileged children to build in them good

character and law-abiding attitude.

7. Adopting various means of propaganda such as radio, movies, television,

newspapers, magazines, etc., to realize the importance of law-abidingness and
how it is always appreciated and rewarded.

8. Improving the social environment—slum areas, busy market places, gambling

centres, etc., to prevent children to get polluted.

9. Spotting potential delinquents by predictive tests in schools and giving

appropriated treatment to such children.

10. 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.