SOCY101: SOCIOLOGY

Lecture-25
Topic: Juvenile Delinquents
Instructor: Muhammad Adeel Irshad
Email: adeelsociologist@lgu.edu.pk
Lahore Garrison University, Lahore
JUVENILE DELINQUENTS
JUVENILE DELINQUENTS

Young
Offenders
 Delinquents
 1960’s Act defines delinquent as “a child who has
committed an offence”
 Delinquency is not merely “juvenile crime”.
Includes all deviations from normal youthful behaviour.
 Eg: Children who are habitually disobedient, who desert
homes, mix with immoral people, those with behavioural
problems, indulging in antisocial practices.
 Types of Juvenile Delinquents
Four types of delinquencies by Howard
Becker
i. Individual Delinquency
ii. Group-Supported Delinquency
iii. Organized Delinquency
iv. Situational Delinquency
 Factors involved in Juvenile
Delinquents
Mental Defect
Superior Intelligence
Emotional Issues
Abnormalities of Instinct
Uneven Mental Development
 Factors involved in Juvenile
Delinquents
Obsessive Imagination
Mental Conflicts

Inferiority Complex

Habit and Association

Gender Roles
 Indicators of Exploitation
 Juvenile delinquents are not aware of being used or exploited,
most of the time they believe to be part of a family or peer
business.
 They trust their exploiters.
 Speechs are stereotyped.
 Family doesn’t show even when the minor is jailed.
 The pressures imposed on them are not as high as those imposed
on the girls.
 Theories
 Strain Theory
 Differential Theory

 Labelling theory

 Male phenomenon
 Strain Theory
Strain theory strain theory holds that
crime is caused by the difficulty faced in
achieving socially valued goals by
legitimate means by those in poverty
 Differential Theory
 Differential
Theory it suggests young people are
motivated to commit crimes by delinquent peers
and learn criminal skills from them
 Labelling Theory
 Labelling
theory the idea is that once labelled as
deviant a young person may accept that role and
be more likely to associate with others who have
been similarly labelled
 Causes
biologicalcauses
Economic and Social Factors
Physical Factors
Cultural Factors
Urbanization
Family
Migration
 Causes
The Media
Social Disparities

Peer Influence
Drug addiction
Modern way of life

Alcoholism
 Prevention
Education

Recreation

Community Involvement
Parenting

Moral Teachings
 PREVENTIVE MEASURES
 Improvement of family life
– Well-adjusted family
– Parents prepared for parenthood
– Meeting needs of children.
 Schooling
– Healthy teacher pupil relationship
 Social welfare services
– Recreation facilities, parent counselling, child guidance,
educational facilities & adequate general health
services