Juvenile Delinquency

Meaning,Causes,Types, Preventions
What is Juvenile Delinquency?
• According to the FBI, a juvenile is anyone under the age of 18 regardless of
how each individual state defines a juvenile. A delinquent is an individual
who fails to obey the laws. Juvenile delinquency is defined as an individual
under the age of 18 who fails to abide by the laws.

• Violation of law by a child is called Juvenile Delinquency.

• When a person reaches adulthood, antisocial and criminal behavior done

by him can be said as a crime. Thus, we can say that juvenile delinquency is
the child and adolescent version of the crime
Types of Juvenile Delinquency
• Individual Delinquency
• Group Based Delinquency
• Organized Delinquency
• Situational Delinquency
Individual Delinquency
• This refers to delinquency in which only one individual is involved in
committing a delinquent act and its cause is located within the
individual delinquent.

• Most of the explanations of this type of delinquent behavior come

from psychiatrists.

• Their argument is that delinquency is caused by psychological

problems that primarily stem from defective/faulty/pathological
family interaction patterns.
Group Supported Delinquency
• In this type, the delinquencies are committed in companionship with
others and the cause is located not in the personality of the individual
or in the delinquent’s family but in the culture of the individual’s
home and neighborhood. The studies of Thrasher and Shaw and
McKay talk of this type of delinquency. The main finding in
understanding why the young became delinquent was their
association and companionship with others already delinquent.
Organized Delinquency
• This type refers to delinquencies that are committed by developing for-
mally organized groups. These delinquencies were analyzed in the United
States in the 1950s and the concept of ‘delinquent sub-culture’ was
developed.

• This concept refers to the set of values and norms that guide the behavior
of group members encourage the commission of delinquencies, award
status on the basis of such acts and specify typical relationships to persons
who fall outside the groupings governed by group norms. Cohen was the
first person to refer to this type of delinquency. He was followed by
Cloward and Ohlin and a few others.
Situational Delinquency
• The above mentioned three types of delinquencies have one thing in
common. In all of them, delinquency is viewed as having deep roots.
In individual delinquency (according to the psychogenic explanation),
the roots of delinquency lie primarily within the individual; in group-
supported and organized delinquencies (the sociogenic explanation)
the roots (of delinquency) lie in the structure of the society with
emphasis either on the ecological areas where delinquency prevails
or on the systematic way in which social structure places some
individuals in a poor position to compete for success.
Situational Delinquency
• The situational delinquency provides a different perspective. Here the
assumption is that delinquency is not deeply rooted, and motives for
delinquency and means for controlling it are often relatively simple. A
young man indulges in a delinquent act without having a deep
commitment to delinquency because of less developed impulse control
and/or because of lesser reinforcement of family restraints and because he
has relatively little to lose even if caught.

• Matzah (1964) is one scholar who refers to this type of delinquency.

However, the concept of situational delinquency is undeveloped and is not
given much relevance in the problem of delinquency causation. It is a
supplement to rather than a replacement of other types.
Causes of Juvenile Delinquency
• Biological Causes
• Social Causes
• Other causes
Biological Causes
• Hereditary Defects
• Extra Y chromosomes
• Glandular Imbalance
Social Causes
• Broken Family
• Single Parent family
• Parent Neglect
• Poor Living Conditions / Poverty
• Delinquent peer groups.
Other causes
• Urbanization
• Internet / Television/ cinemas
Preventative Measures
• EDUCATION – Educational and awareness programs such as programs to
parents on how to behave with the children, how their behavior will leave
an impact on the children, how important is interaction with their children
should be conducted. And children have to be properly educated in schools
about social behaviors.

• PARENT-CHILD INTERACTION – programs should be conducted about

parenting skills and how the interactions should happen between parents
and children. Healthy discussions should take place between parents and
their children in order to educate the child properly regarding the behavior
issues. Programs on how to respond to their child’s behaviors should be
conducted for the parents
• PREVENT BULLYING – Most of the time, children become victims of
bullying near their neighborhood by the other peer groups or on the
school campus. This bullying might have an impact on the mental
health of the children. Sometimes children might hold grudges and
commit offences unknowingly

• RECREATION – Recreation programs extend opportunities to the

children to connect with other children and adults. They might make
a positive friendship which might help them in future. These
recreation programs should be designed in such a way that they
would fit the personalities and skills that the children have. Extra-
curricular activities, such as music, dance, sports, martial arts,
painting, etc., have to be provided to the children to keep their minds
refreshing and occupied.
Conclusion
• Every country in the world has faced the problem or still facing the
problem of juvenile delinquency at some point in time. However, the
problem of juvenile delinquency is much higher in developing
countries. In the developing world, there will be many factors that
can affect the growth of a child. They are adversely affected by the
changing conditions. People have to work hard to learn a living in the
present era. And most of the time they had to leave their children
alone in the home and they interact less with their children. Most
important aspect which can majorly influence the shaping of a child’s
life. In order to tackle the juvenile delinquency problem, every person
in society has to contribute to it for the successful eradication of
juvenile delinquency.