Juvenile Delinquency

Kamran ishfaq
Phd Scholar Sociology, University of Peshawar, Pakistan
Social Welfare Officer
The Children’s Hospital & the Institute of Child Health
Multan, Pakistan
Juvenile Delinquency:
Juvenile delinquency is one of the most
important serious problems of the society. It is
almost an outcome of rapid urbanization and
industrialization of modern times.
A large number of children moving form rural
areas to cities or living in slum areas in cities are
found to be highly vulnerable to this process.
This has almost become a universal problem in
most of the industrialized countries.
Meaning & Definitions 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, he may be called ‘juvenile
delinquent’.
Definition:
“Abnormal or antisocial behavior by a juvenile who is
below an age specified by statute”.
Running
away from
home
Runaway
children
Wandering
on streets,
railway
stations,
roads etc.
Bad company
Who is a Juvenile Delinquent:
Juvenile delinquents are those offenders including boys and girls who are
normally under 16 year of age.
A juvenile delinquent is a young person incorrigible or habitual disobedient.

Act of delinquency may include:

i. Running away from home without permission of parents.
ii. Habitual truancy beyond the control of parents.
iii. Use of vulgar language.
iv. Wandering rail, roads, streets, market places.
v. Visiting gambling centers.
vi. Committing sexual offenders.
vii. Shop lifting.
viii. Stealing etc.
Juveniles may do such activities singly or through a gang.
Causes of Juvenile Delinquency:
According to Healy & Bronner the cause of juvenile
delinquency are:
i. Bad company.
ii. Mental conflicts.
iii. Love of adventure.
iv. School dissatisfaction.
v. Poor recreation.
vi. Street life.
vii.Vocational dissatisfaction.
The causes of juvenile delinquency may be classified under two major
factors:
a) Social Factor.
b) Personality Factor.

a) Social Factor favoring juvenile delinquency:

Broken homes.
Poverty.
Delinquency areas.
Companion & Gangs.
Begging.
Other Social or environmental factors:
a) School dissatisfaction.
b) Film and pornography literature.
b) Personal or Individual factors:
• Mental deficiency in delinquency
It has been observed that good number of delinquents are
mentally deficient.
• Emotional problems of individuals.
Mental troubles and emotional maladjustments are strong factor
in delinquency. Delinquents are not born so, but they become so
due to social circumstances and personal deficiencies.
Thus it may be said that juvenile delinquency is the result of
both social or environmental and personal or individual factors.
Remedies for Juvenile Delinquency:
It is known that the delinquent child of today may turn out to
be a chronic criminals tomorrow.
Discussions, debates and studies have been made at the
national as well as international levels by scholars to seek
out effective remedy for this problem.
Two methods have been suggested to deal with this problems:
a) Preventive method.
b) rehabilitative method.
Preventive Measures.
In order to prevent the juvenile delinquency following measures
may be suggested.
• Creating a team at government as well as private level for the
prevention.
• Giving proper training to the members and staff of all
organizations concerned with delinquency control.
• Establishing child guidance clinics or give appropriate treatment
to the distributed and maladjusted children.
• Educate to the families to realize the importance of giving proper
attention to the needs of their young children.
• Improving the social environment, slum areas, busy markets
places etc.
Rehabilitative method.
• Legislative measures.
• Borstal schools.