Juvenile Delinquency is the term used to describe a child's violation of the law. When a person under the age of 18 engages in antisocial and criminal behaviour, he or she is considered delinquent; that is, a person who is not an adult. Delinquency is a term used to describe juvenile delinquency. When a person enters maturity, any antisocial or criminal behaviour that he or she engages in might be considered a criminal offence. It is possible to characterise juvenile delinquency as the child and teenage form of criminal behaviour.

The prevalence of juvenile delinquency is particularly high in developing countries such as India. Many children all across the world are becoming active in the formal equity framework of their elders.

Typically, these children are the ones who are dealing with financial difficulties, and as a result, children who have been surrendered and are destitute run a greater risk of sexual exploitation and trafficking. However, for children who are having difficulties with the law, the lengthy trial processes of captures may devastate their whole adolescence, and as a consequence, a substantial proportion of them are reduced to having limited chances of restoration and reintegration into society.

According to Section 2, sub-section 12 of The Juvenile (Care and Protection) Act, 2015, a "child" is defined as a person who has not attained the age of eighteen years.
According to the Act, the word "child" is separated into two categories:

1. "a child who is in confrontation with the law," and
2. "a child in need of protection and care"

As defined by the federal government, a "child in conflict with the law" is a kid who has committed an offence and who was less than 18 at the time of the offence. A "kid in need of care and protection," as defined by Section 14 of the Act, is the second group of individuals who qualify for assistance.

Specifically, the Act states that the maximum term for juvenile offenders is three years in prison, and that this sentence applies to both significant and minor offences alike. Depending on the age of the culprit, the maximum punishment that may be imposed is seven years in prison, life in prison, or the death penalty.

Juvenile delinquency manifests itself in two distinct forms of behaviour:

• Status Offence:
  The term "status offence" refers to behaviour that would not be considered criminal if it were done by an adult in a juvenile court. In other words, the activities of the adolescent are only regarded illegal because they are committed while he or she is a minor. Underage drinking, skipping school, and disobeying a municipal curfew regulation are all instances of status crimes that are often committed. In a typical year, nearly 20% of all juvenile arrests are for status crimes, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
  
  For minors who do find up in juvenile court for a status crime, the sorts of sanctions the judge may impose differ from state to state.

Common punishments for status offence infractions include:

• Suspending the juvenile's driver's license
• Requiring the juvenile to pay a fine or restitution
• Placing the juvenile with someone other than a parent or guardian (such as a relative, foster home, or group home)
• Ordering the juvenile to attend a counseling or education program

The majority of courts have the ability to order a juvenile's incarceration in a secure, locked institution if the youngster fails to comply with a court order. In addition, in certain places, the juvenile's parents may be required to attend therapy sessions or parenting programmes as part of the sentence.

Delinquent offense

Delinquent crimes are in violation of the legal legislation, which also apply to adults in the criminal justice system, and are punishable by law. Violent crimes such as murder, rape, armed robbery, aggravated and simple assault, stalking, threatening, child abuse, and other similar acts are included in the definition of delinquent offences. The term "delinquent offences" refers to activities that are concerned with property crimes such as burglary, theft or larceny, motor vehicle theft, arson, property damage, criminal mischief, vandalism, and other similar acts.

Influence from peers is the most common cause of delinquent behaviour among children. According to research, young people who build ties with good persons and organisations who seek positive commitments and it tend to avoid delinquent behaviour are less likely to engage in such behaviour. On the other side, juveniles might be involved in activities that do not have specific goals or commitments, and this can be detrimental to their development. It is possible that these sorts of activities will result in turbulent relationships, which may in turn encourage delinquent behaviour.

Drinking and smoking are examples of these behaviours. Other behaviours include those that are not based on a commitment, such as youngsters becoming engrossed in television viewing or spending an excessive amount of time watching movies. Despite the fact that the majority of individuals are not harmed as a result of these actions. According to research, the more time spent suspended with friends while watching television, the greater the likelihood of engaging in deviant behaviour.

Prevention from Juvenile Delinquency

It is important to guarantee that families have a good effect on their children because of the role that families play in the development of delinquent behaviour in children. It may be accomplished by demonstrating that the family has a strong emotional link and by setting out good communication procedures for the members of the family.

The vast majority of the children are raised in households that do not adhere to the standard definition of family structure. It should be particularly thoroughly monitored in order to prevent the development of delinquent behaviour. Schools should also do background checks on students to fill in any gaps that may have been left by their parents. Educators may also assist in counselling a kid who is engaged in domestic violence or who has a parent who is convicted of a crime.

Families should keep a careful eye on the people with whom their children are spending their time. They should make certain that their children are participating in social activities that are beneficial to them. As a result, there will be a reduction in the likelihood of youngsters becoming delinquents. Teachers should keep a tight watch on their students to ensure that they are participating in appropriate activities.

Pupils should be thoroughly screened at school to ensure that they are not in possession of any prohibited items. It will also aid in the identification of delinquent youngsters, allowing them to be punished in a variety of methods.

Another method of mitigating delinquency is by the reduction or eradication of racism from society, since it has a negative impact as well. It is usually directed towards delinquents who belong to minority communities. It will aid in the lowering of various youths from these minority groups who are involved in criminal activity.

It will also assist in raising the self-esteem of teens from these minority groups, resulting in a reduction in the number of infractions committed by these teenagers as a result of their poor self-esteem.

Written By: Samridhi Sharma, Fifth year student of B.com LLB at Chandigarh University
Author of book" Family Law: An overview to Hindu Law"
Have Published 15+ articles on this site with numerous views.
Email: [email protected]