A study on

The menace of juvenile

delinquency.
A Project Report
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the
requirements
for the award of degree in
BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
MAHATMA GANDHI UNIVERSITY
KOTTAYAM
By
REMY THOMAS
(Reg. No. 5703)
Under the guidance of
Mr.Biju P Mani.

2008-2009
Deparment of Business Administration
Marian College Kuttikkanam-6855bb
Peermade,Idukki

MARIAN COLLEGE KUTTIKKANAM

DEPATMENT OF BBA
 Certificate
This is to certify that the project report
entitled “A STUDY ON THE MENACE OF JUVENILE
DELINQUENCY” submitted to the Mahatma Gandhi
University in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the
degree of Bachelor of Business Administration , is a
record of original work done by REMY THOMAS (Reg. No.
5703)during the year 2008-2009 in the Department of
Business administration of Marian College Kuttikkanam
under my supervision and guidance.

Mr. Jojy George Mr. Biju

P Mani

(Head of the department)

(Faculty guide)

Viva-voce examination held on.........................

Signature of the
Signature of the
Internal examiner
External examiner

certificate
 Declaration
I, Remy Thomas, hereby declare that the social
project entitled “A study on the menace of juvenile
delinquency” is a bonafide record of work done by me to the
best of my knowledge and belief and that it has not been
submitted to any university or institute for the award of any
degree or diploma.

Kuttikkanam Remy Thomas

Acknowledgment
It is great pleasure for me to acknowledge
the assistance and contributions made by several people during
the development of this project. If words are considered as
symbol of approval and tokens of acknowledgement, the following
words play the heralding role of expressing my gratitude. A great
deal of time and much effort has gone into developing and
reaching this project.

I owe special debt to Rev.Fr. George

Ambazhathunkal , Principal, Marian college, Kuttikkanam and all
the faculty members of BBA department for their prompt and
timely help in the official clearances and valuable suggestions.
I express my sincere thanks to Mr.Jojy George
MBA, Head of the Department, for his valuable support and deep
encouragement in completing the project.
I would also like to express my profound
gratitude to Mr. Biju P Mani for his constant and valuable
suggestions while doing the project work
Words are inadequate to express my sincere
thanks to the authorities and other staffs of Juvenile Home,
especially Mr.Subair, in providing facts and materials needed for
the preparation of this project.
I extend my sincere thanks to my parents for their
support, encouragement and help given to me.
Above all the grace of god led me to complete this project
work successfully.

KUTTIKKANAM REMY
THOMAS
INTRODUCTION
 INTRODUCTION
The problems of youth in modern
society are both a major national concern and an important
subject for academic study. This project focuses on one area of
particular concern: juvenile delinquency or criminal behaviour
committed by minors. The study of juvenile delinquency is
important because of both the damage suffered by its victims and
the problems faced by its perpetrators.

JUVENILE DELINQUENT

"Juvenile" or "child" means a person who has not completed

eighteenth year of age;
The children normally below 18 years of age found
guilty of committing a crime and violated the law. A juvenile
delinquent is any child or youth whose conduct deviates
sufficiently from normal social usage to warrant his being
considered a menace to himself, to his future interests or to the
society itself.

JUVENILE DELINQUENCY

Delinquency is misbehaviour. Juvenile

delinquency refers to the failure of children and youth to meet
certain obligations expected of them by the society in which they
live. Officially, juvenile delinquency consists of misbehaviour by
children and adolescents which leads to referral to the juvenile
court. In some states the specifics of such misbehaviour are
rather explicitly stated in the law; in other states the definition of
delinquency is so vague and general that the dividing line
between delinquency and normal misbehaviour is the verdict of
public opinion, the opinion of the policeman who arrests the child,
or the judgement of the juvenile court.

Specifically, juvenile delinquency in

different states ranges from the most serious crime such as
murder, burglary, or robbery to irritating but trivial acts such as
playing ball in the street .building a tree house in the Public Park,
or obstructing traffic on a side walk.

JUVENILE JUSTICE BOARD

The court that takes up the cases where

there is an involvement of children below eighteen years of age
and who are dependant, abused, or out of control. But the cases
which has been charged on the under age child as adult cannot
be tried in this court. The philosophy of the juvenile court is that it
should act in the best interests of the child, as parents should act.
In essence, juvenile courts have a treatment orientation. In
contrast, the focus in juvenile courts is on the current
psychological, physical, emotional and educational needs of the
children as opposed to punishment for their past misdeeds. There
is also a danger that court appearances by children have adverse
labeling effects such as, youths defining themselves as delinquent
and then continuing to break the law. Because of the adverse
labeling effects of court appearances, especially with the
increased formality of court procedures, there is currently,
considerable effort to have juvenile probation officers provide
informal supervision for youth who commit minor violations. With
informal supervision, youthful offenders receive counseling and
guidance and do not appear in court.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JUVENILE COURTS AND ADULT

COURTS

 The overriding theoretical purpose behind juvenile justice is

the rehabilitation of the offender, while the adult justice
system is more concerned with punishment.
 Juveniles can be apprehended by law enforcement officers
for acts(status offenders) that are not crime for adults.
 Juvenile wrong doing is considered a delinquent act; adult
wrong doing is considered a crime.
 Adult criminal proceedings are more formal and regimented
than juvenile proceedings.
 Juvenile court proceedings are closed to the public. Adult
criminal trials are open to the public.
THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS; NORMAL AND DELINQUENT

Both conforming and delinquent

children are in the process of development from infancy to

adulthood.

Infancy- At this stage there is greater influence of

mother. This covers the period from birth to thirty
months. During this process the role of mother is to
love, understand and guide the child into his role. If the
mother is not able to do this the child has difficulty
controlling his behaviour. The child may then continue
his violent reactions towards his parents or later his
teachers. As he grows older and stronger, he may
become a threat to the safety of younger children, or
even to his mother.

Early childhood- Early childhood covers the period from thirty

months to five years. The child is expected to come into
early childhood with a basic feeling of trust, a modified
autonomy in handling daily affairs, and a fair
acceptance of daily routines.

Middle childhood-It covers the period from six to thirteen years. At

this stage the most important role is played by the peer
groups.
Adolescence- Thirteen years to early childhood. Individual
differences among children, the cultural patterns of
their communities, and the early influence of their
families are the main factors that lead to adolescent
crimes.

RISK FACTORS OF JUVENILE CRIME

Family: - Family factors which may have an influence on

offending include;the level of parental supervision, the way
parents discipline a child, parental conflict or separation, criminal
parents or siblings, parental abuse or neglect and the quality of
the parent-child relationship.
Broken home/lack of parental role model.

Attitude of parents.

Effect of criminal relatives. Parental or sibling

drug/alcohol abuse.

Extreme economic deprivation.

Family members in a gang.

School: - Children who perform poorly at school are more

likely to truant,which is also linked to offending. Failure at school
includes poor academic performance, poor attendance, or more
likely, expulsion or dropping out of school. This is an important
factor for predicting future criminal behavior.
Academic frustration/failure.

Learning disability.

Negative labelling by teachers.

Disciplinary problems.

Community: - Social disorganization.

Criminal dominated area.

Presence of gangs in the community.

High crime/constant feeling of danger.

Lack of social and economic opportunities.

Peers: - Delinquent friends.

Friends who use drugs or are members of gangs.

Lack of positive peer pressure.

Individual: - Individual psychology or behavioural risk factors that

may make offending more likely include intelligence,
impulsiveness or the inability to delay gratification, aggression,
empathy and restlessness.Children with low intelligence are likely
to do worse in school. This may increase the chances of offending
because low educational attainment, a low attachahment to
school and low educational aspirations are all risk factors for
offending in themselves.
 Tendency towards aggressive behaviour.

Hyperactive.

Intellectual weakness.

Mental disease.

Characteristics of personality.

Emotional disability.

Alcohol or drug abuse.

Fatalistic/pessimistic view point.

The characteristics listed above are accepted as

“risk factors” for juvenile delinquency. In other words if one or
more of these factors are present in the life of a juvenile, he or
she has a greater chance of exhibiting delinquent behaviour-
though such behaviour is by no means a certainty.
REVIEW OF LITERATURE

REVIEW OF LITERATURE
JUVENILE JUSTICE ACT IN SPECIAL REFERNCE TO JUVENILE IN
CONFLICT WITH LAW.
"Juvenile in conflict with law" means a juvenile who is alleged to
have committed an offence;

Bail and custody of juveniles. – (1) When any person accused

of a bailable or non-bailable offence and apparently a juvenile is
arrested or detained or appears or is brought before a Juvenile
Court, such person shall, notwithstanding anything contained in
the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974), or in any other
law for the time being in force, be released on bail with or without
surety but he shall not be so released if there appear reasonable
grounds for believing that the release is likely to bring him into
association with any known criminal or expose him to moral
danger or that his release would defeat the ends of justice.

(2) When such person having been arrested is not released on

bail under sub-section (1) by the officer-in-charge of the police
station, such officer shall cause him to be kept in an observation
home or a place of safety in the prescribed manner (but not in a
police station or jail) until he can be brought before a Juvenile
Court.

(3) When such person is not released on bail under sub-section

(1) by the Juvenile Court it shall, instead of committing him to
prison, make an order sending him to an observation home or a
place of safety for such period during the pendency of the inquiry
regarding him as may be specified in the order.

Information to parent or guardian or probation officer. –

Where a juvenile is arrested, the officer-in-charge of the police
station to which the juvenile is brought shall, as soon as may be
after the arrest, inform –

(a) The parent or guardian of the juvenile, if he can be found, of

such arrest and direct him to be present at the Juvenile Court
before which the juvenile will appear; and
(b) The probation officer of such arrest in order to enable him to
obtain information regarding the antecedents and family history
of the juvenile and other material circumstances likely to be of
assistance of the Juvenile Court for making the inquiry.

Inquiry by Juvenile Court regarding delinquent

juveniles. – Where a juvenile having been charged with an
offence appears or is produced before a Juvenile Court shall
hold the inquiry in accordance with the provisions of section
39 and may, subject to the provisions of this Act, make such
order in relation to the juvenile as it deems fit.

Orders that may be passed regarding delinquent juveniles.

– (1) Where a Juvenile Court is satisfied on inquiry that a juvenile
has committed an offence, then, notwithstanding anything to the
contrary contained in any other law for the time being in force,
the Juvenile Court may, if it so thinks fit, -

(a) Allow the juvenile to go home after advice or admonition ;

(b) Direct the juvenile to be released on probation of good

conduct and placed under the care of any parent, guardian or
other fit person, on such parent, guardian or other fit person
executing a bond, with or without surety as that court may
require, for the good behavior and well-being of the juvenile for
any period not exceeding three years ;

(c ) Direct the juvenile to be released on probation of good

conduct and placed under the care of any fit institution for the
good behavior and well-being of the juvenile for any period not
exceeding three years ;

(d) Make an order directing the juvenile to be sent to a special

home, -

(i) In the case of a boy over fourteen years of age or of a girl over
sixteen years of age, for a period of not less than three years ;

(ii) In the case of any other juvenile, for the period until he ceases
to be a juvenile

Provided that the Juvenile Court may, if it is satisfied that having

regard to the nature of the offence and the circumstances of the
case it is expedient so to do, for reasons to be recorded, reduce
the period of stay to such period as it thinks fit

Provided further that the Juvenile Court may, for reasons to be

recorded, extend the period of such stay, but in no case the
period of stay shall extend beyond the time when the juvenile
attains the age of eighteen years, in the case of a boy, or twenty
years in the case of a girl ;

(e) Order the juvenile to pay a fine if he is over fourteen years of

age and earns money.

(2) Where an order under clause (b), clause (c ) or clause (e) of

sub-section (1) is made, the Juvenile Court may, if it is of opinion
that in the interests of the juvenile and of the public it is
expedient so to do, in addition make an order that the delinquent
juvenile shall remain under the supervision of a probation officer
named in the order during such period, not exceeding three
years, as may be specified therein, and may in such supervision
order impose such conditions as it deems necessary for the due
supervision of the delinquent juvenile :

Provided that if at any time afterwards it appears to the Juvenile

Court on receiving a report from the probation officer or
otherwise, that the delinquent juvenile has not been of good
behavior during the period of supervision or that the fit institution
under whose care the juvenile was placed is no longer able or
willing to ensure the good behavior and well-being of the juvenile
it may after making such inquiry as it deems fit, order the
delinquent juvenile to be sent to a special home.

(3) The Juvenile Court making a supervision order under sub-

section (2), shall explain to the juvenile and the parent, guardian
or other fit person or fit institution, as the case may be, under
whose care the juvenile has been placed the terms and conditions
of the order and shall forthwith furnish one copy of the
supervision order to the juvenile, the parent, guardian or fit
institution, as the case may be, the sureties, if any, and the
probation officer.

(4) In determining the special home, or any person or institution

to whose custody a juvenile is to be committed or entrusted
under this Act, the court shall pay due regard to the religious
denomination of the juvenile to ensure that religious instruction
contrary to the religious persuasion of the juvenile is not imparted
to him.
Orders that may not be passed against delinquent
juvenile. –

(1) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in any

other law for the time being in force, no delinquent juvenile shall
be sentenced to death or imprisonment, or committed to prison in
default of payment of fine or in default of furnishing security :

Provided that where a juvenile who has attained the age of

fourteen years has committed an offence and the Juvenile Court is
satisfied that the offence committed is of so serious a nature or
that his conduct and behavior have been such that it would not be
in his interest or in the interest of other juvenile in a special home
to send him to such special home and that none of the other
measures provided under this Act is suitable or sufficient, the
Juvenile Court, may order the delinquent juvenile to be kept in
safe custody in such place and manner as it thinks fit and shall
report the case for the orders of the State Government.

(2) On receipt of a report from a Juvenile Court under sub-section

(1), the State Government may make such arrangement in
respect of the juvenile as it deems proper and may order such
delinquent juvenile to be detained at such place and on such
conditions as it thinks fit :

Provided that the period of detention so ordered shall not exceed

the maximum period of imprisonment to which juvenile could
have been sentenced for the offence committed.
Proceeding under Chapter VIII of the Code of Criminal
Procedure not competent against juvenile. –
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in the
Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974), no proceeding
shall be instituted and no order shall be passed against a
juvenile under Chapter VIII of the said Code.

No joint trial of juvenile and person not to juvenile. – (1)

Notwithstanding anything contained in section 223 of the Code of
Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974), or in any other law for the
time being in force, no juvenile shall be charged with or tried for,
any offence together with a person who is not a juvenile.

(2) If a juvenile is accused of an offence for which under section

223 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974), or any
other law for the time being in force, such juvenile and any
person who is not a juvenile would, but for the prohibition
contained in sub-section (1), have been charged and tried
together, the court taking cognizance of that offence shall direct
separate trials of the juvenile and the other person.

Removal of disqualification attaching to conviction. –

Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law, a
juvenile who has committed an offence and has been dealt
with under the provisions of this Act and shall not suffer
disqualification, if any, attaching to a conviction of an
offence under such law.
Special provision in respect of pending cases. –
Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, all proceedings in
respect of a juvenile pending in any court in any area on the date
on which this Act comes into force in that area, shall be continued
in that court as if this Act had not been passed and if the court
finds that the juvenile has committed an offence, it shall record
such finding and instead of passing any sentence in respect of the
juvenile, forward the juvenile to the Juvenile Court which shall
pass orders in respect of that juvenile in accordance with the
provisions of this Act as if it had been satisfied on inquiry under
this Act that the juvenile has committed the offence.

PROFILE OF THE ORGANISATION

Trivandrum juvenile home situated in poojappura, is an
institution under juvenile justice act. The purpose of juvenile
home is to ensure that no child in any circumstances is lodged in
Jail or police lock-up.

There are 6 Juvenile Homes, 14 observation homes and 2 Special

Homes functioning in the State.

SPECIAL HOME FOR CHILDREN

This is meant for the rehabilitation of children who

have involved in crime and when the case is disposed by the
Juvenile Justice Board and there is no other provision for their
rehabilitation. 2 homes are functioning one in Trivandrum and one
in Kozhikode
OBSERVATION HOME

Centre for temporary reception of children below 18

years who are in conflict with law and who are involved in crime.
Observation Homes for Boys have been set up in all the districts
in Kerala except Idukki. There is only one Observation Home for
Girls that is functioning in Vellimadkunnu in Kozhikode District.
At present there are 14 observation homes (13 for boys & 1 for
girls) in the State.

JUVENILE HOME

These institutions are meant for children who are in need

of care and protection. Shelter, food, education, medical care,
rehabilitation, developmental opportunities and exposure for
socialization/ mainstreaming are the services provided in Juvenile
Homes. There are 6 such institutions 5 for boys and one for girls.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
RESEARCH

Research is an organized enquiry designed and carried

out to provide information for solving a problem.

RESEARCH DEFINITION.
Research is a common parlance to a search for
knowledge. Research always starts with a question through the
application of scientific method. It is a systematic and intensive
study directed towards a more complete knowledge of the
subject.

TOPIC
 A study on the menace of juvenile delinquency with
special reference to Trivandrum special home for boys and
observation home.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
• To study the nature and extent of juvenile delinquency.
• To study the factors that provokes a juvenile to do a crime.
• To study the circumstances under which a child commits a
crime.
• To study the intensity of crime conducted by juveniles.
• To study the functioning of juvenile homes.

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHOD

Qualitative research is a field of inquiry

applicable to many disciplines and subject matters. Qualitative
researchers aim to gather an in-depth understanding of human
behavior and the reasons that govern such behavior.The
qualitative method investigates the why and how of decision
making, not just what, where and when. Hence, smaller but
focused samples are more needed , rather than large random
samples.

This study is qualitative in nature. There are a wide

variety of methods that are common in qualitative measurement.
In fact, the methods are largely limited by the imagination of the
researcher.

METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION

 Participant Observation
One of the most common methods for qualitative
data collection, participant observation is one of the most
demanding. It requires that the researcher become a participant
in the culture or context being observed.

 Direct Observation
Direct observation is distinguished from
participant observation in a number of ways. The researcher is
observing certain sampled situations or people rather than trying
to become immersed in the entire context. Finally, direct
observation tends not to take as long as participant observation.

 Unstructured Interviewing
Unstructured interviewing involves direct
interaction between the researcher and a respondent or group. It
differs from traditional structured interviewing in several
important ways.

 Case Studies
Case study is a method of analyzing the life of a social
unit.The social unit may be a person, group of persons,institution
or community. Each case is unique. Therefore a case is non-
comparable and it yields non-additive and non-quantitative data.
 STEPS IN CASE STUDY METHOD
The various steps involved in case study are as follows;
a) Choice of cases.
The researcher has to decide which unit has to be
taken for study. The case may be general or specific. The
researcher has to choose either of the two.
b) Identification of the unit.
The unit of study may be an individual or group of
persons or an institution or a group of institutions.
c) Number of cases.
We can obtain the results easily if the cases are few.If
the cases are generalized on the basis of few number of cases the
result will be biased or wrong.
d) Collection of data.
The researcher should use different techniques and
tools to collect data about different aspects of the unit. The study
of personal documents, life, histories, observations, interviews,
questionnaires, a variety of tests like intelligence tests and
aptitude tests are certain techniques adopted in case study for
gathering data. The collected data should be recorded properly.
e) Analysis of factors.
All collected data are integrated and analysed. The
most dominant,less dominant and neutral elements shold be
discriminated.
f) Interpretation and reporting of data.
 The facts collected have to be classified and
analysed. Afterwards the facts must be explained and interpreted.
The interpretation must be logical and in convenient form.
The findings have to be adequately reported in order
to make them more valuable to the public. In reporting , the
researcher has to present the problem investigated, the research
methods employed, the results and the conclusions arrived at as
a result of the investigation. The report must be such that the
reader can easity understand, assess and verify the validity of the
conclusions.

TYPES OF DATA
For the purpose of the study both primary and
secondary data was collected.

PRIMARY DATA
Primary data are those data collected by the
investigator himself for the first time for a specific purpose. In the
case of this research primary data is collected first hand from the
respondents by the following methods.
➢ Questionnaire method
It consists of number of questions in a structured way covering all
aspects related to their awareness and problems. It is a self
administrative process.
➢ Personal interview method
In this method, the investigator questioned the respondents in
face to face meeting.

SECONDARY DATA METHOD

Secondary data are those data which have
already been collected by some other person for their own
purpose and published .These also includes data which are
collected from some earlier research work and are applicable in
the study the researcher has presently undertaken. Some of the
secondary data includes books from library, internet, journals etc.

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

The results of the case study are not applicable to the

universe.

Case study is unsystematic and incapable of verification and

generalization.

There is a temptation to ignore the research design and

hence the study is not systematic.

It was costly and time consuming.

DETAILS OF RESPONDENTS
 DETAILS OF RESPONDENTS
CASE 1

Respondent A

Age: 17 yrs

Family: nuclear family including father and mother

Place: Theni, a rural area.

Economic status: below average.

Education: 5th standard.

Hobbies: playing caroms, day dreaming, collecting posters,

watching TV.

Extracurricular activities: Tailoring, singing.

He is born in a Hindu family and the whole family

embraced Islam when he was 14 years old. Since one and a half
years he is an inmate in special home for boys. At first he was
admitted to observation home, kottayam .
 Initially he was caught by the police when he was
wandering in Kumily area late night. He was only 10 years old at
that time. Police brutally tortured him a lot. Police released him
later.

The police caught him again for stealing from the

offering chest of a church at Thekkady, but his statement is that
he was travelling with his relative to Kumily to borrow some
money from a person. His so called relative left him and never
bothered to release him.

Although his parents are interested in bringing him

home, they rarely visited him and after the admission in juvenile
home he never got a liberty, to go home.

His father is a tailor, and mother, a housewife. They

all participate in social and religious functions. But parental care
towards the child was not enough. He often shares his personal
matters with his mother.

Majority of his friends are of same sex and older

than him. He developed a bad habit of smoking when he was with
his friends. He had a love affair. Prior to the entry into the juvenile
home he was working as a coolie. He utilized his income for his
own daily activities like cinema, mobile phone etc.

According to him, he did not get enough recognition

or appreciation from anybody. Many times he thought of ending
life. But he said that he is living for his girlfriend.
 He is not much satisfied with the life in juvenile
home. He made several attempts to runaway. The inmates utilize
their leisure time by playing caroms, watching TV and playing
cricket. The special home authorities provided counselling for the
boys. Counselling sessions are much beneficial as they bring
enlightenment to the inmates. The probation officers always give
moral support to the children.

The juvenile admitted that he feels gilt about

his misbehaviour. He attends the tailoring classes regularly and
he is very much interested in that as his father is a tailor as well.
His plan after his time in juvenile home is to find a job and lead a
good life.

CASE 2

Respondent B

Age: 18

Family: nuclear family including father, mother, sister, two

brothers.

Place: Kattappana, rural area

Economic status: average

Education: 9th standard.

Hobbies: Poetry writing, collage, drawing, love letter writing,

collecting photos of film stars.

Extracurricular activities: drawing, poetry writing.

 He is an inmate in special home. Long before he
was in observation home in Kottayam. He is here for theft of
Rs.530, a mobile phone and six bronze bells.

Approximately at the age of ten, to earn money

he took up a job of a cleaner in a bus and ended up robbing cash
of Rs.600 from the bus conductor’s bag .Then as per him he
robbed a ATM card and withdrew Rs.6000. He then ran away to
Bangalore after a fight with his elder brother. He is being brought
back with the help of missing person’s advertisement.

He started his studies after returning from

Bangalore due to his sister’s inspiration. But he lost his interest in
studies because of the teachers’ way of approach to him. And he
started his ‘basic instinct’ of robbery with his friends especially,
elder ones. With the influence of his friends he started using
alcoholic drinks and other narcotic drugs.

He many times attempted to run away from

juvenile home, therefore his stay in juvenile home is prolonged.
His parents never visited him, he could not even attend his
sister’s wedding and he was more attached her. His father is a
bus driver and mother, a housewife. They are very religious and
they over protected him. His relation with his elder brother was
bit bitter. He thinks that the society rejects him. But he has no
hard feelings towards them. Police was rude with him. He exhibits
his disappointment by wounding himself with razor blade.

He is not at all happy with the life in juvenile

home. Also he does not appreciate the counselling sessions.

Although he has all the bad habits, he is a good

poet. He wrote a lot of poems describing love and romance. The
help of probation officers by giving him reading materials and
writing pads and pens stimulated his poetic heart.
 At times he feels guilty of what he did because
when he was young he wanted to become a police officer. But
now he wants to come out from the juvenile home and continue
his studies as his sister wishes.

CASE 3

Respondent C

Age: 17

Family: Joint family including grandmother, mother, three

brothers, three sisters.

Place: Kambam, rural area

Economic status: below average.

Education: nil

Hobbies: watching TV

Extracurricular activities: tailoring

He looks like an aimless person, but tried to exploit

the situation. Thus caught by police for theft while roaming with a
girl, originally from Tamil Nadu and ended in custody of Kerala
police.

From a large family, but always complaints that

nobody loves or cares him. Nobody visited him and probably no
one knows his whereabouts. Parents are of labour class and elder
brother is a criminal been in prison many times. After his
grandfather expired he had the tendency to leave the house as he
was more attached to him. He has no friends in particular and
never been to school, therefore reading and writing is far away
from him.

Usually a calm and quiet person at times he had the

intuition to end his life. Once he tried to run away from Juvenile
home and ended up in hospital breaking his bones. At present he
could get along with life in juvenile home and always a helping
hand in kitchen. Counselling sessions and tailoring classes are
interesting for him. Interaction with civilized world also interests
him a lot.

Occasionally he feels guilty and repents about the involvement he

did to the girl.

CASE 4

Respondent D

Age: 17
Family: nuclear family including mother and two brothers.

Place: Trivandrum, rural area

Economic status: below average.

Education: 9th standard

Hobbies: watching TV, playing caroms, cricket.

Extracurricular activities: singing

He is under observation since one month. He

may be a mistaken identity. He was caught by police at
Trivandrum railway station accusing him for stealing mobile
phone. He was on the way to Malappuram in need of some money
along with his relative. He is not aware of any theft.

Harmony with his mother is good and he shares his

personal matters with her. He lost his father. He has two brothers
and mother. Nobody visited him till now. But he get phone calls
from home. He is very eager to go home.

He is happy to get right recognition and appreciation

from home and society.

Also he is happy with the life in observation home and

as per him the counselling is very useful.

He wishes to continue his studies after the relief from

observation home and wanted to obtain a good job.

CASE 5
Respondent E

Age: 14

Family: staying with grandmother, aunty and siblings.

Economic status: average.

Education: 7th standard.

Hobbies: playing caroms, watching TV

Extracurricular activities: story writing.

Since 11/2 months he is staying in

observation home. He is the youngest member in observation
home. He was caught by the police for a theft case, possibly a
temptation occurred when he saw an offering chest in a temple
left open. As per him he distributed the money among his friends
but he is the only one got caught, as he was the one took money
from the chest.

His parents are divorced and now he live with his

aunt. Nobody visited him yet and he has no contact numbers to
call anyone.

He is good in studies and he was the leader in his

class as well as school. He got enough recognition at school. He
got a good friendcircle in school as well as in neighbourhood.

He is very happy with the atmosphere in juvenile

home.The boy who is very talented, wants to become a doctor in
future.
CASE 6

Respondent F

Age: 18

Family: nuclear family including father, mother and three sisters.

Place: Trivandrum, rural area

Economic status: below average.

Education: 5th standard

Hobbies: watching TV, playing caroms, cricket.

Extracurricular activities: drawing.

Totally a ruined person, been in observation home

for 4 months.He has been in the institution for six months once
before.At the age of ten, he left school fighting with the teacher.
He then started friendship with elder boys and robbed a
prostitute, a robbery worth 2kg gold and Rs.10 lakh and left his
native place and enjoyed the life and came back. Then he joined
with a construction company. All his earnings were given to his
girlfriend but when he realised that she cheated him he raped her
to take revenge.

His aggressive nature caused him to fight with

people even for trivial matters. His passions are smoking,
consuming alcohol, gambling and so on.

From a poor family, he feels he is being ignored. His

affection was only to his girlfriend. Rejection from society and
exploitation from police ruined his attitude towards the whole
world.

He is not very happy with the life in juvenile home,

but interested in counselling sessions. He never felt guilty in his
deeds as he justifies he only robbed the people who made wealth
illegally. He wanted to come out from the institution as early as
possible and aimed to obtain a good job.

CASE ANALYSIS AND

INTERPRETATION
CASE ANALYSIS
Parameters A B C D E F

Age 17 18 18 17 12 18
Education 9th
std th
5 std th
9 std 7 th 5th std
std

Parents
✔
• Both alive and ✔ ✔ ✔
together
• Both alive but ✔
separated
• Both not alive
• Single parent ✔
• Not known
Parental care
• Very good ✔ ✔
• Fair
• Average ✔
• poor ✔ ✔

Relationship with
family
members(cordial/not
cordial) C C C - N C
• Father and N C N - N N
mother C C C C N C
• Juvenile and - C C - N C
father - C C C N C
• juvenile and - c-with N C C C
mother sister
• Father and n-with
siblings broth
• Mother and er
siblings
• Juvenile and
siblings

Guardian
✔
• Father ✔ ✔ ✔
 INTERPRETATION
Out of six juveniles interviewed, five are in adolescence and one
in middle childhood. Looking at the family background various
aspects were revealed, such as single parent, divorced parents,
negligent parents and over protecting parents.

Economic status of all the parents is below average

or poor. The association of the juveniles are with elders which
lead a tendency to involve in anti-social activities. Proper
guidelines are not given in childhood, therefore the difference
between vice and virtue is not embedded in their conscious.

` Lack of love and care, not giving corrective

measures in difficult situation leads irresponsible and rebellious
activities. Consumption of alcohol and narcotic drugs stimulate
criminal behaviour on the long run.
 FINDINGS AND SUGGESTIONS

FINDINGS
➢ It is found that juvenile crime occurs chiefly because of
parental neglect, narcotic addiction, boredom,
unemployment, the evil influence of TV, internet, love-
revenges, poverty and the use of alcohol.

➢ Analysing the economic background of these juveniles, it is

found that all of them are belonging to poor families.
➢ Some of those children from the family with single parent
could be more likely to conduct some wrong doings as they
are not getting enough parental care and love. Marital
relations, parental criminality, parental discipline, and
parental absence were also identified as having moderate
levels of influence on a child's subsequent behaviour.

➢ Children with low intelligence are likely to do worse in school.

This may increase the chances of offending because low
educational attainment, a low attachment to school, and low
educational aspirations are all risk factors for offending in
themselves. Children who perform poorly at school are also
more likely truant, which is also linked to offending. If a child
has low parental supervision they are much more likely to
offend.

➢ Failure at school is also a main risk factor, includes poor

academic performance, poor attendance, or more likely,
expulsion or dropping out of school. This is an important
factor for predicting future criminal behavior. Leaving school
early reduces the chances that juveniles will develop the
"social" skills that are gained in school, such as following
instructions, and being able to deal constructively with their
peers.

➢ Substance abuse is primarily a juvenile problem . using

alcohol or drugs lowers a person's inhibitions, making it
 easier to engage in criminal activity. Also, drug abuse may
lead to a variety of property offenses to pay for drug habits.

The age at which a child reaches the stage

of reasoning varies according to how the body develops, how he
is raised, and how those around the child act. Children sometimes
learn to reason by observing the behavior of the people most
important to them. However, there is no guarantee. At times,
children follow their own dictates.

SUGGESTIONS
Although there are not any extremely effective solutions to
eliminate juvenile delinquency fundamentally, the following
measures can be taken into consideration to prevent the
condition from worsening or improve it.

➢ Communities should strive to incorporate youths into

community functions,
➢ More positive role models should come forward,
➢ Schools and parents discuss the elements of delinquency and
crime,
➢ Authorities and community groups acquire a broader
knowledge and understanding of juvenile gangs,
➢ More resources be allocated to the prevention of youthful drug
and alcohol abuse,
➢ The criminal justice system should concentrate more on the
causes of juvenile crime,
➢ Juveniles and the criminal justice system make a joint effort to
address the issues of concern to them.
➢ Make sure that the children are getting proper education at
least till 10th standard.
➢ The government should set up some strict regulations or the
laws to supervise the programs showed on Medias, especially
on TV, and internet.

In short prevention measures includes

activities such as substance abuse education and treatment,
family counseling, youth mentoring, parenting education,
educational support, and youth sheltering.
 CONCLUSION

CONCLUSION
The research was intended to explore the
nature and extent of juvenile delinquency as well as how family
relationships, community and schools are involved in the process.
If we look into other variables, such as age, sex, type of offense,
and quality of single parent-child relationship, we could reach a
conclusion that it is not necessarily the parent who is at fault. We
cannot correlate one factor to determine why juveniles commit
crimes. I researched juvenile behavior dealing exclusively with
boys, and I found that they tend to be juvenile delinquents when
they lose emotional touch with their family or someone close to
them. Most boys are arrested for running away, gang
involvement, sex offenses, vandalism, theft, assault, rape, drugs
and some major offenses.

All juvenile delinquent behaviors are

influenced not only by what goes on in the environment in which
juveniles live, but also by what they observe in adults, what they
listen to, learn from peer groups, parents, relatives, and society at
large. Juvenile delinquency is not an inherent human condition,
but rather is learned through association, imitation, observation,
pressure, needs, wants, influence and desires.

The future of the country and the whole world is in

the hands of the youth. But if they are not empowered today,
time will take them slowly and quietly and with much anguish and
bewilderment, to a confused society. So the need of hour is to
love the youths, nurture, develop and give them strength before it
is too late. Needless to say, society, the community, the family,
the government and the parents need to work together to
understand what children are all about.
 APPENDIX

APPENDIX
INTERVIEW SCHEDULE
1. Personal details:
Age
Family {nuclear/joint}
-parents {step mother/step father}
-Siblings
Place (area-rural/urban)
Economic status
Education
Hobbies
Extracurricular activities

2. How is the food in juvenile home?

3. Who are your best friends and what are they doing?

4. How long have you been in this institution and do you like the
life here?

5. Would you please tell something about your parents and

relatives, like their job, their views regarding life?

6. To whom do you share your personal matters more often?

7. How do you utilize your leisure time?

8. What unfortunate incident brought you here?

9. Does anyone ignore you at your home or do you feel you don't
get enough recognition / appreciation?

10. What is the reaction of your parents and relatives after your
admission here?

11.What is the reaction of you’re the society and police when you
first come out of the family?

12. Do you get permission to go home to visit your relatives and

do you really like to go home?

13. Have you anytime used narcotic drugs or alcohol?

14. Do you hate anyone and why?

15. Do the authorities arrange counseling session and if yes, how

often?

16. How is the counseling benefitted?

17. What good things you learned/ acquired from this institution?

18. What is your plan after this short span of life here?

19. Do you feel guilty?

20. Have you ever thought of ending your life?

21. Does anyone give moral support?

22. Have you got any dream about your life and what is that?

23. Does anyone visit you?

24. Do you get chance to continue your academic studies and

what extra training you get here?

25. One final question, do you believe in God?

BIBLIOGRAPHY
 Indian social problems. Voume 1-G.R.Madan(sixth edition).
 The good research guide-for small scale research projects.-
Martyn Denscombe.
 The art of case study research –Robert E Stake.
 Criminology -Cavan (second edition)
 Social problems issues and solutions-Charles Zastrow
 Criminology today-an integrative introduct