Strategies For Reducing Juvenile Delinquency: An Empirical Study
Prof. (Dr.) Sharanjit Kaur* & Kanishka Sharma†
“Every day, in a 100 small ways, our children ask, ‘Do you hear me? Do you see me? Do I matter?’ Their behavior often reflects our response.”
~ L.R. Knost
ABSTRACT
Juveniles becoming delinquent is a question for the nation, but more importantly for the environment and the family. The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, specifically provides a framework for rehabilitation and adjudication; yet, the legal system is unable to reform a child or to prevent the commission of offenses when a crime has been committed by the juvenile. There is still a clear lack of preventive measures when it comes to counseling for parents, education based on values, morals, and ethics, and early intervention plans because these are the foundations upon which a child is rooted, both mentally and physically. Additionally, the influence of family, community, and society on adolescent/child behavior is often overlooked. This carelessness gives rise to many problems in children, like the way they behave, react, their impulsiveness, choice of friend circles, lack of confidence, and many more things, which eventually contribute to their delinquent behavior.
This research employs a mixed-methodology approach, an empirical study with 113 diverse stakeholders, including judges, educators, and legal professionals. The findings indicate a significant paradigm shift: while poverty remains a major factor, influences such as media impact (61.9%) and family dysfunction (55.8%) have emerged as the primary causes of crime. The paper concludes that while the 2015 Act is legislatively acceptable in intent, it is nonetheless institutionally deficient.
Keywords: Juvenile Delinquency, Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, Family Dysfunction, Crime Prevention, Child Rehabilitation, Cyber-Parenting.
