Juvenile Delinquency
Essay on the Causes of Juvenile Delinquency – There is no single cause or simple explanation for the development of delinquent behaviour. According to Healy and Bronner, the causes of juvenile delinquency are:
(1) Bad company, (2) adolescent instability and impulses, (3) early sex experience, (4) mental conflicts, (5) extreme social suggestibility, (6) love of adventure, (7) motion picture, (8) school dissatisfaction, (9) poor recreation, (10) street life, (11) vocational dissatisfaction, (12) sudden impulse; and (13) physical conditions of all sorts.
The causes of juvenile delinquency may be classified under two major factors: (A) Social factors, and (B) Personality factors.
A. Social Factors Favoring Juvenile Delinquency:
1. Broken Homes:
British and American investigations reveal that nearly 50% of the delinquents come from broken homes. In one of the studies conducted by Uday Shankar in India only 13.3% of the 140 delinquents that he studied came from broken homes — (1-34).
This shows the cultural differences between Indian and the Western countries. Still it can be said that broken homes and families, lack of parental affection and security, absence of a loving mother in the childhood or an affectionate mother substitute, lack of family ties, parental irresponsibility and a steep rate in divorce, desertion and separation are all contributory factors to delinquency.
The home may be broken up by death of one or both of the parents, or by prolonged illness or insanity, desertion or divorce. Interaction in home is a very important means for socialising the child. The mother plays vital role in this regard. If she divorces her husband or deserts him or dies, the growth of the child will be affected.
Such a child loses not only mother’s love but also parental control and becomes an easy victim to the outside anti-societal influence. It cannot, however, be said that broken home invariably leads to delinquent behaviour on the part of the children.
2.
(1) Bad company, (2) adolescent instability and impulses, (3) early sex experience, (4) mental conflicts, (5) extreme social suggestibility, (6) love of adventure, (7) motion picture, (8) school dissatisfaction, (9) poor recreation, (10) street life, (11) vocational dissatisfaction, (12) sudden impulse; and (13) physical conditions of all sorts.
The causes of juvenile delinquency may be classified under two major factors: (A) Social factors, and (B) Personality factors.
A. Social Factors Favoring Juvenile Delinquency:
1. Broken Homes:
British and American investigations reveal that nearly 50% of the delinquents come from broken homes. In one of the studies conducted by Uday Shankar in India only 13.3% of the 140 delinquents that he studied came from broken homes — (1-34).
This shows the cultural differences between Indian and the Western countries. Still it can be said that broken homes and families, lack of parental affection and security, absence of a loving mother in the childhood or an affectionate mother substitute, lack of family ties, parental irresponsibility and a steep rate in divorce, desertion and separation are all contributory factors to delinquency.
The home may be broken up by death of one or both of the parents, or by prolonged illness or insanity, desertion or divorce. Interaction in home is a very important means for socialising the child. The mother plays vital role in this regard. If she divorces her husband or deserts him or dies, the growth of the child will be affected.
Such a child loses not only mother’s love but also parental control and becomes an easy victim to the outside anti-societal influence. It cannot, however, be said that broken home invariably leads to delinquent behaviour on the part of the children.
2.