Nature and Incidence Ofjuvenile Delinquency in South Africa\
Nature n incidence of jvnl deliquency in SA
Ever since apartheid, south africas crime rate has been more to the escalation side than the decreasing side and this also includes cases of juvenile deliquency although to a lesser extent. Juvenile deliquency refers to antisocial or illegal behavior by children or adolescents. is the broad-based term given to juveniles who commit crimes. Juveniles are defined as those people who haven’t reached adulthood or the age of majority. What defines adulthood or the age of majority in a court system may be predetermined by law, especially for minor crimes. Major crimes may force the courts to decide to try a juvenile as an adult, a very important distinction, since sentencing can then mean not just spending adolescence, but a lifetime in prison. Delinquency can be defined as the committing of those things considered crimes by the state, although delinquent can also mean abandoned. Thus juvenile delinquency can cover anything from small crime to deviation from set norms and values. In a violent society such as South Africa children learn that violence is an acceptable solution for problems. Together with an adverse economic situation, including unemployment, poverty and the availability of guns, this resulted in SA criminal law being increasingly confronted with youthful criminals. South Africa today is devastated by an unprecedented crime wave. Reports of shocking crime statistics daily appear in the media. The idealised image of the 'happy family' is also a social myth. Research shows that domestic violence is on the increase and that annually nearly three million children experience domestic violence.
By a process of socialising with violence the child identifies with his or her violent parent and the child learns that violence provides an acceptable solution to problems. This fact, together with unfavourable socioeconomic conditions such as unemployment and poverty, caused the South African criminal law to be
Ever since apartheid, south africas crime rate has been more to the escalation side than the decreasing side and this also includes cases of juvenile deliquency although to a lesser extent. Juvenile deliquency refers to antisocial or illegal behavior by children or adolescents. is the broad-based term given to juveniles who commit crimes. Juveniles are defined as those people who haven’t reached adulthood or the age of majority. What defines adulthood or the age of majority in a court system may be predetermined by law, especially for minor crimes. Major crimes may force the courts to decide to try a juvenile as an adult, a very important distinction, since sentencing can then mean not just spending adolescence, but a lifetime in prison. Delinquency can be defined as the committing of those things considered crimes by the state, although delinquent can also mean abandoned. Thus juvenile delinquency can cover anything from small crime to deviation from set norms and values. In a violent society such as South Africa children learn that violence is an acceptable solution for problems. Together with an adverse economic situation, including unemployment, poverty and the availability of guns, this resulted in SA criminal law being increasingly confronted with youthful criminals. South Africa today is devastated by an unprecedented crime wave. Reports of shocking crime statistics daily appear in the media. The idealised image of the 'happy family' is also a social myth. Research shows that domestic violence is on the increase and that annually nearly three million children experience domestic violence.
By a process of socialising with violence the child identifies with his or her violent parent and the child learns that violence provides an acceptable solution to problems. This fact, together with unfavourable socioeconomic conditions such as unemployment and poverty, caused the South African criminal law to be