Short Essay on the Juvenile Delinquency – Juvenile delinquency refers to criminal acts performed by Juveniles, i.e., a person below the age at which ordinary criminal prosecution is possible.
Poverty, unemployment, incidence of child abuse, availability of drugs, guns, alcohol etc., are found to correlate with Juvenile delinquency.
The facts pertaining to Juvenile delinquency can broadly be divided into two categories—(a) the subjective approaches, and (b) the objective approaches.
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The subjective approaches include: anthropological, medical, biological, psychological, psychiatric and analytical approaches. Whereas, the objective approaches include geographical, ecological, economic, social, sociological and cultural approaches. Among the causal factors, the social and the economic factors are of utmost importance.
Section 27 of the Code of Criminal Procedure provides that any offence not punishable with death or imprisonment for life, committed by any person who at the date when he appears or is brought before the Court is under the age of sixteen years, may be tried by the Court of a Chief Judicial Magistrate, or by any Court specially empowered under the Children Act, 1960, or any other law for the time being in force providing for the treatment, training and rehabilitation of youthful offenders.
The Parliament of India with a view to provide for the care, protection, treatment, development and rehabilitation of neglected or delinquent Juveniles, and for the adjudication of certain matters relating to delinquent Juveniles, enacted the Juvenile Justice Act, 1986. This Act was reviewed and was reconstituted as the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000.
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It was again amended in 2006. This Act gives exclusive jurisdiction to children’s court while dealing with juvenile accused in respect of all offences and prescribes special procedure in the inquiry and trial of such cases.
In Raghbir v. State of Haryana, (1981) 4 SCC 210, it was held that section 27 of the Code of Criminal Procedure does not affect the provisions of any State or Central Act relating to Juvenile delinquency.
The problem of Juvenile delinquency can be solved by economic changes by eliminating poverty and assuring economic insecurity. The economic life is fundamental and therefore, has determining influence, upon which all social and cultural adjustments are made.