Juvenile can be defined as a child who has not attained a certain age at which he, like an adult

person under the law of the land, can be held liable for his criminal acts. The juvenile is a child who is
alleged to have committed /violated some law which declares the act or omission on the part of the
child as an offence.

Causes of Delinquency

Family background - This factor encourages the Juvenile to commit crime in the society.

- A child who is brought up in a broken family is likely to face an easy prey to criminality. A
child who lack parental control due to death or separation of parents or their ignorance or
illness may lead the child to perform criminal acts.
- frequent quarrels amongst parents, ,step-motherly treatment with children, frequent births
in the family, immorality of parents, misery, poverty of unwholesome family atmosphere
unemployment, low income or parent’s continued long absence from home may led to the
child to do commit the offence in the society

Family Structure Family is considered to be the most effective variable in socializing the child and
also in serving as a source for learning various types of behaviour. The nature and structure of the
family are largely responsible for carving out the personality make-up of the children.

- A functionally adequate family encourages growth, confidence, and ability to face reality.
Delinquents mostly come from functionally inadequate homes where they lack support from
the family to became confident and face reality.

Broken Homes Broken home means a home where either of the parents is dead or living separately
or is divorced or where the parents are drug addicts or any other member of the family often fights
with each other.

- In such circumstances, the child feels insecure and therefore they finds their own way to
the cross roads.
- If the child is exposed to anti-social activities, which he adopts to satisfy himself and in the
process, he is led towards delinquency.
- broken homes were highly associated with family offenses such as running away from home
and school truancy rather than with other types of juvenile delinquent activities.
-

Child's Birth Order in the Family Another aspect which has often been related to delinquency is the
ordinal position of the child in the family.

- intermediate children having both older as well as younger siblings were significantly
overrepresented in a group of delinquents. as the intermediate children were attended to
less by parents as compared to the oldest and youngest children which lead the
intermediate children towards delinquency.
Neighborhood Another significant feature of delinquency is certain anti-social activities in the
neighborhood. These include prostitution houses, gambling houses, brothels and similar other
dubious characters institutions. The cinema theatres, swimming pools sport grounds, racecourse
generally offer a favorable atmosphere for delinquents.

School Factors The school has the closest contact with most children over the longest period of
time. Bad schooling which includes cruel treatment by teachers creates hatred and frustration
among the school going children which forces them to leave the school and take the path of
delinquency.

Drug-addiction Use of drugs by the youngsters in these days is very common. Due to drug-
addiction the children starts committing small offences. Intoxication results in assault on other family
members particularly females and children which disturbs family discipline. The lack of discipline in
family is highly hazardous to the child. The child should be checked whenever it is necessary
otherwise they may indulge commission of offence.

Overcrowding It is a very bad for young children, whose mind is impressionable. The child sleeping
in the same room with his parents sees and overhears things which the better to do are shielded.
The shadow of father jealousy towards others or other negative discussion falls across the young and
impressionable mind. The activities of the father and mother may change the mind of children and
they may also lead to crime.