Notes on the Nature and Incidence of Juvenile Delinquency

Notes on the Nature and Incidence of Juvenile Delinquency

Of the total delinquencies committed by the juveniles, hardly 2 per cent come to the notice of the police and the courts. The statistics compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau give some indication of the incidence of juvenile delinquency in India.

Up to 1987, every year about 50 thousand delinquencies were committed under the Indian Penal Code and about 85 thousand under the local and special laws.

But the new definition of a juvenile, after the enforcement of the Juvenile Justice Act in October, 1987 (passed in 1986) excludes males in the age group of 16 to 21 years and females in the age group of 18 to 21 years.

Crime cases attributed to juveniles naturally have been reduced now. This is why juvenile delinquency in and after 1988, compared to 1987 and earlier years has decreased both under the IPC and the Local and Special Laws.

In 1988, about 25 thousand (to be exact 24,827) delinquencies under the IPC and about 25 thousand (to be exact 25,468) delinquencies under the Local and Special Laws were committed.

In 1998, about 15.3 thousand juveniles were apprehended (9,339 or 61% under IPC and 6,005 or 39% under the Local and Special Laws) for different crimes (Crime in India, 1998: 238-241).

The percentage of juvenile crime to total cognizable crime in India in 1998 was about 0.5 per cent (in 1988, it was 1.7%). Before 1988, this percentage (of juvenile delinquency to total cognizable crime in India) was about 4 per cent.

The highest number of delinquencies committed by juveniles under the IPC is money motivated, that is, theft, burglary, robbery and dacoity. In 1998 (ibid. 240) these four crimes accounted for 40 per cent of the total cognisable (under IPC) crimes committed by juveniles (theft 25.5%, burglary 13.3%, robbery 0.8%, and dacoity 0.4%).

This is about 10 per cent more as compared to the percentage of the same crime committed by adult criminals. After economic crimes, 8.5 per cent juveniles were apprehended for riots, 3.1 per cent for murder, 1.8 per cent for rape, and 1.4 per cent for kidnapping and abduction.

The largest contribution, under the SLL (Special and Local Laws), was from offences under the Prohibition Act (27.9%), the Gambling Act (4.6%) and Immoral Traffic Prevention Act (3.8%) (Up to 1987, it was 27%, 21%, and 9% respectively).

The incidence of juvenile delinquency varies widely in different states. Four states Maharashtra (24.1%), Madhya Pradesh (25.2%), Rajasthan (7.3%), and Gujarat (11.1%) account for about 68 per cent of the total juvenile delinquencies in the country under IPC. For crimes under the Local and Special Laws, two states Maharashtra (18.4%) and Tamil Nadu (56.6%) account for about 75 per cent of the total offences (ibid., 1998: 233-34).

Out of 18,964 juveniles apprehended and sent to courts in 1998 for delinquencies under the IPC and SLL, 13.8 per cent were sent to their homes after advice/admonition, 24.9 per cent were released on probation, 9.2 per cent were sent to special homes, 4.8 per cent were fined, and 11.1 per cent were acquitted. About 36.2 per cent cases remained pending (1998: 255).