A famous philosopher once said, “The young are permanently in a state resembling

intoxication”. This was quoted by Aristotle who believed that we are in a condition wherein we
may be influenced by others to be involved in illegal behavior or major offenses which would
result in criminal activities and violations in the society. Juvenile Delinquency is one of the
biggest problems our country is facing today. It involves crimes such as assault, homicide, rape,
robbery/theft, vandalism, drug abuse and addiction, arson, possession of fire arms, liquor or
alcoholic consumption, cigarette smoking, gambling, and a lot more. This situation is very
alarming since more and more youths are exposed to these unlawful acts which are increasing
rapidly throughout the years. Most of them had actually committed crimes that an adult would
do. Maybe you are wondering how these juveniles are living their lives. How hard is it to be a
juvenile delinquent? Does their future matter to them? What are their parents doing? Why are
they engaging in this situation?

Adults must acknowledge these underage children or known as teenagers could do any minor
crimes these days, identify the causes of the juvenile delinquency and adult need to take action
to put a stop to this behavior.

Today, I want to urge you to know a few occasions that have happened among youths, reasons
for the wrong-doing attitude and some actions to take to make a better future.
Firstly, I will highlight some incidents of these youths’ behavior.
Secondly, I will present some factors of juvenile delinquency that always happen very often
these days.
Finally, I will talk about ways to prevent this juvenile delinquency from rising up in the future.

First and foremost, juvenile delinquency is a gateway to adult crime, since a large percentage
of criminal careers have their roots in childhood causing serious problems all over the world.

Coleman’s Study (1981) indicates that the rate of delinquency increased by 100 per cent within
seven years i.e., between 1968-1975. Though, mainly boys are involved in delinquency,
nowadays it is found that girls are also actively engaged in this antisocial work. During these 20
years delinquency has further increased. One may not believe, but it is true that almost half of
the serious crimes in the U.S.A. are committed by juveniles.Common delinquent acts in females
are sexual offences, small thefts, drug usage, running away from home etc. Among the males
delinquents are more engaged in stealing, drug usage, robbery, aggravated assaults, sexual
abuses etc. Particularly, nowadays, the incidence of delinquency is increasing alarmingly in
large metropolitan cities and this has become a matter of great concern for the public and
country.

While evidence from some studies show that children from lower class families and those
residing in slum areas are more engaged in delinquency, other studies do not support this view.
In an important study, Heary and Gold (1973) found a significant relationship between social
status and delinquent behavior. In another significant study, it was noticed that the rate of
delinquency in case of socially disadvantaged youths appears about equal for whites and non-
whites. Like any other country, as reports of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt, of India, shows,
there is a steady rise in the percentage of delinquency in India. While it was 16,160 in 1961, it
was 40,666 in 1974. Thus, in 13 years the increase in the incidence of delinquency, as reports
show, has the highest percentage of Juvenile crimes (24.8%).

Now that I have shown you the incidents that have been caused by the juveniles, I will now
present the aspects that brought these doings to happen.
Next, there are many factors that may cause these activities to occur.

It is seen that Peers plays a major factor in whether a juvenile becomes a delinquent (Murray
et.al, 2012). According to the findings, many of the respondents when asked about the causes
of juvenile crimes most of them pointed out the fact that being in a bad company of friends or
peer pressure is the major cause that leads to juvenile delinquency as children can easily be
influenced. There are also many studies or research that talks about the causes of juvenile
delinquency where one major risk factor or causes is usually peer pressure. The study
conducted by Vitulano (2010) on a sample of 89 children aged 8-12 years found out that at low
levels of impulsivity peer delinquency was positively associated with child delinquency.

It is also necessary to note that the risks factors of delinquency are also due to the marital
discords or divorce of the parents. In the findings it is seen that most of the respondents didn’t
mention much about the marital discords or parental divorce but according to studies, Children
witnessing marital discord are at a greater risk of becoming delinquents. Research has also
shown that there is an association between the exposure to parental divorce and marital
conflicts in the youth and can have a psychological distress in adulthood (Amato & Sobolewski,
2001). Price and Kunz (2003) conducted a Meta –analysis involving 72 studies that involved
divorce and juvenile delinquency. After the study was conducted it was found out that children
from divorced homes have higher rates of delinquency as compared to other children.

Now that I have highlighted factors that lead to juvenile delinquency to happen, let me now
offer solutions or ways to decrease this problem.
Finally, at every level, preventive measures are of particular importance in the fight against
these minor crimes.

The best programs, in fact, deal with a variety of risk factors, including ones that come from the
home. The best of the early intervention programs build on the strengths of families as well as
children (Zigler 5). Adults that are offered practical and social support are in a better position to
become effective parents than parents who are stressed and alienated. Early intervention
programs offer a support system of parental involvement and education that works to improve
family functioning and with that, child functioning (Zigler and Taussig 1003). This aspect of
dealing with the family also makes these programs more comprehensive, which is another
factor of good programs.

Recent evidence from a Danish longitudinal study stresses the volatility of combining
neurodevelopmental impairment and dysfunctional parenting early in the life cycle. The odds of
poor behavior increase exponentially (Olds et al. 75). From this research, it is clear that both
effective discipline and nurturing caregiving is especially crucial in preventing future delinquency
(Olds et al. 78).

The Nebraska Correctional Youth Facility (NCYF) is an example of a successful juvenile

detention facility that gears its programs toward restoring delinquent youth. The facility holds
young adult violent offenders and juvenile delinquents who have been tried in adult court for
committing violent crimes. The youngest inmates are 15 and the oldest are 21. NCYF is a
"maximum security institution" that was designed to separate young violent offenders from adult
offenders, and to assist young inmates by providing them with the help they need to change
their behavior.

Today, I first highlighted the events that consistently happened involving youths .
Second, I shared the factors that cause juvenile delinquency.
Finally, I have described to you a number of actions that can help to diminish these youths'
behavior.

Based on details that I have elaborated earlier. I strongly urge everyone to acknowledge what it
actually means by juvenile delinquency, read for more information to increase your
understanding of the characteristics in these teenagers and do some moves to make sure that
these underage children could live with peace in future.

As the saying goes, “It does take a village to raise a child”. Juvenile Delinquents are misled
youths who have made wrong choices in their lives which were influenced by the society itself,
and the only way to reverse it is to raise these youths and model them into better persons.
There is juvenile delinquency because there is adult delinquency. This happens all over the
world. Life is all about making choices. We have to make a choice and we have to own our
choice. In every decision that we would make, we should make sure that these are the right
ones since our life is shaped by what we are doing and thinking. Being a juvenile delinquent is
hard since you must learn to choose wisely for yourself and a person who stands with his
decisions is more likely to have a life full of contentment and happiness.