A Research Paper

Presented to

Juvenile Delinquency

In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements For

MATHEMATICS 11
Academic Year 2022- 2023

By the Group
Table of content
ABSTRACT

Juvenile delinquency is the involvement of minors in criminal activities or behaviors that violate
legal or social norms. This abstract provides an overview of the subject, delving into its causes,
consequences, and prevention strategies. Understanding juvenile delinquency is critical because
it affects not only the individuals involved, but also society as a whole. Family dysfunction, peer
pressure, poverty, substance abuse, and inadequate education are all factors that contribute to
juvenile delinquency. The consequences range from immediate legal consequences to long-term
negative outcomes, such as a higher likelihood of future criminal behavior and difficulties in
education, employment, and social integration. Preventive measures, such as early intervention
programs, educational initiatives, community-based support systems, and rehabilitation efforts
that address underlying risk factors and promote positive youth development, are critical in
addressing this issue. By effectively addressing juvenile delinquency, society can strive for a
safer, more inclusive environment in which young people can reach their full potential and lead
productive lives.
INTRODUCTION
For many young people today, traditional patterns guiding the relationships and transitions
between family, school and work are being challenged. Social relations that ensure a smooth
process of socialization are collapsing; lifestyle trajectories are becoming more varied and less
predictable. The restructuring of the labor market, the extension of the maturity gap (the period
of dependence of young adults on the family) and, arguably, the more limited opportunities to
become an independent adult are all changes influencing relationships with family and friends,
educational opportunities and choices, labor market participation, leisure activities and lifestyles.
It is not only developed countries that are facing this situation; in developing countries as well
there are new pressures on young people undergoing the transition from childhood to
independence. Rapid population growth, the unavailability of housing and support services,
poverty, unemployment and underemployment among youth, the decline in the authority of local
communities, overcrowding in poor urban areas, the disintegration of the family, and ineffective
educational systems are some of the pressures young people must deal with
Juvenile delinquency is a term commonly used in academic literature for referring to a young
person who has committed a criminal offence, although its precise definition can vary according
to the local jurisdiction. The specific reasons underlying these differences are unclear, but they
may arise from the lack of an agreed international standard.
A ‘juvenile’ in this context refers to an individual who is legally able to commit a criminal
offence owing to being over the minimum age of criminal responsibility, but who is under the
age of criminal majority, when a person is legally considered an adult. The minimum age of
criminal responsibility varies internationally between 6 and 18 years, but the age of criminal
majority is usually 18 years.
A ‘delinquent’ is an individual who has committed a criminal offence. Delinquency therefore
encompasses an enormous range of behaviors which are subject to legislation differing from one
jurisdiction to another, and are subject to changes in law over time. Whereas acts of theft and
serious interpersonal violence are commonly considered to constitute criminal offences, other
acts including alcohol consumption and sexual behavior in young people are tolerated to very
differing degrees across the world. Sometimes these differences arise as a consequence of
historical or cultural factors, and they may be underpinned by traditional religious laws, such as
in some Middle Eastern countries. Some offences may be shared between jurisdictions but be
enforced to differing standards – for instance, ‘unlawful assembly’, often used to prevent riots, is
applied in Singapore to young people meeting in public in groups of five or more as part of
police efforts to tackle youth gangs. Furthermore, ‘status offences’ – acts that would be
permissible in adults but criminalized in children, such as consumption of alcohol or truancy –
not only vary between jurisdictions, but contribute to discontinuity when comparing juvenile
delinquency with adult populations in the same jurisdiction.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY - an anti-social behavior or act which does not conform with the
standards of society
- youth behavior which is against the norms and regulations of society which if left unchecked
would give rise to criminality
- describes a large number of disapproved behavior of children or youth
- anti-social acts or behavior of children which deviate from the normal pattern of rules and
regulations, custom and culture which society does not accept and which therefore justify some
kind of admonition, punishment or corrective measures in the public interest
JUVENILE - a child or a young person, who, under the legal system may be dealt with for an
offense in a manner different from that of an adult
- persons below the age of majority, that is, below eighteen years old
AGE OF MAJORITY - majority commences at the age of eighteen (18) years
EMANCIPATION - freedom from parental authority, both over his person and property
- happens upon reaching the age of eighteen years
RA 6809 - the law amending the age of majority
- lowered the age of majority from twenty-one (21) to eighteen (18) years
- approved on 13 December 1989
DELINQUENT - one whose behavior has brought him into repeated conflict with the law
regardless whether he has been taken before a court and adjudged a delinquent
- one who has committed an offense that violated the approved norms of conduct and
is guilty of a misdeed
STATUS OFFENSE - certain acts or omissions which may not be punishable socially or legally
if committed by adults but become anti-social or illegal because the offender is a minor, such as:
a) truancy, or frequent, unreasonable absenteeism from school
b) use of profane language
c) running away from home
d) smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages
e) disobedience to parents, guardians or school officials
f) mendicancy or begging in the streets
g) association with delinquent gangs
ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOR - characterized by disobedience to, or disrespect for, authorities

JUVENILE DINQUENCY

Republic Act No. 9344 or the “Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act” defines the Juvenile Justice and
Welfare System as a system dealing with children at risk and children in conflict with the law,
which provides child-appropriate proceedings, including programmers and services for
prevention, diversion, rehabilitation, re-integration and aftercare to ensure their normal growth
and development.
Instead of using the word “juvenile”, Philippine laws made use of the word “child”. As defined
in R.A. No. 9344, “Child” is a person under the age of eighteen (18) years. While “Child at Risk”
refers to a child who is vulnerable to and at the risk of committing criminal offences because of
personal, family and social circumstances. Some of the examples mentioned in the law are: being
abandoned or neglected, and living in a community with a high level of criminality or drug
abuse.
“Child in Conflict with the Law” or CICL on the other hand refers to a child who is alleged as,
accused of, or adjudged as, having committed an offence under Philippine laws.

Types of deliquency
1) environmental delinquents - characterized by occasional law-breaking
2) emotionally maladjusted delinquents - characterized by chronic law-breaking, a habit which
this type cannot avoid or escape from
3) psychiatric delinquents - characterized by serious emotional disturbances within the individual
and in some cases associated with tendencies towards mental illness
Types of delinquent youth
1) social - an aggressive youth who resents authority of anyone who makes an effort to control
his behavior
2) neurotic - one who has internalized his conflicts and is preoccupied with his own feelings
3) asocial - one whose delinquent acts have a cold, brutal and vicious quality for which the youth
feels no remorse
4) accidental - one who is essentially sociable and law-abiding but happens to be at the wrong
time and place and becomes involved in delinquent acts not typical of his general behavior
Methodology
Statement of the Problem
References
World YOUTH Report (2003), https://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/documents/ch07.pdf
BJPsych Bull. (2017), National Library of Medicine,
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5288089/#:~:text=Juvenile%20delinquency
%20is%20a%20term,according%20to%20the%20local%20jurisdiction.
Sanchez (n.d), "OVERVIEW OF PHILIPPINE JUVENILE JUSTICE AND WELFARE".
https://www.unafei.or.jp/publications/pdf/RS_No101/No101_17_IP_Philippines.pdf