CHAPTER - I

CHAPTER -1

CAUSES OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY

The problem of juvenile delinquency is a complex and a complicated issue.

Various factors operate in making a juvenile a delinquent. Cyril Burt’s study on

juvenile delinquency reveals the fact that delinquency is due to several factors such

as hereditary, physical, intellectual, temperamental and environmental1.

According to the Juvenile Justice Act of 1986, a female below 18 years and a

male below 16 years is called a child2 and if anyone of them above 7 years of age

violates the laws of the land, he or she is considered a delinquent3. The factors

which are responsible for juvenile delinquency can be broadly classified under two

heads namely (i) within the home and (ii) outside the home. Factors such as

poverty, defective family relationship, broken home fall within the preview of the

first classification. Outside the Home factors include bad neighbours,

institutions and some adults, child companions and employment and employees

who move with the children.

Within the Home

The home life of children has a great bearing on juvenile criminality. The

family is one of the basic social institutions. Therein lies the forces which

determine the behaviour pattern of a youth. As the primary socializing agent, the

family controls or contributes to delinquent behaviour. The family is considered

to be the Cradle of personality, because during the early years, the basic

reactions, pattern of thinking, the norms and values influence upon the

individual’s subsequent life history. Many of the parents are themselves ignorant

and are therefore incapable of giving their offspring wise guidance and training

1. S.V. Kaldate, Society, Delinquent and Juvenile Court, Delhi, 1982, p.21.
2. Section 2(h) of the Juvenile Justice Act, 1986, p.3.
3. Social Defence, Volume XXVII, Number 96, New Delhi, April 1989, p. 16.

30
during their early youth. A smaller number of parents are immoral and vicious

and where such is the case, the criminality of the juveniles in their charge is only a

matter of course. Healthy control and wise guidance are little to be expected in

such quarters as a self-indulgence. Illegitimacy and orphanage again lead to

careers of vagrancy, prostitution and crime.

To begin with, an infant is not a sweedy disposed object. Every baby is a

supreme egoist. He only recognizes his own desires and every thing else must be

subordinate to him. He pursues his own physical desires whenever he pleases. It

is only as the baby grows that he passes through a civilizing process and he

becomes social and moral only by redirecting his energies. It is in this growth

from childhood to manhood that both criminals and respected citizens arc made4.

A decent family is the best insurance against delinquency. The basic dudes

of the family are the physical care of children, informal education and training of

these children including moral and religious ideals and standards and practical

knowledge, provision of opportunities for affection, fellowship and development

of specialised personalities. A family at its best is structurally complete when the

members are in good health and they constitute a united household. Financially,

this family is secure with sufficient income to maintain a desirable standard of

living. The relationship in the home is based on affection, goodwill, mutual

service and loyalty. 'The normal family provides the basic needs of the members.

The individual who is mentally healthy is able to make mutually affectionate and

lasting friendships with individuals and to co-operate satisfactorily with his

neighbours. This capacity is to be regarded as the healthy state of organism in the

field of social relations.

4. Syed Hussain, op.cit., p.28.

31
 Normal family all over the world is considered to be the most effective and

efficient agency of social control. A functionally adequate home is an emotionally

healthy home5. A normal family has long been regarded as the best assurance

against delinquency. In a normal family, the social life is morally wholesome and

spiritually inspiring. Further, it is relatively financially secure with sufficient

income to maintain a desirable standard of living. The family members recognise

responsibilities to one another and the relationship in the home is based on

affection, goodwill, mutual service and loyalty. Such a family contributes to the

development of healthy personalities6. Children need not only love and care of

parents but also need to feel that parents love each other. Inspite of good social

status and economic conditions of the family the life of a child may be full of

anxiety, dejection, dissatisfaction or even anger on account of the discord in the

family7.

Poverty

Poverty has always been shown to be a striking characteristic feature of all

delinquent groups. Half of the total amount of juvenile delinquency is found in

homes that are poor or very poor. For want of basic needs inside the home, the

child seeks opportunities outside and in the process meets with vulnerable

situations and as a result land up as victims of the vice namely juvenile

delinquency. It is true that more delinquent children come from poor homes

than from rich homes. There are few delinquent acts committed by children of

better class families. These families by themselves usually deal with the

delinquent and take steps to prevent the occurrence of further misdemeanours.

5. Jagan Shankar, Social Problems and Welfare in India, New Delhi, 1992,
p.94.
6. Ibid., p. 95.
7. Social Defence, Volume XXII, Number 86, New Delhi, October 1986,
p. 23.

32
Members of better class families always want to maintain the social status. They

did not like their names to be spoiled in the society. So if at all there is any

delinquent behaviour in the family they try to correct that either by punishments

or by advise. They would never take him to the correctional institution for fear of

getting their family name spoiled.

Many delinquencies can be traced to economic causes. It is also a fact that

most of the people who commit such offences are driven to that condition by

psychological causes, mainly frustration with personal, family and community life

other than mere hunger or economic necessity8. Regardless of where they may

live, children from poverty stricken families constandy shuttled between

delinquency and a life of moral rectitude. When children constandy have few or

none of the things that are usually taken for granted by many people as “Good

way of life”, these thoughts invariable turn to self-pity or envy. Such feelings

result in frustration and bitterness. As a result they become delinquents. In short

poverty cannot be minimised as a potent cause of delinquency.

Poverty stricken homes inspire socially acceptable behaviour9. Poverty by

itself won’t lead to delinquency. A child is not delinquent because he is poor.

Had it been the case, India would have been a land of delinquents. On the

contrary, the incidence of juvenile offences in rural areas, where poverty is highly

marked, is negligible. It is rather in urban areas where well to do people live, that

delinquency in children is increasing day by day10. It may be argued that poverty

alone does not force a person into delinquency, but it produces conditions most

conducive to resentful anti-social behaviour.

8. Ibid., Volume IX, Number 36, New Delhi, April 1974, p.17.
9. Social Welfare, Volume I, Number 12, New Delhi, March 1955, p.34.
10. Ibid. See also the Table 1 and the diagram 1 in page numbers 34, 35.

33
 TABLE - 1

Juvenile Delinquency (IPC) under different crime heads in India, 1972-1991.

Year Robbery Burglary Theft

1972 343 4950 12083
1973 455 6251 14654
1974 521 7238 16153
1975 499 6940 16299
1976 514 6720 14444
1977 630 6549 16069
1978 741 6218 14148
1979 743 6275 15376
1981 1057 6720 17516
1982 982 6214 14029
1983 991 5795 13531
1984 807 5030 11449
1985 751 4793 11297
1986 755 5042 11873
1987 772 5153 11414
1988 408 2722 5584
1989 258 2131 4470
1990 185 1764 3778
1991 164 1553 4638

IPC : Indian Penal Code

Source: Crime in India 1977, 1986, 1988, 1989 and 1991.

National Crime Records Bureau, Ministry of Home
Affairs, Government of India.

34
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35
 The research scholar who visited the Observation Homes and Special

Homes in Tamil Nadu has furnished certain case studies in this chapter to

substantiate the causes of juvenile delinquency. The publication of the names of

the juvenile delinquents and the homes they are sent is prohibited by the Juvenile

Justice Act of 1986 and hence the original names of the juvenile delinquents
interviewed are not given11.

A boy of ten years was produced before the juvenile court for picking

railway charcoal. During the trial, the boy narrated the circumstances which

forced him to steal charcoal from the railway yard. 'The boy’s father died when he

was a child. The situation was so bad that he and his mother had no house to live.

They spent their life on street platforms. His mother worked as a coolie. She

received a meager amount as wages. Hence she found it very difficult to make

both the ends meet; she used to send her son to collect the twigs lying on roadside

to cook food. The day on which he was caught by police, he could not collect any

twigs and so he had stolen charcoal. He is the only son to his mother. Ihe boy

when interviewed confessed that he was forced to steal because he could not

stand the suffering of his mother. Further, he expressed a keen desire to learn a

craft during his internment which will help him to earn some money when he

leaves the home12. If we analyse the case, it become crystal clear that there was

not malfidc intention on the part of the boy. His poverty and above all the

sufferings to which his mother was subjected pushed him to this extreme.

11. Juvenile Justice Act., 1986, Section 36 (1) and (2). Section 36 (1) stipulates:
“No report in any newspaper, magazine or news sheet of any inquiry regarding
a juvenile under this Act shall disclose the name, address, or school or any
other particulars calculated to lead to the identification of the juvenile be
published”. Section 36 (2) says: “Any person contravening the provisions of
subsection (1) shall be punishable with fine which may extend to Rs. 1,000/.
12. Interviewed the said boy on 7.3.989 in one of the Observation Homes in
Tamil Nadu..

36
Over crowding

Overcrowding within the homes of the poor presents a serious problem,

because overcrowding in a house upsets the mental frame of the child. If the

parents and the child are made to stay in the same room the child sees, over hears

and observes, what is going on there and this leaves an impression on his mind13.

Further, as a result of overcrowding in a small house with one single room, sexual

malpractices between the members of the same household are not ruled out.

Overcrowding is most inimical to the child where the general disposition of the

family is not at all balanced. The conditions in slums are still worst. The slum

dwellers suffer physical deprivation, spiritual despair and as a result lead a strained

life without any hope for betterment. Overcrowding, the hallmark of slum life, is

a psychological challenge to child’s sense of individuality.

The following incident is an example of over crowding leading to

delinquency. A boy of twelve years worked in a businessman’s house as servant.

One day he misbehaved with the daughter of the businessman. He was handed

over to the police. He said that he was the eldest with two younger sisters and

three younger brothers. They all lived in a small hut. Being crowded in a small

hut, this boy accidentally saw the intimate life between his parents, which

prompted him to misbehave with his employer’s daughter14. This incident

testifies to the fact that overcrowding is most inimical to the child where the

general disposition of the family is not at all balanced. Thus overcrowding poses a

psychological challenge to child’s sense of individuality.

13. Indian Express, 12th September 1986, p. 14.

14. Interviewed the boy on 9.3.1989 in one of the Observation Homes in Tamil
Nadu.

37
 Unemployment

Poverty and unemployment stimulate individual to widely diverse varieties

of behaviour. Unemployment turns good men into bad. It changes a honest

person into a criminal. It is poison which pollutes the society and wrecks the fiber
of a country. Poverty endangers crime directly and by its ultimate action through
circuitous ways upon the inner mental life of the potential offender15. In short, a
half -clad and half-fed man is a diseased man and a diseased man infects the
nation16. Unemployment in its relationship to juvenile delinquency has two
aspects.

a. the actual physical suffering and hunger which cause children to leave home
and often take to begging or stealing or to street trades which endanger their
morals and
b. the creation of a psychological atmosphere within the home due to the
irritability of the unemployed father or the nervousness of the solicitous
mother, which leads to quarreling, and often drunkeness on the part of the
unemployed man, resulting in a situation which prompts the sensitive child to
leave home-either to relieve the economic pressure within the family group or
to escape from the unwholesome atmosphere of the home17.

Mother working out

The employment of the mother outside the home is in many cases an

economic necessity and often results in no harm to the children because the
children are looked after by grand parents, or other responsible relatives. But
when she is unable to arrange proper supervision for her children - simply leaving
them to find for themselves- then the situation is fraught with danger, and
delinquency becomes a definite possibility18. Thus, the neglected and
unsupervised children is an evidence of unaffectual family life.

15. Social Welfare, Volume XXV, Number 10, New Delhi, January 1979, p. 12.
16. S.V. Kaldate, op.cit., p. 21.
17. Clifford Manshardt, The Delinquent Child in India, Fort, 1939, pp.32-33.
18. Ibid.

38
 Defective family relationships

Ihe attitude of the child is guided by the interplay of human relationship

between himself and his immediate family. Failure of parents to provide the

right type of guidance and supervision results in development of delinquent

attitude and behavior of children19. The case study mentioned below testifies to

this point. ‘B’ a boy of about fifteen years, lives in a pavement near north Madras

(Chennai). His parents are illiterate. His mother is a housewife. The family run

a small tea stall which is also unauthorized. The number of family members

including the boy is five. The financial condition of the family is very bad. The

boy lost his father when he was 13 years old. As he was the eldest son, he had to

take charge of the tea stall which was their only source of income. He has one

married elder sister and one unmarried younger sister. ITe children had no

formal training in schools. They were not interested in school education either.

When the father was alive, the boy did not have any necessity of earning. ‘B’ was

not even enrolled as a school student. So he had nothing to do. As happens in

most such cases, he just kept loitering. The boy was engaged in activities which

were not striedy legal. Parents (both of whom were alive at that time) did not take

notice of the matter. After sometime, his father died and the boy had to take

charge of the tea stall and had to attend the stall regularly. As a result his unfair

activities came to an end to a large extent.

However, the nature of offence for which he was convicted was

something different. It may even be a cooked up story. But it has been taken

from his history chart which is maintained by the juvenile court. Apart from this,

some story has been revealed during interrogation. It runs as follows: One day

19. Social Welfare, Volume IV, Number 3, New Delhi, June 1957, p.14.

39
some people entered the tea stall late in the evening. They sought the permission

of the boy to drink there. They offered him some money for this. The lure of

money was too great for him to resist. There was a police raid at that point of

time and they arrested ‘B’. Ilie boy admitted the charge brought against him and

gave assurance that he would not commit any such offence in future. As he was

not a habitual offender, he was allowed to live in his family under the supervision

of the probation officer.

'Illis is yet another case of a broken home condition. The family has

practically no living place. An individual is required to have both social and

economic care and protection. After the death of the father, the boy was deprived

of economic care and protection. Social care, that affection, intimate relation and

the like was not provided by the family. In short, it can be deduced from this

history that the family did not perform its vital role of socialization. His parents

were totally blank about his activities. It can be assumed that the boy was not told

“what is wrong and what is right”. So inadequate family environment was the

crucial factor behind such delinquent tendencies as in the present case.

Domination by one Parent

One of the most common thing in the Indian family set up is the

domination of the family group by one of the parents-generally the father.

Children who have been continually repressed in the home, turn to delinquent

behaviour outside the home. The outside delinquent act provides a substitute

satisfaction for the normal behaviour impulses which have been thwarted. 'Hie

father represses the child, and out of this experience, the child develops a deep

seated antagonism towards all forms of authority. Ibis antagonism must find

some form of expression and delinquency offers one of the possibilities.

40
Clashes between father and mother

There may be minor friction and occasional misunderstanding between

father and mother. But constant clashes between parents have a psychological

effect upon the impressionable child. The child feels insecure. They are afraid to

go home because they may not be properly treated by their parents. Because of

unsatisfactory conditions with in the home die child leaves the home, to find

relief outside20. It is disheartening to note that in certain cases the child turns to

stealing as a means of establishing his or her security.

Physically and mentally handicapped parents

Homes in which parents are blind, deaf or suffering from mental disorders

or otherwise emotionally disturbed are not able to guide their children properly,

leads a child to morbid behaviour21. Because the deformity of the parents enables

the child to hide his or her mistakes. When these initial mistakes are not noted by

the parents the child is rather tempted to make more mistakes and this ultimately

paves the way for delinquency.

Step-parent:

In the life of a child, the entry of a foster-parent in the home, creates

problem of adjustment. When the foster parent shows a marked dislike for a

child within the home or when the foster parent usurps a place in the father’s or

mother’s affection which was hitherto enjoyed by the child. Then, there is an

emotional disturbance which may easily lead to delinquent behaviour. The sudden

breaking down of a hitherto strong structure of security, or the thwarting of

child’s inherent desire for maternal or parental response, provokes a situation,

which flashes danger signals22. Where the father is remarried, the children in

20. Social Defence, Volume XX, Number 78, New Delhi, October 1984, p.20.
21. Social Welfare, Volume IV, Number 3, New Delhi, June 1957, p.15.
22. Clifford Manshardt, op. cit., p.36.

41
most of the cases had to undergo constant ill-treatment and nagging by the step­

mother. Fathers also take no notice of these children. In some cases widows get

remarried. In such cases there is a disadvantage to the other children born to their

first husband. They sometimes leave the older children in the lurch and the

children hate their mother for admitting the stranger who very often interferes

with the conduct and activities of these children23. In short, love is one of the

important basic psychological needs of a child. Children that are not loved by

parents or other members of the family feel mentally frustrated and hate their

parents and superiors. Soon this hatred will be transferred to all members of the

society. It is in this type of situation that a child may turn to gang associations and

other undesirable type of companionships.

The following cases can be cited as example to substitute the cause mentioned
above:

A girl of fourteen years has been sent to a Special Home in Chennai for a

period of four years. She is a Hindu by birth. Instead of addressing her by her

original name, let me call her as ‘X’. She was living with her father at

Tiruchirappalli. Her mother had illegal contact with another man and in course of

time she left her family and was living with that man. So for ‘X’ there was lack of

mother’s love and affection. She had two sisters and two brothers, all younger

then ‘X’. Her father was a coolie and it was difficult for him to run the family

with the meagre amount of income. A ‘X’ was educated only upto sixth standard

she was employed in a house at Tiruchirappalli as servant. After a few months of

her employment there, she had stolen a golden necklace from that house. The

employer handed over her to the police. When the Probation officer tried to

trace out her father, sisters and brothers, he found that they had vacated their

house. The persons in the adjacent house did not know their whereabouts. The

23. Social Welfare, Volume I, Number 12, New Delhi, March 1955, p.35.

42
girl ‘X’ was then sent to the Special Home on 10-7-’85 in Chennai. She was very

frank in her talk. She criticized her mother for her behaviour. ‘X’ was of the

opinion that only because of her mother, her life was spoiled. Now her only aim

is to study upto tenth standard and to get some training to get a decent job. She

wants to forget the past and to lead a happy life. She was subsequendy released
from the Home on 9-7-1989.24

A boy of ten years was caught by police for the offence of tickedess travel.

He belongs to Thirupathur in Tamil Nadu. T’his boy’s mother passed away when

he was eight years old. So his father married again. The boy was illtreated by his

step-mother. His step-mother had two children. The boy was not given proper

food. Further, he was compelled to work at home and his studies were stopped

by his step-mother. His step-mother asked him to go out and earn for the family.

If he did not bring money she would beat him and his father also danced to the

tunes of his step-mother. His father sent him to his uncle’s bakery to work.

There also this boy was illtreated by his uncle. He wanted to escape from these

illtrcatments. So one day, this boy without informing his uncle and father left the

bakery and boarded a train going to Bangalore. There he was arrested by the

Railway Police for ticketless travel. He was sent to the special home on 12-11-84

for a period of five years. He was not ready to return back to lais family after his

release because he could not forget the ill treatment of his stepmother and the

irresponsibility of his father. He did not like to experience them again. He learnt

music and band in the Home and is hopeful of leading a moderate life with the

earnings out of band25.

24. Interviewed the said girl on 10.5.88 in one of the Special Homes in Tamil
Nadu.
25. Interviewed the boy on 11.6.89 in one of the Special Homes in Tamil Nadu.

43
Favouritism:

Favoritism is another cause of juvenile delinquency. If often occurs in the

presence of foster parent. Favoritism is also found in normal families, where one

child is continually praised before the other children because of his good looks or

intelligence. Many children have turned disgust, because of the often-repeated

parental urging: For example “Why can’t you be as good in your studies as Anand

is? or why don’t you behave more like a gendeman ? Look at Anand”. Each and

every child has its own likes and dislikes. Parents should find out the hidden

talents in their children and should try to encourage such talents instead of

decrying them26.

Unwanted child:

There are four basic needs of a child namely, need for security, response,

recognition and development27. Every child is born with the desire of being
wanted, loved and understood. As it grows, it expects to have an ever increasing

sphere of affection beginning with the mother, father and other members of the

family. Its growing curiosity and the imagination have to be satisfied. Failure to

meet these needs results in dissatisfaction and hostility in the child. The

consequences of these hostilities are disastrous both to the child and to the

society. In other words, crime is the manifestation of hostility which an young

delinquent bears against his or her own parents, relations or the society. This

bitterness may be the result of either deprivation or bad or harsh treatment in

early childhood from parents and others. He may have been deprived of the basic

needs of life such as good clothing, liveable accommodation or parental affection

26. S. Balasubramanian (cd.), Anada Vikadan, Tamil Weekly, 20th June 1993,
p. 10.
27. Syed Hussain, op.cit. p.44.

44
and care, as a result of the poverty or the death of the parents. Potentially anti­

social urges exist in every human being and that urge develops with the feeling of

what happens to us in infancy and childhood28.

At the other extreme is that parental over solicitude which keeps the child

in bondange far beyond the years of his infancy. Many a woman, unhappy in her

marital relationships, has centred her attention upon her children. The behaviour

of the spoiled child is proverbial and may easily pass over the margin into

delinquency. If the father happens to be a stern man, the stage is almost surely set

for trouble. Between the protectiveness of the mother and the stern demands of

the father, the child is allowed to pursue no clear course of development, but

remains a child of his impulses, carrying infantile reactions even into the period of

adolescence. Stealing and theft are common offences among children of this

type29.

‘S’ a boy of twelve years is under the guardianship of his maternal

grandfather. The father of the boy was illiterate and his occupation was business.

But the mother was literate and was a housewife. The boy has two brothers and

he is the eldest among the three. Age difference between the children is about

three or four years.

S’s mother herself selected her husband and got married. She did not care

for the objections raised by her family, relatives, even of her friends. After

marriage S’s father went to Kerala and started doing business there. They had

three children. One day S’s maternal grand father received a telegram regarding

his daugher’s death. It was a great shock for him. He knew nothing about his

28. Ibid.
29. Clifford Manshardt, op.cit. p.38.

45
daughter after her marriage. However he went to Kerala and came to know that

she committed suicide because of her husband’s in human behaviour. He came

back to his house with three grandsons. After several years S’s father also died.

But it was a matter of regret that during this long period he did not take any

interest in the whatabouts of his children.

From that time these three boys continued to live in the grand father’s

family. S’s grandfather told that he was affectionate to the boys, but other

relative s’ attitude towards these boys was not very congenial or helpful. They

used abusing words to the boys. As the grandfather was a business man he had to

remain outside the house most of the time. So the boys also tolerated those

abusing words without any protest. Their grandfather tried to provide formal

education to them but the boys had no time to prepare lessons or to attend the

school. They had to do many house hold works. This created a sense of

repulsion in them. S was seeking satisfaction outside the home. On 16-11-92 he

was arrested for ticketless travel. He was sent to the correctional institution for

four years. His younger brother was missing. The one who was five years old was

a school student. S’s maternal uncle tried to send these boys to an orphanage30.

This is an interesting case of disintegration in the family. They were totally

deprived of care and affection after the death of their mother. Hence affection

and care is the vital point in socially acceptable character formation of an

individual.

Neglected Child:

The child who is neglected is generally a victim rather than a conscious

offender. He more often drifts into trouble than deliberately choosing trouble. In

30. Interviewed the said boy on 24.5.94 in one of the Special Homes in lamil
Nadu.

46
most of such cases it is the parents who stand more in need of court action than

does the child himself. In attempting to understand why children choose certain

behaviour patterns it is important to realise that children learn by imitation and

are more affected by what their parents do, than what they say.

Ilie case furnished hereunder testifies to this point. Y, a boy of sixteen

years, is an inhabitant of Chennai. His father is a literate and he works in Chennai

port. His mother is also literate and her occupation is household work. They

have got two sons and their age difference is between two to three years. Y is die

eldest son. They live in a two storied well furnished building in an urban area. In

the course of interview it was found that ‘ Y’ did not spend his childhood days in

his won family. From his very childhood, he was living with his maternal grand

father whose residence is also in Chennai. As far as the family background is

concerned, a brief statement of this family where Y had grown-up is also

necessary. This family earns its livelihood by running a business. When the

juvenile was in that family, he had maternal grand father, maternal uncles and one

unmarried aunt. The grand father, was aged and generally he did not look after

the family matters. His maternal uncles had to run the business and naturally they

were very busy. They did not have enough time to look after the family matters.

Only maternal aunt was there and she had to perform the household work. Y

was under the care of his aunt. She was well aware of the where abouts of Y.

Practically she had intimate relation with the boy. The child did not show any

non-normature inclination at that time. But after sometimes she get married and

then the juvenile was deprived of her affection and care.

Both the parents were of the opinion that from then Y did not get proper

guidance and care. Ilie uncles were not in a position to take care of the child

properly because they could not devote enough time in the family. On the other

hand, the father of the child was transferred and had gone out of Chennai. His

47
wife was also not in a position to look after the two children alone. The event

took this turn that the boy got enough scope to mix with bad elements. When

Vs father returned to Chennai, he wanted to take back ‘Y’ to his own family. But

his father-in-law was not ready to agree with the proposal. So ‘Y’ continued to

stay there as usual.

Shortly after, it was found that the boy was not serious in his studies. He

did not return home from school in time and started moving here and there even

in the evening. The father of the boy told that he was struck dumb about the

activities of his son. He frankly disclosed that his father-in-law was too lenient in

discipline. He was over indulgent to his grandson. He allowed the boy with

enough pocket money to meet his extravagances. But he never ensured whether

the money was properly utilized or not.

In the meantime ‘Y’ continued his bad association without any restraint.

On 18.3.82 the boy was caught red handed for an illegal work inside a park. Botli

the parents are of the opinion that the boy would not have been delinquent if they

could provide proper care and control. They believe that their younger son is free

from any such non-normative behaviour pattern because they always take proper

care. However, due to the fact that the nature of offence was not serious and

also due to the neadiness of the family to provide proper care and control ‘Y’ got

the non-institutional type of treatment, that is he was allowed to live with his

parents under the supervision of a probation officer.31 His parents are trying their

best to make a change so far as the attitude of the boy is concerned. They are

hopeful in the respect because they have noticed some changes in die boy.

31. Case sheet of V maintained by one of the Observation Homes in Tamil

Nadu.

48
 So it is found that the family which is of his own has no direct effect on

the formation and moulding of the behavior pattern of the boy concerned. As the

boy had grown up in his maternal grand father’s family, the inter-personal

relationship of that family was the main consideration in determining the causes of

delinquent propensities. Though it is a literate and economically well off family,

but the source of income is business, it has been noticed that this family has no

household routine. Irregularity in daily life has, undoubtedly much influence in

the formation of character of an individual. Apart from this, the boy was not

acquainted with social norms and values within the family. He could not utilise

his leisure time properly within the family. Naturally, he tried to get satisfaction

outside the family. Moreover, the boy received an over-indulgent type of

treatment from his grand father. Besics, he was deprived of his parental care and

supervision. All these gave access to the boy in developing such behaviour

pattern which is not socially acceptable. Hence, in this case, neither economic

level nor size nor locality nor formal education plays vital role in the formation

and moulding of character of an individual. The type of treatment, care,

supervision and the like he gets determine the causes of delinquency.

This can be proved by another case study. The history of ‘N’ has been

taken up from his case sheet in an Observation Home. N’s father runs a small

business to earn his livelihood. His mother is a housewife. Both the parents are

literate. They own a house in vicinity of Salem town in Tamil Nadu with four

rooms, but there are twenty members in the family. ‘N’ was hardly eight years old.

N’s mother said that due to the big size of the family, she could not give

higher education to her children. It has been noticed that the facilities that the

family could provide to educate the children were not at all adequate. The

children had the opportunity to get primary education only. After that the male

children were absorbed in the business to earn something for the family. N’s

49
three elder brothers became businessmen. On the other hand, the female

children, after their primary education, remained at home and helped their mother

in household work. However, ‘N’ was taking primary education in a school. His

mother confessed that it was very difficult for her to take proper care with regard

to the activities of her children. She is unhappy as far as N’s position is

concerned.

Now it is necessary to know how the boy was marked as delinquent. ‘N’ in

the absence of proper care, got ample scope to mix with bad elements. On

25.6.89, he took frenchlcave and was moving here and there. Then some young

people asked him to hold a packet which contained opium. The boy was ignorant

of the content of the pocket. ‘N’ did not know that those people were anti-social.

However in the meantime police came to the spot and arrested him. It has been

understood that those people were well aware of the fact that they were going to

be surrounded by the police. Getting no other alternative, they utilized the boy as

their reliever. Apparendy it seems to be a cooked up story.

However the boy received the non-insdtutional type of treatment as the

boy told that he did it without knowing that it was an offence. So he was allowed

to live in his family under the supervision of a probation officer32. Now in this

case, the economic level of the family is medium. The educational level of the

family is very low and attitude towards education is not at all helpful. The

children do not get any facility to have higher education. It is evident that

parental care and protection does not exist. It was noted several times in the

causes that the need of affection, acceptance etc. are the vital issues in the

formation of character of an individual. In short, intimate relationship between

the parents and die children docs not exist. So the cardinal principles in relation

to child rearing and child guidance are not to be found here. So, in brief, it can be

32. From the case sheet of die boy maintained by the Probation Officer.

50
deduced that in this particular case, inter-personal relationship among the

members has become the central question in the formation of character of the

individual. It can be assumed that if the mother of the boy could provide more

attention to this boy, he might not have developed non-normative or anti-social

inclinations, because the elder children did not have such propensities as they

received proper care during their formative period.

‘S’ a boy of seven years, old is living in the outskirts of the city of Madurai.

He has one brother who is twelve years old. Now in their early childhood, their

father left home and renounced his contact with his family. Further he got

married again and lived in a different place. In such a situation S’s mother had to

leave her husband’s home because it was not possible for her to live in that house

with two children. So she came to her brother’s house. Now, the maternal uncle

of the boys was not in a position to provide food and clothing for them.

Naturally S’s mother had to face the problem of making their livelihood. Being an

illiterate woman, she could not get any good job. So finding no other alternative,

she took the profession of a maid servant. However, she was very much eager to

give proper education to her children. Her level of income was low, so she could

send ‘S’ to the school at seven years of age. She had to spend the whole day

outside the home in order to earn more. Naturally, she did not get sufficient time

to take proper care of the children. As a result, ‘S’ got enough scope to wander

here and there. Gradually, he became irregular in his studies. He did not go to

school regularly because he did not care to prepare his lessons. Ultimately, he

could not adjust with this awkward situation and totally gave up his studies. He

fell in bad company and as a result he became profligate. He became enamoured

of cinema and began to press his mother for money. It was not possible for her

to fulfil all his demands. As a result he started pilfering. His mother was totally

ignorant of all these developments. On 29.4.82 ‘S’ was caught red handed in a

51
case of theft in a factory close to their house. 1 he boy admitted his offence and

begged pardon. His mother also confessed her fault that she could not take

proper care of her children. She told the court that she would do her best to

rectify the behaviour of her son.

As a result of this assurance given by the mother the boy got the non-

institutional type of treatment. He was permitted to live in his family under the

supervision of the probation officer. That probation officer who was entrusted

with the task of looking after the boy told the research scholar at the time of the

interview that the boy’s character has changed somewhat and he was working in a

small factory.

This is the case of a broken family. The size of the family is small and the

locality is urban. But the economic level of the family is poor. The mother is

illiterate and she has to stayout the whole day for her Evclihood. The child was

deprived of his father’s affection. In short, evil conduct of the father is ultimately

accountable for the misconduct of the boy.

Defective Discipline:

'rhe factor of family discipline has been stressed particularly by Cyril Burt

in his study of the causes for juvenile delinquency. He believed that defective

family discipline was the root cause for delinquency because in his survey he

found out that this cause was seven time more than the other causes for

delinquency33. Vice, economic insecurity, and lack of parental control and

unhealthy recreation in home constitute some of the causes of delinquency and

these are found to be common in all countries. Economic insecurity of parents

creates a sense of pity and disrespect for the parents on the part of die children.

Many times boys and girls do not understand why their parents are incapable of

33. S.V. Kaldate, op.cit., p. 19.

52
satisfying their demands. If they find that similar demands of their friends or

neighbouring children are fulfilled, they compare the capacity of their own parents

with that of neighbouring children. Parents have to justifiably avoid creating a

sense of pity in the minds of their children by wisely postponing the demand, or

providing substitute34. If children find that they cannot get what they want from

their parents, they either depend on somebody else outside to satisfy these

demands or develop unhealthy habits in order to satisfy them. These children are

immature. They do not understand the world around them, so they become

upset when they cannot have their desires fulfilled. Many boys, in institutions,

later on feel homesick but do not return home because of this sense of

dissatisfaction and insecurity.

The history of ‘A’ a boy of about fourteen years bears testimony to this,

cause mentioned above. ‘A’s father worked in a hostel. His mother engaged in

musing of private patients. They have two sons and three daughters and ‘A’ is the

eldest child.

‘A’ lived with his parental aunt in her house. On account of financial

compulsion, she could no longer keep the boy with her. He was sent back to his

parental family. According to her opinion, when the boy lived with her he was

very sincere in his studies and did not involve in any bad type of work. She told

that due to her brother’s poor economic conditions, she took charge of ‘A’ and

one of his sisters. At that time her husband was alive. Naturally she did not have

to face any trouble regarding financial matters. But immediately after the death of

her husband, she had to face the problem of livelihood. Hence, ‘A’ had to go to

his parental family.

34. Ibid.

53
 Now the picture of his parental family was something disquieting. They

had practically no living place. 1 he family lived in a single room tenement. When

A came to that family, he saw that his siblings had no other option but to be

engaged in begging. ‘A’ did not get any living place in this family. It was very

difficult for him to adjust to this situation. Gradually, he became unruly and

developed delinquent tendencies. After sometime on 13.5.93 he was caught red

handed due to pilfering and was convicted. His parents were not ready to take

back the boy in the family. So he was sent to the correctional institution for two

years35. His aunt was of the opinion that if he had food and shelter in his parental

family, he would not have become delinquent. She was of the opinion that

recidivism might be possible in this case as the problem of shelter remained the

same. The lady was affectionate to the boy but she had no means to overcome

this situation. This is an interesting case where lack of discipline or treatment of

the family conditioned the nature of activities on the part of the boy. The size of

the family is small but the economic level is low. ‘A’ could develop a sense of

belongingness when he was in his aunt’s family. But returning to his parental

family, he felt insecure and lonely. The change in his way of life calls for the

change in his character. Affection, intimate relation, care etc. with which the boy

was well acquainted in his aunt’s house, become unattainable in his parental

family. The child himself was in a more or less hostile environment. So the child

who was acquainted with a smooth and normal way of life, could not cope up

with the new situation. Hence it has been revealed that intimacy between the

parents or foster parents and the children is the vital issue in the process of

socialization of an individual.

35. Interviewed the said boy on 10.6.94 in one of the Special Homes in lamil
Nadu.

54
 T a boy of fifteen years of age, lived in a slum area of Tiruchirappalli.

His father is illiterate. He is a water-carrier and that avocation provided him the

livelihood. J’s mother is also illiterate and is a housewife. The family had nine

members. The family lives in a one room tenement.

‘J’ came to Tiruchirappalli with his family when he was seven years old.

But it became difficult for his father to maintain a large family with his meagre

income. He could not provide formal training to his children. On the other

hand, he expected his sons to contribute to the family pool. The eldest son was

about eighteen years old and also took the profession of water-carrier. J’ was nine

years old at that time and naturally was unable to help his father in this respect.

Hence, the boy had enough time to become a loiterer. Again his father appointed

him to collect his dues from the houses where he used to supply water as a water­

carrier. As a result, money became easily available to the boy. He used to see

cinema with friends. His parents were not aware of the fact that their son

frequently went to cinema with friends. The boy not only enjoyed cinema but was

involved in such other socially unacceptable acts. His father could not take notice

of him as he was over pressed with his work. On 17.6.92, the boy went to the

railway station and was arrested for travelling without ticket. But he was released

after admonition, because it was his first offence. After a few days, i.e. on 9.7.92,

the boy was arrested for theft. His father was not ready to take back the boy in

the family. He could not assure that he would provide proper care and protection

to his son in future. The boy was sent to the correctional institution for one

year36.

36. Interviewed the said boy on 20.4.93 in one of the Special Homes in Tamil
Nadu.

55
 J’s family is an overcrowded family with nine persons living in a small
single room. Ilie economic level of the family is low. Parents are illiterate and at
the same time, they do not have any interest in providing school education to the
children. In such a situation the children spent their time here and there and fell
in bad company. In this particular case the parents too had indifferent attitude
towards the children. A father who is not well aware of the number as well as age
of his offsprings, can not be expected to perform his role in the process of
socialization and social control. Hence, in brief lack of smooth familial
relationship begets stress and strain on the part of the infants and generates
delinquent inclinations.

Too severe

As regards discipline and training Cyril Burt is of the opinion that the most

important difference between the situations of delinquent and non-delinquent

children was the home discipline37. Disciplinary practices of the parents in

guiding the children towards a clear conception of socially acceptable mode of

behaviour and manners is of paramount importance. The family is the first

training school in moulding the behaviour of children. This depends upon the
character and the ability of the parents, the type of social relationship and moral
atmosphere in the home. Early socialhation with respect to discipline has long

been emphasized in sociological and social psychological literature. It is a

common tendency to impose excessive punishment to make children more

disciplined. It is pointed out by Cyril Burt that excessive punsihment imposed by

parents call forth some challenging counter-stroke either by swift and open

relation as in physical assault or instant flight from home. The reaction of the

child to the patterning of parental control and to the feelings implicit in that

control is more important than the content of the discipline itself38. Gentle or

37. Jagan Shankar, op.cit., p.97.

38. Ibid.

56
severe the ordinary child can tolerate control that is reinforced with affection. In

home where both the parents use terror to discipline the child, he tries to counter

balance the repression by defying social authority. Where the child goes wrong,

the only method that the parents know of improving him is the old one of beating

him. As a result, the child either wanders about to escape the punishment or runs

away from home. Frightening the children may prove a dangerous way of

effective control.

Too lenient:

Discipline that is too lax or sporadic is equally dangerous. The home

discipline fails most frequendy because of indifference and neglect. In many cases
the child is fondled too much and discipline is too lenient. Such cases lead to
disobedience, mischief resulting in delinquency. Therefore extremes are dangerous
because they represent the emotional excesses and inconsistencies. Inconsistency
in parental discipline is especially hazardous, because it neither provides a pattern
for the child’s self-control nor the continuity of treatment upon which his sense

of security should be founded.

Broken home

Life at home is one of the major factors which contribute to delinquency.

From a well regulated home, the nation draws its efficient and law abiding
citizens. These children wander here and there and lead a life on the streets. The
problem of delinquency becomes acute when these children are rounded up and
arrested by police. Simple truancy leads to crime in course of time, when the
children come out of police custody and are put back there again and again39. A
number of studies on delinquency by Jagan Shankar have indicated that from
about 30 to 40 % of the juveniles who are regarded as delinquents by law
enforcement agencies come from broken homes in the general population40.

39. Mirror, December 1988, p. 46.

40. Jagan Shankar, op.cit. p. 95.
 Broken home contribute a lot to juvenile delinquency. This can be

authenticated with the help of the following case. A juvenile aged about fifteen

years was caught at Chennai. Her mother sells flowers for her livelihood. Her

father’s whereabouts arc not known for the past twelve years. The juvenile has

four sisters and two brothers. One of her brothers was sentenced to life

imprisonment in a murder case. The juvenile has studied upto fifth standard. She

is reported to be obstinate from childhood, was not cared much by her mother

and others. She was picked up near the harbour for leading a vagrant and

immoral life, while talking with her it was understood that she had developed

criminal and wandering habits from her childhood. She is also mentally

handicapped. There are criminal antecedents about the other members of the

family. She was committed for three years to the special home41.

‘C’ a native of Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu was hardly 13 years old. The father

of ‘C’ was illiterate and got livelihood by working in a bamboo shop nearby. His

mother is also illiterate. She lives with her three daughters in a village. She is an

agricultural labourer there. C’s father left his residence for Cuddalore with two

sons. ‘C’ was four years old at that time. The age difference between the children

is approximately three or four years.

C’s father came to Cuddalore to seek job so that he could lead a better life.

He was given a job in a bamboo shop immediately after his arrival in Cuddalore.

He also got a living place for him and his two sons in a corner of the shop. He

was not much interested about his son’s education. He did not send them to any

school. He did not even make any arrangement for education at home. In course

of time, it was felt by him that his income was not sufficient to make a living in

Cuddalore and to send something to his wife who was living in the village with

41. Interviewed the girl on 17.6.93 in a Government Special and Juvenile Home in
Tamil Nadu.

58
three daughters. As a matter of fact, he insisted on the boys to contribute

something to the family pool. But ‘C’ was too young at that time. Being younger

in age, he did not like to work. His father aggrieved and did not hesitate to give

physical punishment. However after some days C’s father got a job for ‘C’ in a tea

stall which was just opposite to his living place. His purpose was to engage the

boy by any means, but he was informed that the boy had developed a habit of

loitering. He also started committing petty offences. In such a situation, C’s

father thought that if the boy could be engaged anywhere, he would get little

scope for hanging around. But by that time ‘C’ had developed some bad habits.

He was not interested in work. He started pilfering and ultimately was caught

red-handed for pick-pocketing on 6.9.7942. The boy got institutional type of

treatment as the father was not willing to take charge of the boy. So the boy was

sent to the correctional institution at Chengleput. During his detention period in

correctional institution his father died.

Though this is practically the case of a broken home condition, the reason

of such condition is something different in nature. The boy had no relation with

his mother from his early childhood. He was deprived of his mother’s care,

protection and affection. Again, smooth and desirable family life did not exist in

his case. He came to Cuddalore from a village with his father in his early

childhood. But his father had no interest in his sons. He just provided food to

them. Even then, he forced them to contribute something to the family pool. So

the boy did not get parental care and affection which are regarded as the basic

needs in character formation of an individual. Moreover, the boy became the

victim of child labour. The boy had no education because his father’s attitude

towards education was not favourable. His father was also illiterate.

42. Case sheet of the boy maintained by a Special Home in Tamil Nadu.

59
 fhus, evidently lack of normal and smooth way of life in the family is the

main factor of delinquency in this case. More precisely it can be placed that

absence of family tie is the result of socially unaccepted behaviour pattern on the

part of the boy. No effort was made to impart the lesson of socialization. Hence

the family is responsible for any type of misdeeds that have been committed by

the boy.

Desertion

In cities a common problem is desertion. Because of the acute economic

situation, the father leaves the village to seek employment in the city. He leaves

his family behind, with the intention of taking them when he has become

established in his new work. But the expected work is not found immediately and

the father begins to borrow money from a money-lender and this compels him to

postpone indefinitely the transfer of his family to the city. As months passed his

contacts with the village became fewer and fewer. Finally, he finds it difficult to

send even a paltry sum to his family. Later, the father takes up his residence in

another quarter of the city, and that new address was not informed to his wife.

Then he developed loose attachment with another woman worker and started to

rear another family. The deserted wife may stay in the village, or she may bring

her children to the city in search of her husband. If she comes to the city, the

chances are that the man cannot be found and she herself is compelled to seek

work to keep the family together. The children are left to without parental

guidance or supervision. It is only to be expected that in an appreciable number

of cases, the children will get into troubles.

Death of parent; Parent in prison or in institution

The removal of a parent from the home by death, by commitment to

prison, or to an institution such as a mental hospital presents a problem quite

60
similar to that described under desertion. If the father has left the family the

mother is generally compelled to go out for work leaving the children

unsupervised. If the mother is removed, the father must continue his

employment and the same situation result, perhaps with even more serious

consequences. In the case of widows, the unfortunate thing is that some of them

become the concubines or mistresses to others and beget children and she may be

compelled to ignore the child through her first husband. A child, denied of its

mother’s affection at this vital stage of development, may later on find it

impossible to form a loving relationship with any other person. Death of the

parent completely changed the fate of one family. The incident is furnished

hereunder:

‘G’ a boy of twelve years had lost his mother and father and grew up under
the care of the eldest brother. The boy’s father was a car driver. His mother was
illiterate. She was a housewife. They had six children-four sons and two
daughters, ‘G’ was the third son, the income of the family was never stable. They
lived in tenement. ‘G’ lost his mother at the age of seven. A change in the
behaviour pattern of‘G’ was noticed by his family members just after the death of
his mother. He did not like his home atmosphere in the absence of his mother.
However, gradually he came into contact with bad elements. His father (lie was
then alive) and elder brother were not aware of these developments. But after a
few days, one of the elder brothers came to know that ‘G’ was involved in
unsocial activities. At this stage the counselling of his father had some initial
restraints on him. But his father also died shortly. ‘G’ went back to his old
company and ultimately involved in a case of theft. Though ‘G’ begged pardon
for his misconduct, his eldest brother was not prepared to take the boy in his
family. He was of the opinion that his brother had developed delinquent
inclination in the absence of the care and affection of his mother. And only such
care and affection could bring change in his behaviour pattern. At that time it was

61
not possible because the other members of die family had to remain outside the
home for the sake of living. Naturally, it was not possible for him to provide
proper care and attention. The boy was ultimately sent to the correctional
institution on 4.6.94 for four years43.

In this particular case factors like the size, locality, economic level and the
like did not play any vital role in determining the delinquent propensities of the
boy. Evidently, the boy was deprived of mother’s care and affection. In such a
situation neither the father nor the other siblings could be die substitute. The boy
felt insecure and lonely in the family after the death of his mother, because his
father and other siblings went out for work. He was left uncarcd for. Here again,
a broken home could not provide the necessity family cordiality among the
members. Such a condition is conducive to develop socially unacceptable
behaviour pattern on the part of an individual.

Disorderliness in the family

The case study furnished hereunder is a typical example which proves the

fact that disorderliness in the family results in making a child a delinquent. ‘A’ and

‘B’ are identical twins. Their father has studied upto intermediate. He was a

government employee. Their mother studied upto tenth standard. She was very7

adamant and unruly in nature. She did not take care of her children. Gradually it

was impossible for her husband to lead a peaceful life with her. So she was

murdered by her own husband, ie. the father of the twins. The father was

sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for five years. Immediately after the

imprisonment of the father ‘A’ was taken care of by his aunt, while ‘B’ stayed with

his uncle. After his release, the father took charge of his two children. He told

his children that he murdered their mother, This was a great shock to those boys.

43. Interviewed the said boy on 8.5.95 in one of the Special Homes in Tamil
Nadu.

62
After some days, the father to his dismay noticed that both the boys had become

unruly, aggressive and adamant. Their father used to give them money now and

then so that they could fulfil their desires. The boys began to leave the house

frequently. They will return home only after a couple of days. After their return,

their father used to flog them. As a result, they became more aggressive and

hostile towards everyone. One day both the boys attacked their aunt to get the

keys of the almerah so that they could decamp with her ornaments. This incident

proved to be a last straw on the camel’s back. The father decided to hand over

the boys to the police because he felt that he may not be in a position to take care

of his children as he was away from die home most of the time. The boys were

sent to the correctional institution44. In diis particular case, the size of the family

is medium and the locality is urban in nature. It is an economically well-off and

literate family. Hence in this case, locality, economic level, education of the family

could not be considered as the cause in determining delinquency. But

disorderliness in the family was the root cause in delinquent character formation.

The father after his release from the prison could have remained compassionate.

But he inflicted severe physical punishment. This had adverse psychological make

up. One of the boys said with sarcasam that a novel could be written on their

family background45. Yet another case study is worth recollecting.

‘S’ is about sixteen years of age. His father died when ‘S’ was about three

years. As his father died, the educational qualification of his father is not known.

His mother is illiterate. She is an employee of a cottage industry where leather

bags arc manufactured. She earns about Rs. 135 per month. She has got two

sons. The elder son, after the completion of primary education, is working in a

press and his monthly wage is Rs. 150. They live in a one room tenement.

44. Case sheet of the boy maintained by a Special Home in Tamil Nadu.
45. Interviewed the boys on 2.8.94 in a Special Home in Tamil Nadu.

63
 M »**vzu*^x. w 4*0 LUV nivniuui V71 L11V 14U1111J. AllllllVCUxlLtiy dlLLL

the death of his father, naturally, S’s mother had to go out for work. S’s brother

had also to share the burden of the family. When ‘S’ grew up, his mother wanted

to provide education to him. But her financial condition did not permit her to

give such education. The same situation happened when S completed his primary

education. He was also expected to work and contribute something to the family.

But the boy did not get any work. In such a situation, he was gradually involved

in unsocial activities. He became a great admirer of crime pictures. As money

was not available, he resorted to pickpocketing. His mother was not aware of

these activities of‘S’. On 20.1.87, the boy was arrested on the spot on a charge of

theft. To his mother, the news was like a bolt from the blue. However the boy

confessed his offence and begged paradon. The mother was willing to take the

boy and gave assurance that she would try her best to change his behaviour

pattern. The boy was allowed to live with his mother under the supervision of a

probation officer. It is heartening to note that some change has been found in the

boy and he is working in a printing press and is earning some amount of money46.

This is another case of a broken home condition. The reason behind his

condition is the untimely death of his father. The si^e of the family is small. Even

then the family has practically no living place. The economic level of the family is

poor. So far as the educational level of the family is concerned, it is very poor.

The children had to be absorbed in work from their early life. In brief, the boy

was deprived of proper care and affection of his parents. So the basic needs in

the formation of character of an individual were not fulfilled by the parents.

Intimate relation between the parents and the children did not exist. Hence, any

disorder in the family plays a pivotal role in developing delinquent propensities.

This can be substantiated from the present case.

46. Interview with the probation officer on 4.6.89 who supervised the boy’s
activities.

64
Vicious Home

Socialised delinquency is learned easily in homes where “deviant behaviour

is the accepted norm of the family47. Deviant behaviour is learned in the same

manner as any other behaviour and a person usually tries to imitate somebody he

holds in high esteem and therefore a child may learn such behaviour from parents

not because he has motivations or desire to become a delinquent but because he is

constantly exposed to his deviant parents and he holds them in high esteem. If he

finds them breaking laws very often he is likely to develop disregard for laws.

Low moral standards in adults of a family spoil children’s minds. Moral attitudes

are formed not by college or school education but by parents and guardians at

home. Now, if a child finds his mother, father, uncle or aunt telling lies or stealing

things or indulging in various immoral practices, they will be completely

demoralised in early life. Most of these children come from vicious homes. This

does not mean that delinquency is inherited, it only means the dangerous

influence of vicious homes on the child mind48. A child observes his parents very

closely and how they behave is more important rather than what they ask him to

do. A family with constant marital conflict may drive the child away from home

even if both the parents are fond of him in their own ways.

Alcoholism

Alcoholism in one or both parents is a recurring factor in the family and

increasing consumerism arc major factors contributing to delinquency49. The

social background of juvenile offenders reveals the fact that in many cases either

the parents are drunkards, or drug adicts, or both. Alcoholic parents affect the

47. Delinquent Child-Prospect and Retrospect, op.cit., p.24.

48. Social Welfare, Volume 1, Number 12, Central Social Welfare Board, New
Delhi, March, 1955, p.36.
49. News Bulletin, A private communication to the members of the Indian
Society of Criminology, prepared by the Department of Psychology,
University of Madras, April, 1994, p.l.
family environment adversely. Alcoholism may lead to poverty, cruelty,

quarrelling, home irritation, lack of parental care, control and other consequences.

Children would like to escape from such families as early as possible and they also

grow untamed due to the lack of effective parental care and control. A case study

is furnished hereunder to substantiate this point.

A boy from Madurai has been sent to the Special Home on 6.1.94 for the

offence of pickpocket. The boy was thirteen years old and has studied upto sixth

standard. He is the eldest in his house. His father is unemployed and a drunkard.

His mother works in a rice mill at Madurai. He is the only boy in the family who

had the fortune of attending a school. His father asked his to discontinue his

studies and take up some job to earn money. But his mother was not for that.

She wanted her only son to be educated. Every day his father quarrel with his

wife demanding money. If she refused to give money for the purchase of arrack

his father used to thrash her and would extort money from her. This is a

recurring incident in the house. The boy who wanted to reduce the burden of his

mother took to pickpocketing. He thought that he could make some quick

money out of this. In one of his attempts the boy was caught at Madurai bus

stand. He was sent to a Special Home. In the Special Home he is very co­

operative and brilliant. He hates his father for not helping the family50. He was

released on 5th January 1997.

There is yet another interesting incident of this find. In certain cases, the

father may not be a drunkard but he may produce liquor unlawfully and mother

may carry on illicit trade on liquor. Those parents may compel their children also

to engage in the same trade. This can be understood from the following case

study.

50. Interviewed the boy on 11.11.95 in one of the Special Homes in 1 amil Nadu.

66
 A boy of 15 years was arrested at Natham in Madurai district for illicit
trade of liquor. He was sent to the Special Home on 21st December 1983. This
boy had studied upto second standard only. He was the only son of his parents.
His parents got income only out of illicit distillation of liquor. Eventhough the
boy expressed a keen desire to study further his parents compelled him to assist
them in the illicit trade. One day while carrying the liquor container he was
arrested by the police. The juvenile court ordered that he should be sent to a
Special Home for a period of eleven months51. In 1991 in Maharashtra alone
1766 juveniles were arrested under the Liquor Prohibition Act. Tamil Nadu stood
in the second with 572 juveniles arrested under the Prohibition Act52.

In yet another case, the scholar had the opportunity to interview a boy of
fourteen years who came from a broken house. His father was a drunkard and
used to beat his wife and children. He was a fruit seller. He had illegal contact
with another lady. To earn more and to meet the family requirements the mother
of the boy started trading in illicit liquor. He has one elder sister married and two

younger brothers, of whom one ran away from the house. His mother compelled
him and used him in her trade and he was caught while selling illicit liquor. He

was sent to the Special Home53.

Immorality of parents:

Studies conducted have established the fact that prostituion and sex­
immorality of parents in the family have much influence on children. Families
with such background inculcate or stimulate in children sexual malpractices. It is
disheartening to note that in certain cases parents also use children to serve as
pimps. A boy from Taramangalam in Tamil Nadu murdered a temple priest on
17th May 1985 for the reason that the priest had illicit contact with his mother.
The case history of this boy makes a pathetic reading.

51. From the case record of the boy from a Special Home in Tamil Nadu.
52. Crime in India, New Delhi, 1991, p.148. See also the Tables 2-4 and the
diagrams 2-4 in page numbers 68-73.
53. Interviewed the boy on 4.1.92 in an Observation Home in Tamil Nadu.

67
 TABLE-2

Statewise Percentage contribution to Juvenile Delinquency in India under

IPC, 1988,1989 and 1991

States 1988 1989 1991

Andra Pradesh 5.8 5.1 2.6
Assam 3.2 2.9 2.8
Bihar 6.4 8.3 4.4
Gujarat 4.5 10.3 7.8
Haryana 4.3 10.3 7.8
Karnataka 3.9 na 2.6
Madhya Pradesh 13.1 14.4 22.3
Maharashtra 42.7 36.8 27
Other states and 4.4 8.7 5.9
Union Terratories
Rajasthan 4.2 2.9 3.0
Tamil Nadu 3.2 5.5 12.4

Source : Crime in India 1988, 1989 and 1991.

68
 TABLE -3

Incidence and volume of Juvenile Delinquency in India under IPC

1972 - 1991

Year Juvenile Percentage Volume of

crimes of Juvenile Juvenile
crimes crime per
lakh of
population
1972 31199 2.6 4.6
1973 36469 3.2 5.5
1974 40666 3.4 6.3
1975 39888 3.4 6.9
1976 37015 3.4 6.9
1977 44008 3.5 7.0
1978 44287 3.3 6.9
1979 46351 3.5 7.1
1980 55129 4.0 8.3
1981 61019 4.4 8.8
1982 59345 4.4 8.4
1983 55473 4.1 7.7
1984 42803 3.2 5.8
1985 49317 3.6 6.6
1986 55887 4.0 7.3
1987 52610 3.7 6.7
1988 24827 1.7 3.1
1989 18457 1.2 2.3
1990 15230 0.9 1.8
1991 12588 0.8 _______ 1.5

IPC : Indian Penal Code

Source: Crime in India 1977, 1986, 1988, 1989 and 1991.

69
 TABLE -4

Juveniles apprehended under IPC and L and SL crimes by sex in India,

1967-1991.

Year Boys Girls

1967 66719 5390
1970 94617 4228
1971 97987 5432
1972 120953 7228
1973 122192 5550
1974 132125 8514
1975 132587 9312
1976 124569 9404
1977 138532 10390
1978 151187 9732
1979 160310 9733
1980 178129 9456
1981 181888 8679
1982 157664 10673
1983 160513 11101
1984 149755 12505
1985 157107 11392
1986 159977 10172
1987 166407 13555
1988 33065 5103
1989 24777 11615
1990 25269 5547
1991 23201 6390

IPC : Indian Penal Code

L and SL : Local and State Law

Source : Crime in India 1977, 1986, 1988, 1989 and 1991.

70
Diag.2. Statewise Percentage contribution to Juvinile delinquency (IPQ

Andhra Pradesh

■ 1988
□ 1989
□ 1991

Bihar

■ 1988
□ 1989
□ 1991

I lanana

■ 1988
□ 1989
□ 1991

Madhya Pradesh

l ■ 1988
| □ 1989
I □ 1991

Other States of Union Territories

■ 1988
□ 1989
□ 1991

Tamil Nadu

■ 1988
□ 1989
□ 1991

71
 iag.3. Incidence and volume of Juvenile Delinquency in India under IPC, 1972-1991 .

72
□ Vol. o f juvendecnm es/lakh populatioi
 Diag.4. Juveniles apprehended under IPC and L and SL crimes by sex in India, 1967-1991.

73
°N
■ Bovs □ Girls
 A boy of sixteen years who we can call as ‘Z’ had murdered the priest of a
54
temple at 1 aramangalam. 1 his boy had one elder sister and three elder brothers.

When this boy was a child his father died. The family was so poor that the

mother had to take up some job to make both the ends meet. She was employed

as a sweeper in a temple. The priest of this temple developed illicit intimacy with

the juvenile’s mother. The priest’s two wives had already expired, hence he had

no one to control his activities. The priest used to visit he house of ‘A’ everyday

and sometimes he would stay in the same house. This was not liked by the

children. Z’s elder sister got married and she lived away from her mother. The

three elder brother’s of the juvenile also left the house and had their own

livelihood. This boy alone was living with his mother. He used to tell his mother

often that he did not relish the visit of the priest to their house. But his mother

ignored his feelings. As a result, ‘Z’ used to quarrel with his mother. This

behaviour was disliked by the priest and he even attacked the juvenile once.

Hence the juvenile was sent to his grand mother’s house in the same town. But

the juvenile was waiting for an opportunity to take revenge against the priest. One

day when he saw the priest going to a tea stall, the juvenile stabbed him with a

knife. The priest who was taken to the hospital in a critical condition, died on the

very next day. The juvenile was handed over to the police. He was sent to the

special home. When interviewed, the juvenile said that he will lead a happy life

with his grandmother after his release from the Special Home55. Had his mother

realised her responsibility towards her children and if she had not led immoral life,

this boy’s future would have been different.

54. Judgement given by the Court of the Chief Judical Magistrate, Panchapalli on
9.6.1986.
55. Interviewed the boy on 21.12.86 in a Special Home in Tamil Nadu.

74
Exploitation

The exploitation of the child by his own parents in one of the saddest

chapters in juvenile delinquency. The child beggar is a common sight. A number

of children are forced into begging. My own inquires with some delinquents in

the Special Home have revealed a number of cases where children have been

compelled to steak by their own parents and severally punished if they failed in

their appointed tasks. Other children have been supplied with boot polish by

their parents and told that they must bring a certain amount of money home each

day. If the money is less, the child prefers to attempt to steal rather than face a

beating. There is also a practice, where young children are employed in

unorganized industry, of paying their wages to the parents rather than to the child,

'rhe child works hard all day and has nothing to show for it. It is common for

children of this type to run to stealing to secure a few simple pleasures which have

been denied to them by their grasping parents.

A boy whom we can call as ‘D’ for the sake of narration was hardly

thirteen years and was a cleaner in a hotel. His father is a coolie in the harbour.

His mother is a housewife. This boy has two elder brothers and two younger

sisters. The salary of the boy was given to his father by the owner of the hotel.

The boy was not given even a little money for his expenses. This boy used to go

to the hotel owner’s house to do some household work. Attracted by the lure for

money, the boy stole some jewels and money from his owner’s house. He was

caught red handed and was handed over to the police. As he was a juvenile he

was sent to a special home on 21st December 1993.56 The report given by the

psychologist about this boy was that he feels stealing as an easy way of earning

money.

56. Interviewed the boy on 28.2.94 in a Special Home in Tamil Nadu.

75
Heredity and Delinquency:

There used to be the theory of born - criminals and bom - delinquents and
that the crime propensities are inherited from parents or ancestors57. However
biological sciences have yet to prove with certainty the assumptions that crime
propensities are inherited and transmitted through genes. In fact, biologists are
not even in a position to tell with authority what is actually transmitted through
heredity to human beings. Therefore the claim of heredity seems tenuous. All the
current theories stress the fact that “delinquents are made and not born”58. At

most, the effect of heredity in general is somewhat indirect. As Burt says, “the
heredity constitution of the criminal such as it is we can regard as having, at most
but and an indirect effect”59. But psychologists like Lombroso and Maudaley
declare that the inborn physical characteristics as well as moral deficiencies also
attribute to delinquency60.

Runways from Homes

Why do children run away from homes? Why in the same family one child

is delinquent and another one who is exposed to the same socio-economic

pressures brought up under the same roof and in the same physical setting does

not become delinquent?. There is no scientific basic for concluding that the

deviant patterns are innate. Deviancy cannot be explained in terms of a single

factor61. There is a substantial amount of agreement among criminologists,

psychologists, sociologists and social workers on one point-that the

environmental, cultural and geographical factors are the potent sources of deviant

behaviour and whatever may be the share of physical, pathological characteristics

or hereditary factors.

57. A.N.Rai and B.P.Roy, op.cit., p.32.

58. Ibid.
59. Ibid., p.33.
60. Silver Jubilee Souvenir, Government Reformatory School, Thattaparai (now
in Tuticorin District) 2.9.83 p.15 (in Tamil).
61. Social Defence, Volume XIX, Number 75, New Delhi, January7 1984, p.28.

76
 1 he problems of running away from home is not uncommon among

children. This has been often brought forth by the dailies and weeklies. There are

several push factors for running away from homes such as dissatisfaction with the

home and environment and looking for prosperity outside the home. These

runaway children are found in the streets, bus stands, railway stations and temples.

When they could not get a job, they turn as vagrants and child beggars; the run

away girls turn as prostitutes; and the runaway boys turn as pickpockets, chain

snatchers, pimps and boot leggars too. They are problematic to police, public and

to the Government.

In Chennai there is a special unit in the police department to trace out the

runaway boys and girls. This unit trace out these children who came to Chennai

from different parts of the State and from other States and those boys are handed

over to the police station at Chindaripet in Chennai, whereas the girls of that type

are handed over to the police station at Greams Road in Chennai62.

Types of family and the family size have greater influence on children’s
personality development. Especially in a changing society, this aspect is
considered to be more important. In nuclear families, the control is lesser than in
joint family; in joint families, many observe the behaviour of the members and try
to exercise watch and control over others, and this is lacking in nuclear families.

Besides it was found that in a vast majority of the families, both the parents

were working; and the respondents told that in their place there was no creche or

any other institution to look after them when their parents go for work and

therefore they were forced to go for some job. These boys suffered from

insecured feelings and left home.

62. Ananda Vikadan, (Tamil Weekly) 20th June ’93, p.7.

77
 In physically broken families where either both parents were dead or they

were separated by divorce, and in psychologically broken families, the parents

often quarrel due to dowry problem or one parent living in adultery and hence

both parents rarely live together. In such families, children do not receive the

required love and affection from parents. In these families, the familial control on

children are lost and the boys look or aspire for something outside the home for

satisfaction. These unfavourable conditions force them to run away from homes.

It is not an exaggeration to say that delinquency breeds in a place where the basic

needs of children are thwarted. These basic needs arc those of recognition,

emotional security, acceptance, company, recreation, etc., and when these needs

are not met, the child tends to become delinquent63.

Neighbourhood

Next to home, it is the immediate neighbourhood which helps in the

socialization of children. Children usually indulge in delinquent behaviour in

companionship with others. They become delinquent if they find normative

support in their neighbourhood and friend’s circle. If they are exposed to such

groups where delinquent ideas or techniques are viewed favourably early in life,

(before they are able to distinguish between socially desirable and undesirable

behaviour) and over a period of time, greater are the chances of the boy becoming

a delinquent. On the other hand if the child is exposed to a neighbourhood where

there is wholesome atmosphere even if the child runs away from a broken home

and spends time with neighbours he may not become a delinquent.

63. People’s role in Social Defence, Report of the seminar organised in

Collaboration with Indian Council of Social Welfare and Central Bureau of
Correctional Services, New Delhi, 16th November - 21st November 1970,
p.l 15. See also the Tables 5, 6 and the diagrams 5, 6 in page numbers 79-82.

78
 TABLE-5

Juvenile delinquency (IPC) under different crime heads in India, 1972-1991.

Year Dacoity Riots

1972 236 2536
1973 317 3541
1974 288 3729
1975 291 3285
1976 222 2871
1977 285 4903
1978 288 5049
1979 359 6195
1981 613 9979
1982 651 10906
1983 548 8795
1984 391 7009
1985 349 6560
1986 415 6303
1987 415 6712
1988 226 3021
1989 136 1916
1990 116 1525
1991 52 1270

IPG : Indian Penal Code

Source : Crime in India 1977, 1986, 1988, 1989 and 1991.

National Crime Records Bureau, Ministry of Home
Affairs, Government of India.

79
 TABLE-6

Juvenile delinquency (IPC) under different crime heads in India, 1972-1991.

Year Criminal Cheating Counter

Breach of feiting
Trust
1972 226 201 5
1973 252 190 -
1974 272 252 1
1975 236 304 -
1976 195 260 3
1977 265 219 -
1978 244 293 3
1979 224 259 2
1981 272 285 15
1982 226 330 3
1983 226 281 18
1984 214 207 88
1985 265 227 20
1986 228 252 5
1987 264 311 14
1988 ’ 157 77 1
1989 47 78 4
1990 104 47 0
1991 21 47 2

IPC : Indian Penal Code

Source :Crime in India 1977, 1986, 1988, 1989 and 1991. National
Crime Records Bureau, Ministry of Home Affairs,
Government of India.

80
 Diag.5. Juvenile delinquency (IPC) under different crime heads in India, 1972-1991.

81
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KnuiniininnEsssss

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Kununununts^^™
Knnnnmnnns^sffi^ss:
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1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991
Diag.6. Juvenile delinquency (IP Q under different crime heads in India, 1972-1991.

■Z^Z^Z^Z^^Z^Z^Z^Z"_________

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82
 From the following case study it could be understood that neighbourhood
and bad friendship contribute a lot to delinquency. z\ boy of twelve years was
sent to the Special Home for a period of three years for the offence of committing
theft. This boy ‘Y’ had mother only. His father is no more. ‘Y’ had two elder
sisters who were former delinquents. Y’s native place is Marakkanam in South
Arcot District of Tamil Nadu. The boy never had proper schooling. His mother
used to go out for errand job on a daily wages basis. ‘Y’ won’t listen to the words
of his sisters and used to wander here and there throughout the day. Because of
this habit, he developed bad contacts. Y’s companions taught him all vices like
smoking, selling cinema tickets in black market etc. When his mother scolded him
for this, the boy was not ready to change. He often quarreled with his mother.
Further, his friends encouraged him to steal for their expenses. So with the help
of his friends the boy had stolen a sum of Rs.4,800 from a house on 26th February
1991. When his mother knew about this, she look her son to the nearby
observation home and requested the Superintendent in charge of the Home to
take care of her son. She was of the opinion that if he was left out freely, he
would become a criminal in the near future. He was sent to the Special Home at
Chengleput on 11th April 199164. The boy realised his folly and promised the
authorities that he would not join with those friends after his release. He told the
scholar that he after his release would get some employment and take care of his
sisters and mother.

Institutions

Closely allied to neighbourhoods that produce delinquents are institutions

which endanger child morals. Such institutions arc cheap places of amusement,
gambling clubs, houses of prostitution. Although the child may not be admitted
to these places, their very presence in the neighbourhood holds up before the
child a false sense of values. Men and women who frequently visit these
institutions often use young boys and girls for the furtherance of their own

purpose.

64. Interviewed the boy on 13.5.92 in a Special Home in Tamil Nadu.

83
Cinema

Modern cinema’s glorifying violence also contribute towards the increase

in delinquency. 'Ilie question had been debated at considerable length, whether
the cinema is a marked causative factor in juvenile delinquency. It can not be
denied that to an impressionable type of child, the cinema may suggest acts of
delinquency. But more often, the cinema in a safety value, providing the child
with a satisfying substitute for delinquency. Court records reveal the fact that a
considerable number of stealing cases may be attributed to the desire on the part
of the child to secure money to attend a cinema65. Certain aspects of the cinema
stimulates the young child to do mischief, folly and even crime. The child’s
faculty of imitativeness renders the child peculiarly prone to copy whatever he
witnesses upon the screen. The child is irresistibly inspired to reenact in real life,
the fictitious example before him in the cinema. Mental pictures deeply imprinted
may result in obsession, haunting, recurrent thoughts and impulses. Discussing
the leisure interest of delinquents, Carr, Saunders, Mannheium and Rhodes found
“that delinquents were relatively more interested than non-in the cinema, and
much more often not interested in anything at all66.

Cinema is almost a weekly necessity7 to modern youngsters. By its direct

appeal to the eye and ear, cinema has vividness and quit dazzling to the immature

imagination. So the juvenile spectator, gazing from the darkness, on to his

fascinating world with its real looking accessories, he make insidious attacks on

the code of behaviour he has been taught to honour. The encouragement to

sexual precocity, is probably the worst feature of film from this point of view.

65. Social Welfare, Volume XXV, Number 10, Central Social Welfare Board,
New Delhi, J anuary 1979, p.28.
66. Silver Jubilee Souvenir, op.cit., p.15. See also the Table 7 and the diagram 7
in page numbers 85, 86.

84
 TABLE-7

Juvenile delinquency (IPC) under different crime heads in India, 1972-1991.

Year Murder Attempt to C.H. not

commit amounting to
murder murder
1972 661 - -
1973 651 - -
1974 804 - -
1975 663 - -
1976 586 - -
1977 864 - -
1978 718 - 89
1979 812 - 92
1981 1228 - 92
1982 1289 - 72
1983 1257 - 84
1984 1186 - 121
1985 1178 - 185
1986 1241 - 118
1987 1295 - 133
1988 661 271 41
1989 496 255 52
1990 377 218 38
1991 348 171 24

IPC : Indian Penal Code

C.H. : Crime Heads

Source : Crime in India 1977, 1986, 1988, 1989 and 1991. National
Crime Records Bureau, Ministry of Home Affairs,
Government of India.

85
 Diag.7. Juvenile delinquency (IPC) under different crime heads in India, 1972-1991.

86
S3LUU3
-o[\[ §oq
KXXXXZUUUUX
EiinxziznrnT
EXXuLxXXJuUXXXJ

i
X
S
O I
Here is a case study:

A boy of fourteen years was sent to an Observation Home in Tamil Nadu

on 13th August 1987. The father of this boy is a government employee and

mother is a housewife. This boy is the only son to them. They belong to a middle

class family and led a decent life. The juvenile had a craze for cinema and he

often imagines himself as a famous Tamil cinema hero. While interviewing him,

he said that he used to steal money from his house and go to cinema theater and

not to school. This was not known to his parents. One day after going to cinema,

the boy was frightened to return back to his house because it was very late. So he

slept on a road platform and was caught by the police. The police sent to him to

the Observation Home. Later he was sent to the Special Home67.

Books and Journals

A spate of books and journals of all types exist, most of which aim at

pleasing the reader in his present state and not improving his skills. Much of this

reading matter presents lawlessness, in attractive guises and practiced by

sympathetic characters. All this literature is within the reach of almost any child

who can read the literature produced adverse effects on the child.

Child Labour

Employment of children also lead to delinquency. These children utilise a

part of their earnings for their personal use. Money in their hands turn them

towards anti-social activities. The Constitution of India states that “No child shall

be employed to work in any factory or mine or engaged in any hazardous

employment68. The Constitution also permits the State to make special provisions

to protect women and children69. Some type of work eliminates the opportunity

67. Interviewed the boy on 26.6.89in an Observation Home in Tamil Nadu. See
also the Table 8 and the diagram 8 in page numbers 88, 89.
68. Article 24 of the Constitution of India.
69. Article 15 of the Constitution of India.

87
 TABLE-8

Juvenile delinquency (IPC) under different crime heads in India, 1972-1991.

Year Rape Kidnapping and

Abduction
1972 - 332
1973 - 301
1974 - 426
1975 - 352
1976 - 376
1977 - 329
1978 287 597
1979 312 493
1981 438 527
1982 441 612
1983 454 665
1984 473 523
1985 371 628
1986 638 607
1987 608 648
1988 317 314
1989 263 179
1990 184 92
1991 189 141

IPC : Indian Penal Code

Source : Crime in India 1977, 1986, 1988, 1989 and 1991.

National Crime Records Bureau, Ministryof Home Affairs,
Government of India.

88
 Diag. 8. Juvenile delinquency (IPQ under different crime heads in India, 1972-1991.

89
S3UIUJ J<) 'ON S<rj
1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991
and the stimulus for delinquency and crime, during working hours. However,

some types of avocations are more likely to aid delinquency than others. Work as
domestic servants is especially important as a situation from which delinquency of
girls develops. The girls who enters domestic service is subject to two types of
temptations-theft and immorality. The wage for girl servant is so low and that the
girl succumbs to the temptation of picking up articles of jewellary or small
amounts of money from the place of her employment. The reaction of an
employer to this theft is important. Too often, the servant is dismissed and the
child gets another job in which the same chain of events is repeated.

Companionship

The commonest cause of delinquency is the influence of bad company.

Bad company is a very powerful factor in making a good child delinquents70.
Many sociologists, criminologists and psychologists advocate that delinquency is
closely related to peer’s influence. As T.Hirschi an expert in this filed has
examined the verifiability of the frequently used statement that “most

delinquencies are committed with companions; most delinquents have delinquent

friends’71.

Again Reckless has stated that “of all the factors in the entire study, the

amount of degree of relationship between the presence or absence of delinquency

or non-delinquency was found to occupy first place (companionship)

unquestionably the most telling force in male delinquency72. Sheldon Glueck and

Eleancor Glueck have used the words “Birds of a feather flock together” to

indicate the nature and extent of companionship73.

70. Social welfare, volume I, number 12, New Delhi, March 1955, P.35.
71. Chandana Sarkar, op.cit. p.246.
72. Ibid., 247.
73. Ibid.

90
 Companionship delinquency is generally of two types viz., (i) Where a child

of approximately the same age as the offender actually incites other children to

delinquency; and (ii) Where a number of children engage in escapes often

spontaneous, which no child in the group would have attempted singly.

There is a case, where one child who has completely escaped the notice of

the authorities, has influenced the children of the whole neighbourhood by saying

imaginary tales of crime in which he was the hero, and making the story so

glamorous that other children have actually attempted the delinquency acts in

which the first child was supposed to have engaged74. Delinquency of the second

type includes throwing stones at trains, boarding trains without tickets,

trespassing, setting fires or engaging in pretty pilfering.

The case studies and the direct interviews with the children in various

Homes of Tamil Nadu reveals the fact that no child is a born delinquent. The

causes discussed above turn the child into a delinquent.

74. Ibid.

91