HSS 216 – Deviant Behavior

Juvenile Delinquency
Instructor: Dr. Faiz Rasool
 Key points of JJSA
• Each district should have a juvenile justice committee.
• A juvenile is an individual who has not reached the age
of 18.
• Crimes are categorized into minor, major and heinous.
• For minor crimes (punishment is under 3 years) and
for major crimes (punishment between 3 to 7 years)
bail can be granted with or without surety bonds.
• In case of heinous crimes a juvenile under the age of
16 can gate a bail over 16 can be given bail if court
approves it.
 Continued
• Each child has a right to have paid legal assistance paid for by the state.
• The child should be kept in an observation home.
• Female should be kept in homes that are specially designed for females.
• Females cannot be apprehended or have their probation supervised by
males.
• If the accused agree he can return the movable property, offer an oral or
written apology, perform community service and go to probation center.
• The J.J. committee will comprise of a judicial magistrate, a public
prosecutor, A social welfare officer not below BPS 17 and
• A member of a local BAR who has an experience of seven years and who
is appointed by a session judge for two years.
• The identity of juvenile offenders should not be revealed. In case of
Violation there are penalties
 Psycho Analytical Theory
• Juvenile Delinquency is linked with the
following:
• Lack of affection,
• Rejection and neglect,
• Absence of a father figure (more important for
boys)
• Teenagers who doubt there abilities to fulfill
expectations of elders develop negative
identities.
 Coping Mechanisms
• Repression (unconsciously filtering out the
unacceptable feelings and emotions.)
• Suppression (consciously filtering out the
unacceptable feelings and emotions.)
• Denial (efforts to reject external feelings and
values.)
• Displacement (directing feelings towards a different
object.)
• Rationalization (considering the socially acceptable
explanation for our behavior.)
 Continued
• Intellectualization (dealing with the stress and emotional
problems as if they were intellectual problems.)
• Projection (declaring someone else the cause of
problems.)
• Sublimation (channeling unwanted sexual energies into
socially approved behaviors.)
• Acting out (uncontrolled expression of sexual and angry
impulses.)
• Regression (retreating to earlier ways of behavior when
one is under stress.)
 Personality Trait Theory.

• Unsocialize aggressive (had conflicts with

parents, community and teachers.)
• Neurotic (had strong feelings of unhappiness
and were often ill.)
• Inadequate and immature (were bullied and
victimized. They coped with this through day
dreaming and apathy.)
• Socialized aggressive (committed deviant acts
under social pressure.)
 Guilt Neutralization Theory
• Juveniles become a part of a group that approves of
deviant lifestyle.
• They neutralize their guilt using the following four
techniques:
• Denying responsibility (e.g., my family environment made
me a bad child).
• Denying damage arguing that their victim deserved what
they did to them.
• Rejecting their criticism by criticizing the critics.
• Citing their commitment to higher authority (family group
of friends)
 Cognitive Development Theory
• Juveniles grow rapidly at a physical level but
their moral development is not as rapid.
• Therefore they fail to fully evaluate the moral
dimension of their delinquent behaviors.
• Several juvenile offenders become law abiding
citizens in later life (when they have morally
developed).