Understanding juvenile delinquency cases of India (2010-2015) through statistical measures

Abstract

According to provision of the Juvenile Justice Act, 1986, in Section 2(e) defines a delinquent juvenile as “a juvenile who has been found to have committed an offence” Section 2(h) defines as “a boy who has not attained the age of 16 years or a girl who has not attained the age of 18 years ” .According to the Juvenile Justice ( care and protection of children ) Act 2000 , some changes have been done by the government in place of juvenile delinquent the new word ‘juvenile in conflict with law’ is added which means a person below 18 years of age and is alleged to have committed an offence. Children constitute about 40% of India’s population and India has a National Policy for Children declaring children to be a national asset. Even so majority of India’s children continue to be in difficult circumstances. India has witnessed an increase in crimes committed by children and those committed against them. There has been 97.9% increase in crimes committed by children between 2003 and 2004. Indian legal system and judiciary has responded to these trends and has brought some amendments in the laws pertaining to juvenile justice in India. Over 33,000 juveniles, mostly between the age group of 16 to 18, have been arrested for crimes like rape and murder across Indian states in 2011.Rape: Delhi recorded from 231.25% in 2010 to 793.33% in 2015 out of the total cognizable crime cases reported. Bihar reported an increase of 2.2% in 2010 to 19.07% in 2015 out of total cognizable crime cases. Robbery: Pondicherry reported an increase from 12.98% in 2010 to 19.59% in 2015.Burglary: Andhra Pradesh reported an increase from 11% in 2010 to 16% in 2015.Theft: Jharkhand recorded an increase from 15% in 2010 to 17.93% in 2015. This paper aims at looking at the causes and the real scenario of juvenile delinquency from various fields to explain the problem. The analysis of statistical data available at official sites indicates increasing involvement of the juveniles in different crimes.