JUVENILE
DELINQUENCY
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Juvenile Delinquency
Different definitions
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Juvenile Delinquency
A criminal act committed by a minor
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Juvenile Delinquency
▪ Any offense considered a crime in the
penal codes of the state
▪ Committed by a juvenile under the age of
legal adulthood
▪ Can also include acts not considered
offense if committed by an adult
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Age limit for juvenile delinquency
▪ United Nations Convention on the Rights
of the Child (UNCRC), 1989: 18 years
▪ Children’s Act, 2048 (1992): 16 years
▪ The Act Relating to Children, 2075 (2018)
defines children as “persons who have not
completed the age of eighteen years.”
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Legal approach
▪ Focuses on the act of the person that
violates the norm
▪ Misconduct by a juvenile as formally
described by the law
▪ When a juvenile conducts offenses and
sanctions denied by law
▪ Aims to protect the public from dangerous
conduct of the juvenile
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Role definition approach
▪ Focus on roles and responsibilities that
a child or an adolescent has to play
primarily
▪ These roles can lead the adolescents to
activities of antisocial behavior
▪ An individual who sustains a pattern of
delinquency over a long period of time,
and whose life and identity are organized
around a pattern of delinquency over a
long period of time 7
Societal response approach
▪ Stresses on the role and opinion of
audience
▪ Audience: parents, neighbors, police
officers, teachers, other social groups
▪ Audience evaluate behavior as conforming
or not conforming to the norms and values
of the society
▪ Someone from the audience must perceive
and judge the behavior of the actor as
abnormal or antisocial 8
Societal response approach
▪ Audience should enquire about physical,
mental, social, emotional, behavioral
tendencies of the performer
▪ May create problems and inconsistencies
▪ Social norms, values, belief systems, and
attitudes can be manipulated, changed,
discarded, or replaced as per the needs
of the society
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Psychological approach
▪ Role of biological and sociological
environments in the development of
antisocial behaviors in children
▪ Delinquency as a form of pathology and
pathology as the symptom of mental
illness
▪ Therapeutic or preventive measures for
the welfare of delinquent individual
▪ Different instruments to explore patterns
of human development and causes of
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delinquency
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Differences with adult crime
What makes juvenile
delinquency different?
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Definition
Juvenile Delinquency Adult Crime
Offense committed by minor Adult offenses are called
is called juvenile crimes.
delinquency.
Offenders are called
Offenders are called criminals.
delinquents.
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Elements
Juvenile Delinquency Adult Crime
Criminal intent may be “Mens rea” should be
absent. present.
May be unknown about the Offender has thought about
consequence of the act. the consequence of the act.
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Nature
Juvenile Delinquency Adult Crime
Includes criminal acts, Includes index offenses.
status offenses and
antisocial behaviors.
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Age
Juvenile Delinquency Adult Crime
The offender has not The offender has reached
reached a legal age of the legal age of maturity.
maturity.
The offender is less than The offender is more than
18 years old. 18 years old.
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Justice system
Juvenile Delinquency Adult Crime
Dealt by juvenile justice Dealt by formal criminal
system justice system
In camera hearing conducted Trial conducted in criminal
in juvenile bench or court or general bench.
juvenile court.
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Sentencing
Juvenile Delinquency Adult Crime
Disposed by judge in Judgment made by judge
collaboration with social
worker and psychologists
Sent to correction homes
Sent to prison if convicted
Sentence can be suspended
Sentence is not suspended
under certain conditions
by judge if convicted
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Confidentiality
Juvenile Delinquency Adult Crime
Record of delinquency cases Record of adult crime open
restricted for public for public
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EXTRA RESOURCES
The Act Relating to Children, 2075 (2018)
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