Introduction

Crime has amassed a place in the society from a time immemorial. We may dissent (disagree) its
grasp/ clinch but we cant deny its existence. Now a day one of the most concerning problem is
juvenile crime. Even in a recent time most bewildering fact is youth are getting more attracted
towards the world of crime. It is undeniable that they are the worst affected as they are still in the
initial phase of what could be a bright future. Heres the question which comes into the mind is
that are they really count as a juvenile after knowing that most of the heinous crime in todays
contemporary world committed by them? Or we rely on these words that they are only child,
they doesnt understand, their brain is not fully developed, they can't make good decisions. "Our
juvenile system is criminalizing our children. We are incarcerating kids and they don't
understand why." The idea of non-blameworthiness of juveniles dates back to approximately
2000 years ago, when both Roman and later canon (Church) law made distinction between adults
and juveniles based on the notion of age of responsibility. Children came to be classified as
infans, proximus infantia and proximus pubertati. Generally infants were not held criminally
responsible as we all know they are not mature enough to get the idea of the intentness/
thoughtfulness or consequences of the act, but children who attained adulthood, knew the
consequences. As our law too defined, juvenile is a person who has not completed the age of
eighteen years. Definiton of child according to the International perspective, a Child means
every human being below the age of 18 years. But, should the minor treated differently for the
same crime from others as they doesnt attain the age of maturity? Or is just because of our
juvenile justice system? Crime at any age must be treated as a crime either done by juvenile or
other person. If we give a thought, is it justified to punish a person who commits grievous crime
in accordance to juvenile justice system mere because of his age? Does a 17-year-old have less
reasoning power than an 18-year-old? What great mental development will there be in the next
one year? Is he less capable of understanding the ramifications of his actions one year
before? Was the enhancement of the age of a juvenile from 16 years to 18 years in year 2000
without any basis? Are they are in a position to decide what is wrong and what is right? Juvenile
heinous crimes such as murder and gang rape, these trends were so disturbing and also affect
society as a whole as society is anguished by such acts of juveniles. To find answer these entire

set of questions, we must have a clear insight of circumstances and reasons which compel them
to commit such heinous crimes.
Reasons for juvenile crime: Is society the reason or the family?
We all know no one is a born criminal; it is the circumstance which make him so. The sociocultural environment both inside and outside of home in which they bought up, plays a
significant role in shaping ones life and overall personality. Some of the most common causes
which are associated with Juveniles crimes are Poverty, Drug Abuse, Anti- social peer group,
Easy availability of fire arms, Child sexual abuse, Family violence and Role of Media to some
extent.
However so far as India is concerned, Poverty and the effect of media, society, family and the
social-media are more inclined to juveniles towards criminal activities and even the role played
by social media today which is also having a negative impact on young minds. Social Media is a
huge part of lives of everyday where if there are some advantages from the social media than on
the other hand beyond any doubt it does also plays a vital role in youth violence because of the
obscene and violent contents or materials contain in social media.
Social media has changed the pattern of crime .The way the people used to commit offences in
the past time by doing offences on the face of the victim; today such offenders can commit the
crime simply at one click of the mouse .The offenders start with simple offences which is a step
towards serious offences. Cyber bullying phenomenon, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube have
become

platform

for

youth

violence. A

news

channel

HYPERLINK

"http://abcnews.go.com/US/chicagos-gang-violence-fueled-social-media/story?id=17464743"
HYPERLINK

"http://abcnews.go.com/US/chicagos-gang-violence-fueled-social-media/story?

id=17464743" HYPERLINK "http://abcnews.go.com/US/chicagos-gang-violence-fueled-socialmedia/story?id=17464743" covered a story where they interviewed a Chicago resident that
showed correspondents how sites were used by gang members to promote violence. It showed
how gangs used social media sites to make threats, call out rival gangs, promote violence and
recruit members. This activity led to real Stomp-Outs, real shootings, and real deaths.

Continual exposure to violence like this can have adverse effects on youth. Meta-analyses of the
unhealthy effects of media-violence have shown that youth who view media-violence on a
regular basis are more likely to exhibit antisocial behavior, ranging from imitative violent
behavior with toys to criminal violence, acceptance of violent behavior, increased feelings of
hostility, and desensitization toward violent behavior. This information is not applicable to all
youth who view it, but imagine a young impressionable pre-teen and some other juveniles who
gets attracted towards such act may think this behavior (hostile fights) is acceptable. Similarly
social media also abet juvenile delinquency in the form of rapes or gang rapes as the obscene
videos or the contents displayed on social media instigate the juvenile especially the illiterate
ones because of which they does rape. Some even does gang rape for the sake of entertainment
or to satisfy their need because after intoxication the juveniles lose control over their mind and
are not in a position to apply their mind on the act they are about to perform and lack the
sufficient amount of knowledge to understand the consequence of the offence they have
committed and they take the excuse that they were intoxicated .Though according to survey it
has been found that after getting intoxicated the offenders who does such offences when go to
their home they easily identified their family members or the person they meet ,than why cant
they identified that the offence which they are committing are heinous in nature? With no doubt I
strongly support the notion that media does influence juvenile delinquency to some extent. The
impact of mass communication is evident in all areas of life. Juvenile crime is also affected by it,
because minors lack the ability to sift out the irrational from the rational and logical view.
On the other side we shouldnt fail to remember the family role in juvenile delinquency although
family is not solely responsible for it because it is not pressingly the parents who is accountable
but somewhere they are carrying the burden of it, as in this centurial time parents are not that
much concern about the child nurturing/sustenance due to this children are getting less support
from their family and this drawn to hand out more and more time in front of televisions,
computers, and surfing the Internet which does even contain in-fitted things which finally
resultant at the helm of the delinquency problem. . Sometimes the result is more overcrowding,
less supervision, and less effective socialization with children. There are instances when children
who return home to empty houses have to await the return of their parents. Tendency is that the
children are probably home alone, and as a result, creates an emotional vacuum, where children
grow up without any values or goals. Separation of father and mother of the child at his very

tender age also leads to juvenile delinquency because he or she could does not get the adequate
support from his family which is a very strong reason behind juvenile delinquency.
As increase in number of juvenile crimes is the lack of guidance which they are receiving from
their parents and their support. In an investigation of high-delinquency areas in New York City,
Craig and Glick found three factors related to increased likelihood of juvenile delinquency:
1) Cursory or inadequate supervision by the mother or surrogate mother;
2) Capricious or bizarre strict discipline; and
3) Lack of solidarity of the family.
However we cant only blame the parents because many a time it is the child only who listen
only to their peers. The research has done as regards to juvenile behavior dealing with girls and
boys, and bring into being that girls tend to be juvenile delinquents when they lose emotional
touch with whom they are very much attached to. Most girls are arrested for depraved act of,
running away; gang involvement, and sex offenses and girls are easily prayed for these offences
while most boys are arrested for vandalism, theft, assault, rape, drugs and some other heinous
offenses.