A Study on Dynamics Underlying Juvenile Delinquency

A child is born innocent and if nurtured with tender care and attention, then he/she grows in positive way. Physical, mental, moral and spiritual development of the children makes them capable of realizing his/her fullest potential. On the contrary, harmful surroundings, negligence of basic needs, wrong company and other abuses may turn a child to a delinquent or offender. With changing societal trends, children now appear to possess strong likes and dislikes and also show expressions that indicate maturity at a very early age. These qualities also make children more vulnerable to the designs of the criminality such as abusers, peddlers, and traffickers. Moreover, the influence of the media on the psychosocial development of children is profound. With advent of communication technology in recent times, a child's exposure to media including television, radio, music, video games and the Internet, has increased manifold. 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.