A Study on Factors Underlying Juvenile Delinquency and ...

1 A Study on Factors Underlying Juvenile Delinquency and Positive Youth Development Programs A Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Development Studies By Kavita Sahmey Roll no: 411HS1010 Under the guidance of Prof. Bhaswati Patnaik Department of Humanities and Social Sciences National Institute of Technology Rourkela-769008, Odisha, India May 2013 i Department of Humanities and Social Sciences Date: National Institute of Technology Rourkela Rourkela 769008 Odisha India CERTIFICATE This is to certify that Kavita Sahmey has carried out the research embodied in the present dissertation entitled, A Study on Factors Underlying Juvenile Delinquency and Positive Youth Development Programs , under my supervision for the award of the Master s degree in Development Studies of the National Institute of Technology, Rourkela.

2 This dissertation is an independent work and does not constitute part of any material submitted for any research degree or diploma here or elsewhere. (Prof. Bhaswati Patnaik) Research Supervisor ii Acknowledgement I am obliged and owe my sincere gratitude to my supervisor Prof. Bhaswati Patnaik, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, Odisha, who helped me to fine tune this research and made this entire journey a very useful and learning process. Without her support, constant guidance and inspiration, this Study would have not been possible and the project, on A Study on Factors Underlying Juvenile Delinquency and Positive Youth Development Programs , would not have seen the light of the day.

3 I owe my gratitude to all the officials, directly or indirectly associated with the Observation Home, Rourkela, for their kind permission and support to carry out this Study . My sincere thanks are due to the inmates of this Home for interacting with me and for sharing with me their unique experiences. My heartfelt thanks also goes to the Head, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, NIT, Rourkela, Odisha, and all faculty members of this department, for their constant support and encouragement during this Study . I am highly indebted to Ms. Aradhna Panigrahi, Research Scholar of this department, for helping me whenever I had any doubt or clarifications to make in carrying out this Study .

4 I am also thankful to all the office staffs of the department for their cooperation. I would like to express my sincere gratitude towards my family members, especially my Mother, and all my friends for their cooperation and encouragement for carrying out this work. Kavita Sahmey Roll No: 411HS1010 iii Contents Certificate i Acknowledgement ii Contents iii-iv Abstract v Page No. Chapter-I Introduction 1-11 Introduction 1-7 Objective of the Study 8 Hypothesis 8 Conceptual framework 8-9 Significance of the Study 9-10 Definition of key terms 10 Organization of the thesis 10-11 Chapter-II Literature review 12-16 Introduction

5 13-14 Factors behind Delinquency 14 Perception of fairness 14 Positive youth development 15-16 Conclusion 16 Chapter-III Method of the Study and results 17-27 Method of the Study 18 Results 19 Factors Underlying Juvenile Delinquency 19 Demographics characteristics of the sample 19-21 Socio-economic and background variables 21-23 Individual characteristics 24-25 Perception of fairness 25-26 Positive Youth Development 26-27 Chapter-IV Case studies 28-33 Cases (five)

6 29-32 iv Conclusion 32-33 Chapter-V Discussion and conclusion 34-38 Summary of the findings 35-36 Discussion and conclusion 36-37 Suggestions and recommendations 37-38 Limitations of the Study 38 References 39-40 Appendix (questionnaire) 41-44 List of tables Table 1: Nature of offence 19 Table 2: Educational qualification 20 Table 3: Religion 20 Table 4: Past history of employment 21 Table 5: Parental occupation 22 Table 6: Reporting alcohol addiction in family 22 Table 7: Delinquency /crime record of members in the family 22 Table 8: Peer influence in crime 23 Table 9: Emotional and personality factor make-up 24 Table 10: Perception of fairness 25 v Abstract This Study was aimed at understanding the causes behind Juvenile Delinquency , and the measures that are being taken for the positive development of the children in conflict with law.

7 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. Therefore, it was planned to Study whether the impact of recent changes in the society on Juvenile Delinquency is significant. The socio-economic profile, Factors behind the Delinquency , the rehabilitative mechanisms and its effectiveness were analyzed by using the primary data collected by interviewing 50 inmates of the Government Observation Home of Rourkela Sub jail , Odisha.

8 Out of these 50 cases of Delinquency , 5 cases of offence were also analyzed in detail using case Study method. The data was collected by using the structured questionnaire and interview. The results indicated that the offences made by the delinquents were primarily due to the combination of various individual and environmental variables, viz. individual risk Factors of the delinquents, negligence and ignorance of the parents, peer influence, poor socio-economic status, family pressure and lack of proper socialization. Direct impact of media was not pronounced in the findings of the Study , excepting a few cases of theft. Overall, the perception regarding fairness of justice, both before and after the offence, was reported to be positive by the respondents.

9 The results also indicated that owing to lack of funds and resources, the positive development measures for the juveniles were conspicuous by their absence. Findings were interpreted in the light of current conceptualizations in the area of the Study and their implications for future were pointed out. 1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 2 Introduction 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.

10 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.