Journal of Global Resources

Volume 4 (01)January 2018
ISSN: 2395-3160 (Print), 2455-2445 (Online)

Page 75-80

11GEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY IN
RAJASTHAN
Monika KannanHead, P.G Dept. of Geography, Sophia Girls’ College, Ajmer (Rajasthan), India
Email: kannanmonika@gmail.com
Abstract: Delinquent and disruptive behaviors include different forms of aggression and violence.
These behaviors are associated, on one hand, to illicit drug-use and traffic, urban, racial, andxenophobic violence; on the other hand, these behaviors are associated with anxiety and mooddisorders, and other behavioral disorders. Delinquency is increasing in many countries, and is
especially in females over the years. Delinquency has also several social adverse outcomes, likedisadvantages regarding social integration and economic independency, and other costs forsociety related to medical, rehabilitation, and custody costs. Therefore, it becomes important toknow the determinants of these behaviors during adolescence, and in different life contexts. In
2011, Rajasthan had 79 cases of rape, 71 of murder and 65 of attempt to murder and three of
culpable homicide not amounting to murder against the juveniles who were than 18 years of age.
There is a correction home for them in each of 33 districts and one special home in Ajmer.
Government data indicates, crimes by juveniles specially rape and abduction of women has seen
an exponential rise in the past decade. While rape by juveniles has recorded a 143 percent spurt,
abduction of women has jumped by 380 percent even though overall rise in juvenile crimes
recorded under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been only 50 percent against
figures for 2002. Even theft (64.5 percent) and murder (86.4 percent) have recorded smaller
jumps compared to rape and abduction by juveniles. It has also been observed that the share ofteens aged between 16 and 18 in juvenile crimes has steadily increased. From 48.7 percent in
2002, it has gone up to 66.5 percent in 2012. In 2011, it stood at 63.9 percent. Maharashtra, inparticular, has had a poor show as far as controlling juvenile crimes are concerned. With 4,570
cases of juvenile crimes, Maharashtra was second only to Madhya Pradesh (5,446) and together
with states like Assam (2,345), Chhattisgarh (2,180), Rajasthan (1,880) and Andhra Pradesh(1,593) accounted for 64.5 percent of all juvenile crimes. It also ended up with maximum juvenile
arrests at 4,221 in the 16-18 age group. In cases of rape by juveniles too, Maharashtra wasamong top five states in 2012 with 89 cases, next only to Madhya Pradesh (249), UP (110) andRajasthan (102).
Keywords: Delinquency, Juvenile, Xenophobic, Adolescence, Violence
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 themcapable of realizing his/her fullest potential. On the contrary, harmful surroundings, negligence ofbasic needs, wrong company and other abuses may turn a child to a delinquent. 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 adventof 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
percent of India’s population and India has a National Policy for Children declaring children to bea national asset. Even so majority of India’s children continue to be in difficult circumstances.
India has witnessed an increase both in crimes committed by children and those committed
against them.
75

There has been 97.9 percent increase in crimes committed by children between 2003 and 2004,
with more children being appeared for arson, theft and cheating. Over 33,000 juveniles, mostly
between the age group of 16 to 18, have been arrested for crimes like rape and murder acrossIndian states in 2011, the highest in last decade. According to a Home Ministry data, of the totalof 33,387 juveniles apprehended in 2011, 21,657 were in the 16-18 age group, 11,019 of 12-16
age group and 1,211 between 7-12 age group (PTI, 2013). Whereas, 32,145 such youngsters
below 18 years of age were held in 2006, 34,527 in 2007, 34,507 in 2008, 33,642 in 2009 and
30,303 during 2010, the data said. The data also shows increasing cases of rape by juveniles.
Study Area
Selection of study area is important for evaluating the crime level through the adopted
methodology. Rajasthan which is situated in the north-western part of India, is the largest state byarea, which is 342,239 sq. km or 10.4 percent of country’s total area. In recent decades, theliteracy rate of Rajasthan has increased significantly. In 1991, the state's literacy rate was only
38.55 percent (54.99 percent male and 20.44 percent female). In 2001, the literacy rate increased
to 60.41 percent (75.70 percent male and 43.85 percent female). This was the highest leap in thepercentage of literacy recorded in India (the rise in female literacy being 23 percent). At the
Census 2011, Rajasthan had a literacy rate of 67.06 percent (80.51 percent male and 52.66
percent female). Although Rajasthan's literacy rate is below the national average of 74.04 percent
and although its female literacy rate is the lowest in the country, the state has been praised for its
efforts and achievements in raising literacy rates.

Figure 1: THE STATE OF RAJASTHAN

Objectives
With rising statistics of rates of juvenile crimes and changing social dynamics, it is essential toprobe deeply into the underlying causes of juvenile delinquency in the present times and find out
the ways and means to reduce its occurrences through appropriate steps. The present study was
undertaken with the following objectives,••

To understand the concept of juvenile delinquency and delineate the causes giving rise tohigh rates of crimes and conflicts.
To analyze and evaluate the susceptibility of crime with respect to age group and sex under
IPC.
76

•

To spread public awareness and to help the juveniles mitigate and overcome their historic
crime background and to facilitate them to come up and join the normal stream of life byrehabilitation.

Study of delinquents lead to the understanding of both the individual characteristics andthe background variables responsible for it. Earlier, there was not much impact of media such as
television and internet on the young minds. But presently, the massive use of mobile phones
among youths, changing times and technological advances have made children more prone to
exposure to sensitive materials. Changing patterns of familial relationships owing to fast andstressful lifestyle also add to the risk of delinquent behavior. This research has highlighted
astonishing facts about the status of juvenile delinquency in Rajasthan district wise importantly ofKota, Udaipur, Ajmer, Jaipur, Alwar and Jodhpur and has provoked analyses of the underlying
factors that why the age group of 16-18 are found more susceptible to crime.
The investigation looks upon the measures and the variations that are being taken in thelaw making since the 20th century for the positive development of the children in conflict with law
also. A thorough introspection of some important cases of the incidences of crime in some of thestates of India and especially Rajasthan have been done. The study also tries to examine thestatistical data of crime in Rajasthan revealing that the juvenile crime in some of the major
districts of Rajasthan such as Kota, Jodhpur, Jaipur, Ajmer, Alwar and Udaipur is higher than theother districts. The major factors affecting the crimes such as poverty, illiteracy, dropout,urbanization, increasing population, malnutrition and child labour are found responsible for thesame. Its observed that the most crucial factors are poverty, illiteracy, dropout, urbanization,
malnutrition and child labour except population which is the least affecting variable than the othermajor variables.
Spatial Pattern of Juvenile Crime in the State
Before evaluating the crime scenario in the state, it is important to study the overall status ofjuvenile crime in India and a comparison with the other states. In crime against Scheduled
Castes, the state reported the highest rate of crimes (7.4) as compared to the national average of
2.8 per cent. Out 150 cases of arson reported in 2010 as compared to 195 cases in 2009 in the
country, reporting a decrease of 23.1 per cent, but Rajasthan has been reported with the highest
number of cases (31). Also, Rajasthan has reported the highest crime rate of 5.0 per cent asagainst the national crime rate 0.5 per cent. When it comes to the juvenile crimes, the state is not
far behind here also. The number of juveniles apprehended under various sections of the Indian
Penal Code crimes in the state was 2,223 next only to Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra in the
country. Research indicates that, no one is a born criminal. Circumstances make him so. Sociocultural environment, both inside and outside of home, plays significant role in shaping one’s life
and overall personality. However, as far as India is concerned, it is Poverty and the effect ofmedia, especially the social-media which make juveniles more inclined towards criminal activities.
Poverty is one of the biggest causes which force a child to get involved in criminal acts. Also, role
played by social media today which is having a more negative than positive imprints on young
minds.
One of the biggest problems that the India is facing within the present day is juvenile
crime. It does not only affect the individuals who commit the crime, it also affects the victim of thecrime. This also affects the juvenile in their adult lives as the crime can be on their record as longas they live. Experts still have not found that what are the main reasons that why juveniles arecommitting crimes is. According to UNICEF, an average of 10,500 minors are being arrested anddetained every year about 28 children every day, or more than one child every hour. It is evenmore alarming to know that poverty has driven most of the minors detained to commit crime. We
might say that this issue is not bigger than the economic crisis we are experiencing right now, but
to think that these delinquents are just disoriented youths, it’s actually unfair.

77

Table 01: Juveniles Apprehended Under IPC Crimes, Age Group and Sex, 2015
Juveniles in the Age Group of
Overall Age
Below 12 12-16 yearsGroup
16-18 years
Total
Crime Heads Total No. of Cases
years
Registered against
Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls
Juveniles
Murder
65
0
0
21
2
46
8
67
10
77
Attempt to77
3772
Murder
1
0
0
0
110
0
110
15
Rape
39
198
199
166
0
0
0
1
1
9
Kidnapping
121
0
0
18
1
91
0
109
1
110
Thefts

412

9

184

1

5

Source: Crime Statistics- http://police.rajasthan.gov.in/CIR2014.pdf

32

4

517

10

527

*IPC-Indian Penal CodeA total of 2,126 cases of the juveniles in conflict with law under IPC were registeredagainst juveniles during the year 2015, showing a decrease of about 2.21 percent over thenumber of such cases (2174) registered in 2014. A total of 2,734 juveniles were apprehended invarious IPC crimes during year 2015. Out of total juveniles 59.83 percent were apprehended
under main heads of IPC crimes in 2015, the details of main IPC heads is hereunder: 19.38
percent in cases of Theft, 10.16 percent in cases of Burglary, 7.81 percent in cases of Rape, 5.69
percent in cases of Kidnapping & Abduction, 3.62 percent in case of Attempt to Murder, 3.75
percent in cases of Assault on Women with intent to Outrage her Modesty, 3.06 percent in casesof Murder, 2.26 percent in cases of Robbery, 1.74 percent in cases of Grievous Hurt and 0.89
percent in case of Riot and rest 40.17 percent were apprehended under head “Other IPC crimes”.
A detailed account of the crimes committed by juveniles during year 2015 is presented in Table
below.
Table 02: Juveniles Apprehended Under IPC Crimes, Age Group and Sex, 2015
Juveniles in the Age Group of
Overall Age Grand
Total Cases
Below
12
12-16
Group
16-18 Years
District
Registered
Total
Years
Years
Against Juveniles
Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls
Ajmer
27
0
0
5
0
29
0
34
0
34
Jaipur City (N)
119
3
0
54
0
62
0
119
0
119
Jaipur City (S)
30
0
0
15
0
31 0
46
0
46
Jaipur City (E)
73
1
0
30
0
90
0
121
0
121
Jaipur City (W)
37
0
0
21
0
57
0
78
0
78
Jaipur Rural
27
0
0
13
0
51
2
64
2
66
Alwar
128
0
0
59
0 115
0
174
0
174
Jodhpur City
78
0
0
31
0
47
78
0
78
Jodhpur City
59
0
0
12
0
55
0
67
0
67
Jodhpur Rural
53
0
0
23
0
31
1
54
1
55
Kota City
96
0
0
52
0 104
5
156
5
161
Kota Rural
21
0
0
0
0
21
0
21
0
21
Udaipur
132
0
1
57
2 117
2
174
5
179
Source: Crime Statistics- http://police.rajasthan.gov.in/CIR2014.pdf*IPC-Indian Penal Codehe above mentioned Juvenile Delinquency Statistics of Rajasthan explains the trend of
Juvenile Crime Incidence Rate and the rate of Juvenile Apprehension by Age Group and Sex andit’s share under IPC and SLL crimes of six major districts of Rajasthan where the crime rate issignificantly high namely Jaipur, Udaipur, Kota, Jodhpur, Ajmer and Alwar of the year 2013,2014
and 2015. The total number of juveniles apprehended under IPC Crime Head Murder is 77 which
includes the age group 7-18 (boys and girls). It reveals that boys and girls in the age group of 1618 years are most susceptible to this crime. Attempt to Murder is 110 which includes the age
78

group 7-18(boys and girls). It reveals that boys and girls in the age group of 16-18 years are mostsusceptible to this crime. Rape is 199which includes the age group 7-18(boys and girls). It reveals
that boys and girls in the age group of 16-18 years are most susceptible to this crime.
Kidnapping/Abduction is 110 which includes the age group 7-18(boys and girls). Thefts is 527
which includes the age group 7-18(boys and girls). It reveals that boys and girls in the age groupof 16-18 years are most susceptible to this crime. It can be concluded from the above informationthat the highest number of crime committed by the juveniles in the year 2015 in Rajasthan is Theft
which is 527 followed by the other crimes Rape (199), Kidnapping/Abduction (110), Attempt toMurder (110), and Murder (77). The juvenile IPC Crime Incidence 2010-2015 it can be seen thatthe rate of incidence is 1787 in the mid of the year 2010. Later on, there can be seen a slightincrease in the mid of the year 2011 from 1787 to 1836 then it furthermore increases up to 1878
in the mid of the year 2012.At the end of 2013 it can be seen that the rate of incidence has
increased significantly from 1878 to 2104 which shows the drastic increase in the number ofjuvenile IPC crime incidence and then it further increases in the mid of the year 2014 from 2104 to2174.
In the year 2015 it is interesting to note that the rate of incidence has decreased slightly
from 2174 to 2126 which seems good for the nation. Overall from the juvenile IPC Crime
Incidence 2010-2015 it can be seen that in the year 2015 the rate of incidence has decreasedslightly against the previous year 2014 which shows the betterment in the field of juvenile
delinquency. The Table above illustrates that in Rajasthan the District Udaipur (132) registeredhighest number of cases involving juvenile in conflict with law under IPC crimes followed by Alwar(128), Jaipur City North (119), Kota City (96), Jodhpur City East 78, Jaipur City East 73. Crime
like Theft (412), Burglary (216) and Rape (166) constituted 37.35 percent of total IPC crimes
registered during the year involving juvenile in conflict with law. In the case of juvenile
delinquents’ apprehension, the highest number of 179 juveniles were apprehended in Udaipur
followed by Alwar (174), Kota City (161), Jaipur City East (121), Jaipur City North (119), andJodhpur City East with 78 cases, Jodhpur City West (67), Jaipur Rural (66), Jodhpur Rural with
55 cases.
Suggestions and Recommendations
This includes community care, guidance, counseling foster care and training, social activities, andcommunity development. These are just few of the possible ways of helping the juvenile’s simple
but effective. The government might also want to amend the law with regards to Comprehensive
Juvenile Justice. It must raise the age of criminal responsibility from nine to twelve years old,which means that a child 12-year-old or under at the time of his offense shall be exempt from
criminal liability. With this, there will be more children that can undergo into guidance andcounseling while also receiving care and protection. It must also prohibit the detention of children
with adults unless a family member to prevent physical, sexual, and psychological harm. Youth on
the other hand must also know their responsibilities as citizens of the country. This is where
education takes place. Education aids the youth in developing all the aspects in their lives andwith proper education, they will be more likely to be productive members of the society. Poverty,
which is considered to be the roots of all problems and issues in the country, may not be
eradicated easily. Juvenile Delinquents are youths who have made wrong choices in their lives
which were influenced by the society itself, and the only way to reverse it is to raise these youths
and model them into better persons. This is when we can see their true potentials and try to savethem from dangerous surroundings. School drop outs should be handled properly to ensure thatthey are not becoming antisocial. Proper counseling sessions at regular intervals is highly
essential for the juveniles. Delinquents should be dealt in a sensitive manner. Proper training
should be given to the authority and caretakers in the homes. Education should be an integral
part of the positive development of the children in conflict with law. Proper socialization from thechildhood is a key requirement. More parental focus towards their children is needed for theirproper development.
Conclusion
Delinquency prevention is the broad term for all efforts aimed at preventing youth from becoming
involved in criminal, or other antisocial activity because the development of delinquency in youth79

is influenced by numerous factors, prevention efforts need to be comprehensive in scope.
Prevention services may include activities such as substance abuse education and treatment,
family counseling, youth mentoring, parenting education, educational support, and youth
sheltering. Education is the great equalizer, opening doors to lift themselves out of poverty.
Education also promotes economic growth, national productivity and innovation, and values of
democracy and social cohesion. Prevention through education aides the young people to interact
more effectively in social contexts, therefore diminishing need for delinquency. It has been notedthat often interventions may leave at-risk children worse off than if there had never been anintervention. This is due primarily to the fact that placing large groups of at risk children together
only propagates delinquent or violent behavior. "Bad" teens get together to talk about the "bad"things they've done, and it is received by their peers in a positive reinforcing light, promoting the
behavior among them. As mentioned before, peer groups, particularly an association with
antisocial peer groups, is one of the biggest predictors of delinquency, and of life-coursepersistent delinquency. The most efficient interventions are those that not only separate at-risk
teens from anti-social peers, and place them instead with pro-social ones, but also simultaneously
improve their home environment by training parents with appropriate parenting styles, parenting
style being the other large predictor of juvenile delinquency.
References
Annual health survey (2011-12). Factsheet(Rajasthan), Chapter-7-8,14-17, Retrieved fromhttp://www.censusindia.gov.in/vital_statistics/AHSBulletins/AHS_Factsheets_2011_12/Rajast
han_Factsheet_2011-12.pdf.
Cameron and Phillips (2002). The Impact of Income and Family Structure on Delinquency.
Journal of Applied Economics, Vol. V, No.2 (Nov 2002), 209-232.
Graham, J. & Bowling, B. (1995). Young People and Crime, Home Office Research Study No.
145, London: Home Office.
Holmes, S. E.; James, R. S.; Javad, K. (2001). "Risk Factors in Childhood that Lead to theDevelopment of Conduct Disorder and Antisocial Personality Disorder". Child Psychiatry and
Human Development. 31 (3): 183–193
http://daily.bhaskar.com/news/RAJ-JPR-rajasthan-tops-chart-of-heinous-crimes-2530065.html.
http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/NnbnMlJYLlPoehSEpepbFL/Some-elements-ofspatialpoverty-in-Rajasthan.html.
Juveniledelinquencyonrise,
33,887
minorsarrestedin2011(2013).
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/juvenile‐delinquency‐on‐rise‐33887‐minors‐arrested‐in‐
2011/1058760
Namit K. Srivastava (llb, llm) University of Delhi: Juvenile Crimes in India. http://
www.indiacelebrating.com/social-issues/juvenile-crimes/.
Rath P. et al. (2007). The Juvenile Justice. Bhubaneswar, Open Learning System.

80