Incidence of juvenile delinquency on the rise in Assam

GUWAHATI, March 1: Incidents of juvenile delinquency is on the rise in the State with average rate of increase being put at 8.32 per cent every year since 1993. It was found following a study conducted by three teachers of LC Bharali College in the city. The study highlighted that most significant aspect of the problem is that it is viewed as the gateway to adult crime. Absence of any type of reformative or rehabilitative activities may easily turn a young delinquent into an adult criminal. It has been found that among the offences committed by juvenile offenders, theft, stealing and burglary occupy the highest positions. Out of the total 110 samples studied, 70 per cent arrested for property crimes, 11 per cent for truancy and vagrancy, 7.3 per cent for murder, 3.6 per cent for gambling, 1.8 per cent each for rape and pickpocketing and 4.5 per cent for miscellaneous offences. About 65 per cent of the delinquents were first offenders, 20 per cent of them committed the crime for the second time. It was also observed that serious crimes like murder and rape were committed by 9.1 per cent juveniles only while 90.9 per cent committed less serious offences. The study which was conducted jointly by Nilima Deka, Abha Mishra Chakraborty and Ranjana Sen, revealed that the most delinquency-prone age group appeared to be in the age-group of 12-14 years which include 50 per cent of the delinquents. Lack of education plays a vital role in occurrence of juvenile crimes. 56.4 per cent of the delinquents in this study are illiterates against 24.5 per cent undergoing schooling up to the primary level. Only 19.1 per cent of the delinquents covered in the study received education up to middle English or HSLC level. Although the findings reveal that majority of the delinquents are of lower intellectual level, the investigators observe that as most of the delinquents have come from lower socio-economic state of the society, intellectual enrichment is generally unavailable to them. Therefore, the study concludes that there is no relationship between low level of intelligence and delinquency. The organisation of family was found to be the major course of delinquency in various forms. It was observed that 63.5 per cent delinquents in the study have come from large families. Large size of the family is also found to be responsible for lack of discipline and lack of affection from parents. Broken home is another factor behind the rise in rate of juvenile delinquency as it was found that 52.7 per cent delinquents covered have come from broken homes. Among them 24.6 per cent lost their fathers, 3.6 per cent mothers, 3.6 per cent both the parents, 10.9 per cent had stepparents and in 6.4 per cent cases parents were separated. Economic condition of the family is often referred to as the root cause for developing delinquent behaviour. The study firmly supports this as 66.3 per cent of delinquents covered by it come from poor and very poor families while only 15 per cent were from economically comfortable and well-off families. In case of the juvenile crimes taking place in the State's capital, the delinquency varies in different sections of the city. The slum areas, characterised by high density of population have relatively high rate of juvenile crimes. New Guwahati or Noonmati, Forestgate areas of the city are identified as the most delinquent-prone areas followed by Fatasil Ambari area. Another importance observation made by the investigators was that 80 to 85 per cent delinquents covered in this study belong to nuclear families. It pointed out that in our country, however, joint family system once served as a powerful agency where adult members of the family functioned as role models with certain values and norms of their own or set by the society. The adult members of joint families used to inculcate values in the younger members which helped them grow as stable human beings, the study observed.