Juvenile Delinquencies

Juvenile delinquency is a type of offences committed by juveniles.  They  are  minor offences that may or may not be regarded as crime; at least one major exception is vandalism. It was only in the nineteenth century that  crimes  committed by children were given the distinctive label. “Juvenile” delinquency. Before then, children charged with crimes were prosecuted in criminal courts, though their youth might cause judges to impose less severe punishments if they were convicted. Under English common law children under the age of seven who committed crimes were not subject to the criminal law. Between the ages of seven and thirteen, children could be held responsible for their crimes,  depending  on their individual capacities.

The major offences of Juvenile delinquencies apart from vandalism are as follows:

(1)              Habitual truancy from school

(2)              Vagrancy (running away from Home)

(3)              Incorrigibility (cannot be controlled by parents). These three offences are called “status offences “. They are illegal only when committed by children.

(4)              Stealing

(5)              Auto-thief (car-thief usually for joy rides).

Vandalism is a deliberate destruction of private and public properties. Typically, acts of vandalism include the breaking of windows in schools, destroying school records, mutilating school property such as desks and records, removing street and high way signs, slashing tyres, destroying flowers and shrubs, tampering with the seals and contents of trucks and railways, etc.

REFERENCES

Carrabine, Eamonn, et al (2004). Criminology: A Sociological Introduction.

London: Routledge.

Ferdinand, Theodore N. (1966). Typologies of Delinquency: A Critical Analysis.

New York: Random House.

McGuire, Mike, et al, eds. (2002). The Oxford Handbook of Criminology. 3rd edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Neubeck, Kenneth J. and Davita S. Glasberg (2005). Sociology: Diversity,  Conflict, and Change. Boston: McGraw-Hill.

Williams, Hall J. E. (1984). Criminology and Criminal Justice. London: Butterworths.

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