NCJ Number
91262
Date Published
1982
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This paper discusses general trends in juvenile delinquency in Pakistan, special penal institutions for juveniles, prevention of juvenile delinquency, and drug abuse problems.
Abstract
In Pakistan a juvenile is defined as a lawbreaker between the ages of 7 and 21. A juvenile can be sent to a juvenile jail upon conviction. In Pakistan, on the average, some 160,000 crimes are registered annually while about 170,000 persons are arrested and 30,000 convicted. Out of those convicted, 1-2 percent are females and about 10 percent are juveniles. About 10 percent of the convicted jail population is below 20 years of age. Almost half the juvenile offenders are convicted for property crimes, primarily theft and pickpocketing, and about 30 percent are convicted for violent crimes. The primary causes of juvenile delinquency in Pakistan are criminal peer influence, lack of parental supervision, and low socioeconomic status. On average, about 10-15 percent of those arrested and convicted have been charged with drug abuse. The Pakistan Narcotics Control Board, which was established in 1973, has opened seven treatment centers where about 2,000 addicts were rehabilitated in 1980. Treatment programs have produced a decrease in the incidence of drug abuse as measured by the drop in drug abuse arrests in 1979 and 1980 compared to 1978. Tabular data are provided. (Author summary modified)