NCJ Number
105383
Journal
Indian Journal of Criminology Volume: 15 Issue: 1 Dated: (January 1987) Pages: 9-16
Date Published
1987
Length
7 pages
Annotation
Delinquency rates for India in 1973 and 1978 are significantly lower than for the United States, primarily because of typically strong family influences in India that produce normative juvenile behaviors.
Abstract
In 1978 juveniles and youthful offenders in India accounted for 3.3 percent of the total crime committed under the Indian Penal Code. In the same year American juveniles under age 18 accounted for 21.4 percent of violent crimes and 45.5 percent of property crimes. Juvenile delinquency is not a nationwide phenomenon in India, since two States, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, account for 43-45 percent of the delinquency in the entire country. The institutions which socialize persons to be law abiding are the family, the school, peers, the work world, and the government. Of these institutions, the family is clearly the strongest. The family insulates juveniles, particularly females, from the corrupting influences of peers and the larger society. The family also operates as a strong support group for persons who have committed delinquent acts. Strong family bonds are generally maintained with offenders to assist in their reintegration. This is manifest in the relatively low rate of recidivism in India. 4 tables and 7 references.