Inside a Juvenile Mind

Diseased flowers- Juvenile Delinquents in India

Aditi Gyanesh

New Delhi: Rakshit, 12, from Pahadganj village never knew that his idea of playing a game would land him into trouble no matter what his age is. Raskhit, along with his two friends while playing in fields raped 4 year old girl. On being questioned he said, “I got this idea from television.”

At the age of holding a pen and learn how to write, Rakshit committed such a crime which is not acceptable to society. Increasing lack of affection and care, exposure to media, social immaturity are some of the factors that turns a Juvenile mind to commit unacceptable acts.

“Every society expects or sets a particular age by which social maturity is attained. Juvenile criminals are like those drivers who drive without learning how to drive; accidents are but natural, “says S.D. Sharma, city based psychologist and psychotherapist.

Acquisition of Raju, the boy declared juvenile in Nirbhaya gang- rape case, and rapid increase in Juvenile crimes thereafter in India has raised the question on Juvenile age and mindset to cope up with various situations in society. Every year according to National Crime Records Bureau, thousands of juveniles are convicted. Various psychologists at Juvenile homes while researching on different convicts says, “Juvenile convicts are minors with a major problems.”

Discovering the psychological mindset of a juvenile is one of the most typical researches for the psychologists. Firstly they are not so mature to conduct hard psychological processes like continuous strict counselling. They can’t be forced by anyone to speak anything because this affects their mind again and make them destructive. Secondly, most of the juveniles pretend themselves to be known to everything. They do not hear anything to what their elders want them to do or think like. Creating pressure always lead them to wrong path which they feel is easiest of all.

Sudhakar (name changed) lives in juvenile home in Chandigarh, when he was 14 years old; he murdered his elder sister and brother out of rage.  He was annoyed from his parents love for his sister and brother. He was weak in his studies, due to which his parents scolded him often. Once during night in January all three kids were playing near well. He pushed both of them into well.

Along with parenting there are several other factors of society which turns down the psychological standard of a child’s mind and they turns out to criminals in their social life. Family, peer groups, neighbourhood, educational curriculum, poverty and democracy are some of the major factors.

Almost every psychologist in India accepts that families of delinquents they have treated were characterized by discords, desertion, and divorces most of the times.

Since childhood, when a child start behaving like elders, and talk about things that does not belongs to his age group, parents instead of telling right and wrong about things start motivating him. They again and again ask him to do in front of others which make the child think that whatever he is doing is right and nobody will say anything. Carelessness of parents and extreme exposure to everything in media increase their curiosity. Sex scenes, rapes, and other intimate scenes add to their curiosity and they try to do the same and think that parents will not stop them because they love him. “Family’s attention plays an important role in development of child’s mind. It depends on parents what kind of environment they are giving and how much exposure they are giving to everything,” said Vasantha Patri, a Delhi based psychologist.

The immediate environment of children decides the trend he will adopt in connection with their personality. It has been commonly stated in most of the reports that most of the juvenile delinquents come from slums and thickly populated areas.

Moreover, according to members of juvenile home most of the juveniles who are accused of heinous crime are between the ages of 16 to 18 years. The reason behind this is they are exposed to media which are made for adults but due to ignorance of parents they fall in this black hole.