Juvenile Delinquency And Social Skills Development

The poor living conditions, illiteracy, unemployment, and association with criminals and immoral middlemen, coupled with the behavior of the society towards these children forces them to become violent, abusive and aggressive. They lack innocence, decency and cordial behavior. They are highly vulnerable to exploitation and physical abuse as well as sexual abuse.  

As a result, they gradually get inclined towards criminal activities (such as theft, robbery, drug abuse, illicit drug trade, etc) and earning easy money. Those who are not careful enough are caught and handed over to the juvenile centers and are labeled as juvenile delinquents for the rest of their lives. However, there are a large number of children who roam about freely but are equally violent, abusive and felonious. They have no respect for value systems, morals, ethics or principles. This is understandable, especially considering their family background and the abusive environment in which they were born and brought up.

For such children with criminal backgrounds, rehabilitation programs should be conducted either at the community level or in juvenile homes. Family environment can also have a great impact in correcting the juveniles. Sessions must focus on the physical, mental, social, and emotional development of the children, with special emphasis on stress and anger management. The child must first be taught what is meant by good behavior, by setting behavioral standards and making positive statements to him. Once the child is trying to implement positive changes in his behavior, he should be rewarded for this good behavior. The child must be encouraged to communicate in decent language and ask for something in a requesting tone. They must be taught to refrain from alcohol consumption, drug abuse, or other forms of illegal and antisocial work. Little patience and a lot of correct guidance can transform juvenile delinquents into obedient and law abiding citizens.