Juvenile Delinquency Deterrence And Punishment

This can be prevented by evolving and implementing juvenile delinquent support programs, which look after the physical and mental healthcare needs of the children as well as provide the much needed emotional support and encouragement by involving a team of medicos and trained psychotherapists. The other basic requirements apart from medical needs such as balanced nutrition, education, and employment can be taken care of by government bodies or other non-profit agencies. Children must also be provided with a safe and secure place to live, where they can live a life of dignity, without the fear of being sexually, physically or emotionally abused by their parents, guardians or caretakers.
 

Children should not be subjected to harsh disciplinary measures, ruthless chastisement, or corporal punishments at home or in schools or in the juvenile homes or detention centre for correcting them. Accessibility of weapons (knives or any other sharp objects, revolvers or guns) to children must be strictly restricted and their use must be very much controlled. Children must also be shielded and kept away from drug traffickers in order to protect them from drug abuse. Similarly, children must also be deterred from alcohol consumption.

If a person under the age of eighteen commits any offence, he or she should not be imposed with capital punishment for the offense committed. The juvenile delinquent must be rehabilitated and the treatment involved must be more clinical than punitive. Rather than imposing a punishment on the juvenile for an offence which is usually committed at the spur of the moment, without a definite objective in mind, the courts must focus on treating and rehabilitating the juveniles so that they are no longer harmful to the society.