Violent crimes by juveniles have increased in India, Pg9

Key Highlights:

• In 2022, nearly 50% of juveniles apprehended in India were accused of violent offences.
• Violent crimes include rape, murder, bodily harm, arson, dacoity, and robbery.
• Total juveniles in conflict with the law declined from 37,402 (2017) to 33,261 (2022), but violent offences increased in share from 32.5% to 49.5%.
• Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra accounted for 39.8% of all juvenile violent crimes between 2017–2022.
• Delhi, despite its smaller size, reported 6.8% of all juvenile violent crimes, likely due to better reporting.
• Central and eastern States emerged as hotspots for juvenile violent crimes.

Detailed Insights:

• Rising Violent Behaviour: Data shows a disturbing trend in juvenile justice, with an increasing share of violent offences among minors, despite overall decline in juvenile crime numbers.
• Better Reporting vs Real Rise: In places like Delhi, high crime rates may reflect improved law enforcement rather than an actual increase in violent behaviour.
• Psychosocial Shifts: Experts associate the surge with exposure to online violence, cyberbullying, and subcultural influences such as incel ideology, demanding a multi-disciplinary policy response.
• Systemic Challenges: Juvenile rehabilitation and reform systems need urgent strengthening as the Juvenile Justice System grapples with repeat offenders and rising brutality.
• Policy Focus Needed: Effective community interventions, mental health support, digital awareness, and school-based counselling must become core to tackling youth violence.

Scientific/Technical Concepts Involved:

• Juvenile in Conflict with the Law: As per Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, a person under 18 who is alleged or found to have committed an offence.
• Incel Subculture: A harmful online movement involving individuals who often display misogynistic attitudes, sometimes linked to violent tendencies.

Mains Mock Question:
Violent juvenile crimes are on the rise in India despite a fall in overall juvenile crime numbers. Examine the socio-legal challenges this poses and suggest measures for a more responsive juvenile justice system.