Socio Economic Cultural and Legal Determinants of Juvenile Delinquency in India: An Analytical Review

Juvenile delinquency in India is progressively acknowledged as a socio-structural phenomenon rather than a mere outcome of individual deviance. Juvenile delinquency is a corollary of interrelated socio-economic, cultural, and legal determinants operating within a rapidly transforming society. This analytical review examines how poverty, structural inequality, educational disengagement, family instability, urbanization, migration, peer influence, and digital exposure shape patterns of juvenile offending in India. Drawing on national crime statistics, large-scale social surveys, interdisciplinary scholarly literature, and judicial decisions, the paper synthesizes evidence demonstrating how structural deprivation, weakened family and community institutions, and rapid socio-spatial transformations interact to heighten delinquency risks among children and adolescents. It further analyzes the legal determinants embedded in the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, including age of criminal responsibility, transfer provisions for the 16–18 age group, procedural safeguards, and implementation gaps, alongside evolving judicial interpretations. Concluding that punitive measures alone are insufficient, this doctrinal research paper highlights the integrated, preventive, rights-based, and restorative strategies that strengthen families, schools, communities, and child-friendly justice mechanisms to address the root causes of juvenile delinquency in India.