A Global Diagnosis of the Predictive Factors of Juvenile Delinquency

Abstract

Juveniles in the world today live in a world very different from that of their parents or grandparents. Problems experienced by children at the turn of the century are the products of multiple and, sometimes, complex causes which stem from the belief that a child, being part of the society in which he or she lives, gets easily influenced by what he/she sees around him/her because of his/her immaturity. Therefore, a child may be provoked due to the influence of his/her environment and social context. Global perceptions of a juvenile crime epidemic fuelled public scrutiny of society’s ability to effectively control violent juvenile offenders. As a result, countries worldwide have adopted numerous legislative measures in an effort to crack down on juvenile crimes. This article describes the international, regional and national instruments focusing on structure and process features that relate to delinquency and status offence matters. This article provides the predictive factors and causes of juvenile delinquency, which are manifold. The article presents the effects of juvenile delinquency on society and concludes with a series of recommendations for the prevention of juvenile delinquency.