Indian Juvenile homes Increasing the Criminal Tendency in Children?


The JJA act had imposed few rules on special homes; juveniles have to be allotted centers close to their residence, the environment has to be friendly and not like a jail. The rule also focuses on separating juveniles based on their age groups.

Ali also discussed about the pathetic condition of special homes in India and added that these homes are nowhere close to the laws laid by the JJA Act. The children are usually left to watch television the whole day, with no education provided to them and the life skills sessions conducted are not mandatory.  

During August this year, juveniles at a special home in Delhi pelted stones and set blankets on fire protesting against the poor facilities at the center. The officials immediately shifted them to an observation home in North West Delhi; five juveniles escaped from the observation on 30th August.

Arlene Manoharan and Swagata Raha, of Centre for Child and the Law said, “These juveniles are largely treated as hardened criminals. There is often little or no tolerance, understanding or willingness to treat them as what they are- young adolescents, most of who seem to be on the margins of society.”