Reasons for juvenile crime: 

(i) Illiteracy: If children have poor academic performance, poor attendance, face expulsion or drop out from school, their probability of committing crime is magnified. Leaving school early reduces the chance that juveniles will develop the social skills that are gained in school, such as learning to meet deadlines, following instructions, and being able to deal constructively with their peers. A child without a proper education will eventually learn that he or she is at a disadvantage in the workforce. This feeling of hopelessness, exacerbated by the national media’s emphasis on low employment numbers and fiscal crises, can create an environment ripe for juvenile crime. 

(ii) Peer Pressure: Adolescence can be a painful time of growing into oneself and seeking acceptance from peers and social groups. Wanting to fit in and be accepted often serves as motivation for teens to succumb to peer pressure. In a recent survey on nearly 1,000 teenagers, only 10% said that they had not been influenced by peer pressure. Young people cite peer pressure as one of the major reasons they engage in risky behaviour, such as teen sex, reckless driving, alcohol, drug and tobacco-use, crime and gang activity. 

(iii) Substance abuse: Substance abuse on its own can affect cognitive development, lowering a young person’s inhibitions and ability to assess risks. It is also a powerful contributor to crime when combined with other factors mentioned here. 

(iv) Lack of strong moral guidance: Children learn right or wrong by following adult examples throughout childhood—from their parents, if parents are present in the family, from grandparents, nuclear family members, social groups, and other authoritative influences. In the absence of these concerned adults and positive influences, a child may suffer from “moral poverty” which has the capacity to follow a child into adolescence and young adulthood and hence lead them towards committing crime.