“EVALUATING THE IMPACT OF THE JUVENILE JUSTICE (CARE AND PROTECTION OF CHILDREN) ACT, 2015 ON REHABILITATION AND RECIDIVISM IN INDIA”

AUTHOR – ARYA AGRAWAL & KHUSHI JHA

STUDENTS AT CHRIST DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY PUNE, LAVASA

BEST CITATION – ARYA AGRAWAL & KHUSHI JHA, “EVALUATING THE IMPACT OF THE JUVENILE JUSTICE (CARE AND PROTECTION OF CHILDREN) ACT, 2015 ON REHABILITATION AND RECIDIVISM IN INDIA”, INDIAN JOURNAL OF LEGAL REVIEW (IJLR), 5 (10) OF 2025, PG. 654-659, APIS – 3920 – 0001 & ISSN – 2583-2344.

ABSTRACT

The juvenile’s delinquents are so many, and their numbers keep swelling in India, posing a real threat to society and an equally real threat to its legal structure. Defined as illegal acts or antisocial acts committed by juveniles, juvenile delinquency is caused by many complex social, cultural, biological, and psychological factors. The article aims at a critical examination of juvenile delinquency and how it is dealt with under the Juvenile Justice System in India. It illustrates the major factors influencing the delinquent behavior of minors and investigates the response of the system after such cases as the Nirbhaya gang rape, which ushered legislative changes.

Behind this analysis are the two basic tenets of the juvenile justice system of India: punishment and rehabilitation. This research explores whether the system favors punitive approaches over rehabilitative measures, stressing that both should be given equal importance in the dispensation of juvenile justice to both deter the juveniles from crime and allow their smooth reintegration into society. Identifying lacunae within the juvenile justice system, some relevant recommendations are made in the paper to strengthen the mechanism so that it conforms both to legal conceptions of accountability and psychological concepts of child welfare.

Keywords: Juvenile delinquency, Juvenile Justice System, India, Nirbhaya case, Punishment, Rehabilitation, Sociocultural factors, Legal reforms.