Treatment of juvenile delinquents in Bangladesh: A study on the efficacy of the non-institutional services

Abstract

Juvenile Delinquency (JD) is a burning issue in Bangladesh. The sharp rise of JD in recent time has caused great alarm. Juveniles are innocent, curious, full of hope, belongs to thrill, aspirations, ambitious and they are also vulnerable. As juveniles are the vulnerable section so best care should be provided to them through laws and policies. In doing so international approach to deal with the JD is somehow nice and adequate but Bangladesh is lacking to cope up with the international standard of juvenile issues. Today for the modification of Juvenile Delinquents (JDs) correctional treatments are provided. Non-institutional Services (NISs) are important community based treatment for the modification of JDs. The present study has been conducted to know the efficacy of the NISs for the treatment of JDs in Bangladesh. A total of 165 respondents (62 JDs, 62 guardians of JDs from individual phase and 41 key informants) were selected. These respondents were selected through purposive sampling method from twelve District Social Services Offices (DSSO) namely- Dhaka, Gazipur, Tangail, Narayangonj, Faridpur, Norshingdi, Sylhet, Sunamgong, Hobigonj, Feni, Comilla, Jessore under Dhaka, Khulna, Chittagong and Sylhet divisions. Different methods such as interview, FGD and case study were used in data collection. In this study about half of JDs were educated up to primary level. A large numbers of them were between the ages of 12-16 years. A considerable numbers of them were male. More than half of them live in urban area. It can be seen that at present most of them are students. It is significant that at present only 4.84% have no job previously which was 17.74% is one of the evident of the efficacy of the NISs. Majority of the guardians have no educational qualification and most of the cases mothers and fathers are the guardians of the juvenile delinquents. The socio-economic status indicates that majority of the JDs belonged to lower and upper middle class background family. Most of them were from nuclear family background. It is noted that large number of the juvenile delinquents are found to have been engaged in organized recreation like playing, watching TV, gossiping and roaming which is an important factor for leading a meaningful human life. According to key informants a large numbers of juvenile delinquents are from lower class background. The study reveals that run away from home, theft, fighting, drug trafficking, snatching, drug addiction, arms carrying and explosion, picketing and others were the nature of JD. A substantial number of JDs were found involved in run away from home. In most of the cases the nature of involvement in committing delinquency was individual. According to the key informants opinioned that drug addiction and drug trafficking are the most common natures of juvenile delinquency in Bangladesh. The motivating factors were lack of fulfillment of basic human needs, bad company, poverty, fail to control emotion, affected by situation, family disorganization, broken family, village clash, negative curiosity and others. Interestingly, majority of the juveniles committed delinquency individually. According to the opinion of most of the key informants’ family disorganization, family breakdown and poverty are the factors of juvenile delinquency in Bangladesh. It reveals that most of the female juvenile delinquents committed run away from home. On the other hand, majority of the male juvenile delinquents committed various types of delinquency. Most of the juvenile delinquents those who were students committed ran away from home. Interestingly, it reveals that all kinds of delinquencies were committed by the age group 14 to 16 years juveniles. A large majority of juvenile delinquents who committed theft were illiterate. The most of the lower class background juvenile delinquents committed theft. It is interesting to note that lower class background juvenile delinquents committed all kinds of delinquency. From the present study, it is clear that majority of the cases police filled cases and some of the cases guardians filed case. Most of the cases of drug addiction, ran away from home and other (not complained to parents)) the guardians filed case. Before releasing under NISs, JDs had experience of staying at Thana, JDC and Safe Home. Majority of the juvenile delinquents claimed that they faced different kinds of problem there. They faced problems like: come in contact with criminals, harassment, legal complexity, torture under police custody, late to get justice and others. Majority of juvenile delinquents were released for not more than 06 months. Under NISs they are getting treatment from family, DSS, society, NGOs, educational and religious institutions. Majority of them are getting treatment from family and DSS or PO. All of the cases POs follow up and most of the cases help them to change their delinquent behavior and alter the negative attitudes. Besides, individual counseling, psychological support, social rehabilitation, help to adjust in the society, providing advice, awareness build up are common. Family provides family education, builds awareness, keeps away from bad company and imposes family discipline for the treatment of the juvenile delinquents in most of the cases. The natures of treatment from society include awareness build up, advice, counseling and others. The study has found that juvenile delinquents are getting services or treatment like as socially rehabilitation, employment opportunity, educational support and training from NGOs in few of the cases. They are getting treatment from the NGOs i.e. Bangladesh National Woman Lawyers’ Association (BNWLA), Retired Police Officers Welfare Association Bangladesh (RPOWAB) and Jaggrato Jubo Sangho (JJS). The present study reveals that majority of the cases the treatment of DSS or POs are effective for the modification of the juvenile delinquents. More than one-half of the respondents opinioned that counseling is effective nature of treatment. From FGD it reveals that counseling, mental support, follow up, help to adjust with the life tasks are effective natures. More than half of the juvenile delinquents reported that parents play important role to modify their delinquent behavior. According to the opinion of the guardians in majority cases family and psychological treatment are the effective natures of treatment. The natures of family treatment includes family education, family love and affection, parental company, family rule, keep away from bad company, proper rearing and caring, awareness build up, family counseling, proper socialization and others. Besides in most of the cases counseling and advice as psychological treatment, creating social value and creating strong social bondage as social treatment, providing employment opportunity as rehabilitative treatment, encouraging for study and providing moral and religious education as educational treatment are effective natures of treatment for the juvenile delinquents. Similarly, according to the key informants’ family, psychological and rehabilitative treatments are effective for the treatment of juvenile delinquents. It reveals that self awareness as supportive treatment and increasing awareness as modifying treatment, supported by them. In regard, the efficacy of the existing NISs for the treatment of juvenile delinquents in Bangladesh, a substantial number of respondents opinioned positively. According to the opinion of the guardians, the level of efficacy of the existing NISs for the treatment of juvenile delinquents is highly effective, only effective, moderately effective constituted a significant percentage (96.78%). It reveals that parents can play a significant role to modify the delinquent behavior of the JDs. Interestingly it is found that in all of the juvenile delinquents reported regarding the positive changes occurred in their behavior. The study reveals that NISs are efficacy as opportunity of family atmosphere, parental love and affection, no possibility to come contact with major juvenile delinquents, normal life leading, free from social stigma, continuation of study, fulfillment of basic human needs, family rearing and caring, job security, financial security, no psychological impact and others are possible which are absent in IS based service. In summary, the study shows that in most of the cases NISs are efficacy for the treatment of juvenile delinquents in Bangladesh, but not for all types of delinquency.