Juvenile Delinquency and Destitution in Poona

The problem of juvenile delinquency has attracted considerable attention in Western countries and various people have written on the subject. But in the India there has been comparatively very little research in this field. As far as is known, there is only one book that treats delinquency in India at some length and in some detail. It is The Individual Delinquent by Dr. Clifford Manshardt who was Director of the sir Dorabji Tata Graduate School of Social work, Bombay.

The purpose of this thesis is to study the Bombay Children Act 1924, as applied to Poona, with reference mainly to the cases which came before the Juvenile Court during the first five years of its application. Parts of the ground covered in this enquiry and in Dr. Manshardt’s book may be common, but the enquiry differs from the book in that here the problem has been viewed with greater reference to Indian sociological conditions. Moreover, in this enquiry equal attention has been paid to juvenile Courts today are faced by a far larger number of destitute and neglected juveniles than of actual delinquents.

I Wish to acknowledge my thanks to the officials of the Juvenile Branch, to the Juvenile Court Magistrates, to the Secretary of the District Probation and After-care Association, to the Probation Officers and to the Superintendents of Institutions for giving me every help in the collection and discussion of the material.

I am also very grateful to my Teacher, Dr. Iravati Karve, M.A., PH.D., Reader in Sociology, for her invaluable guidance.