KOCHI: Even as Kochi recorded a steady decline in the number of crimes committed by minors over the last four years, incidents registered this year during the Covid-induced lockdown show a concerning trend. As per the data provided by the Ernakulam District Crime Records Bureau, nine cases involving 15 minors made it to police records in the past few five months of lockdown. In the whole of 2019, the city reported 19 juvenile crime cases.
Mirroring a statewide trend, the city had recorded a significant reduction in juvenile crime cases in 2018 with only 29 being reported that year as compared to 60 in 2017. However, if the latest data is anything to go by, 2020 may break the declining streak.Among the category of crimes minors are mostly implicated in, ordinary theft and motor vehicle theft cases take the top position followed by those relating to Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. Six cases of ordinary theft and robbery have been reported this year, almost five times higher than other crimes.
According to Arun B Nair, assistant professor of psychiatry at Government Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram, stealing from homes and neighbourhoods and hiding cameras in washrooms to capture nude videos are some of the frequent crimes committed by children. “There has also been a trend in which children are exploited by the drug mafia to peddle narcotics. More often, the reward for peddling is not money but a packet of cannabis. That is how they are pushed into becoming both criminals and addicts,” he said.
Experts point to multiple bio-psycho-social reasons which lead minors to indulge in delinquent behaviour. Genetic factors, adverse familial environment, social conditioning, peer influence and fluctuating hormones during puberty are contributing elements. Common psychological issues observed in children who eventually indulge in anti-social activities are conduct disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Another troubling inference from the figures for the last three years is the involvement of more than one minor in a single crime. “As children with conduct disorder grow up, they start lying, stealing and showing aggressive behaviour. They may assault their peers and injure pets. Once they reach adolescence, they form a gang with peers of similar tendencies and may get into more severe forms of deviant behaviour,” said Dr Arun.
Minors aged 16 and 17 have been commonly found to be the ones involved in crimes. More than 92 per cent of the total 117 juvenile crimes registered in the city from 2017 to July this year have shown the accused to be in their late teens. However, experts have observed that the age of onset of delinquent behaviour is getting lower. “Around 10 years back, it was children in their later teens (between 16 and 18 years) who used to be found with criminal behaviour, but nowadays we come across adolescents as young as 13 and 14 (who do the same),” added Dr Arun.
Social conditioning which validates aggressiveness in boys explains the disproportionate number of male juvenile criminals, according to a national study, though it has also been noted that female offenders are also less likely to be formally charged with a crime. “As a general rule, boys display more of externalising disorders with manifest behavioural problems. While internalising disorders like depression where the person regresses into oneself and even attempts suicide are commonly present in the girls. Conduct disorder and ADHD are three times more prevalent in males than females,” said Dr Arun.
Conduct disorder
Conduct disorder is a behavioural problem in children and adolescents wherein there is an inherent tendency to defy rules, disobey elders and display disproportionate anger. “These tendencies are visible from early childhood. A common biological quirk found in these children is the deficiency of ‘mirror neurons’ in the brain. Mirror neurons help us understand the emotional state of another being. They are the basis of empathy. Children with conduct disorder are unaffected by the pain and suffering of others. They don’t exhibit guilt or remorse over their actions,” said Dr Arun.
ADHD
Children with ADHD may show deviant or criminal behaviour at some point. “The disorder is characterised by the deficiency of a neurotransmitter called dopamine in the brain. This makes them inattentive, they are also not satisfied with small rewards. If a normal child is happy with a toy or going to a movie, kids with ADHD seek high-risk and high-thrill activities. As they grow into adolescence, they are likely to engage in high-risk behaviour. These children also have a lack of coordination in the functioning between their two cerebral hemispheres which makes them impulsive,” said Dr Arun.