CHAPTER- 22.1 NATURE AND EXTENSION Juvenile delinquency can refer to violent or non-violent crimes committed by persons who are (usually) under the age of eighteen. There is much debate as to whether or not such a child should be held criminally responsible for his actions. There are believed to be many different internal influences that are believed to affect how a child behaves, both negatively and positively. It is extremely difficult to accurately assess the scale of the problem in any part of the country as the available statistics are full of pitfalls and therefore no indicators of the true extent exist. This is because a large number of such acts remain undetected or unreported. However, it has been observed that default rates are higher in all developed countries. It is in countries with the highest levels of technical and economic progress that social change occurs most rapidly, and traditional social roles and institutional controls over child behavior tend to break down. It is a general opinion, however, that women are less deviant than boys because of some intrinsic traits such as a deeply rooted religious vision, the fear of social disapproval, the ability to suffer in silence, etc. According to Hurwitz there are two schools of thought on the causes of lower crime rate among women, viz. biological and sociological. The very fact that girls are physically weaker influences their delinquency in various ways. Furthermore, particular biological functions such as pregnancy, motherhood, etc. play an important role in determining and limiting his actions. The sociological approach attributes less deviance among girls to the greater environmental protection they enjoy. Even in India… half the paper… are attracted to illegal activities like theft and dealing of illicit goods (including drugs). and prostitution as one of the few viable means of gaining a foothold in an unknown and hostile world. Social stratification The persistence of class, caste, ethnic, gender and other forms of discrimination across social strata stimulates some members of disadvantaged groups to engage in criminal activities as an alternative means of improving their social and economic situation. Discriminatory social conditions are particularly serious where social status is determined primarily on the basis of genetic or biological characteristics such as sex, skin, tone or language, religion or caste, rather than on the basis of personal qualifications. The institutionalization of crime and delinquency among some social groups serves to reinforce prevailing prejudices.