JUVENILE DELINQUENCY AMONG MINORS: CAUSES, CONSEQUENCES AND SOLUTIONS

Annotatsiya

Juvenile delinquency, defined as unlawful behaviour committed by individuals who have not yet reached the age of legal majority, remains one of the most persistent social problems confronting modern societies. This article examines the phenomenon of offending among minors, with particular attention to its root causes, its consequences for the young offenders themselves, their families and the wider community, and the range of measures that may be used to reduce and prevent it. Drawing on findings from recent criminological and psychological research, the article argues that juvenile delinquency is rarely the product of a single cause but instead emerges from the interaction of individual, familial, educational, economic and social factors. The discussion further shows that unaddressed delinquent behaviour tends to produce long-term negative outcomes, including disrupted education, damaged family relationships, mental-health difficulties and a heightened risk of adult criminality. The article concludes by outlining a multi-level framework of prevention and intervention combining family support, school-based programmes, community engagement, restorative justice approaches and coordinated social policy, and argues that early, evidence-based intervention offers the most promising path toward reducing youth crime.