It is impossible to be definitive about the causes of youth offending.

Youth crime is not caused by a specific, easily identifiable list of factors, but by the presence in a young person's life of multiple risk factors, and the absence of protective factors. Different individuals respond to those risk and protective factors in different ways. Instead of discussing the causes of youth offending, it is better to approach the issue by identifying the various risk factors for offending, and talk about the interventions that can either reduce those risks or increase protective factors in a young person's life. It is also helpful in any discussion on the causes of offending, to understand the two main types of offender. Life-course persistent and adolescent onset offenders have different offending profiles and differ in their background risks for offending. Interventions with life-course persistent offenders must emphasise remedial social skills if they are to have any chance of reducing future offending and deal with conduct disorder issues. Interventions with adolescent onset offenders must address, wherever relevant, any drug and alcohol problems, anti-social peers, and parenting problems.

Definitions
The term crime does not, in modern times, have any simple and universally accepted definition, but one definition is that a crime, also called an offence or a criminal offence, is an act harmful not only to some individual, but also to the community or the state (a public wrong). Such acts are forbidden and punishable by law.

Introduction
rime in India e!ists in various forms taking note of drug trafficking, gunrunning, money laundering, e!tortion, murder for hire, fraud, human trafficking, poaching and prostitution. "any criminal operations engage in black marketeering, political violence, religiously motivated violence, terrorism, and abduction. #ther crimes are homicide, robbery, assault etc. $roperty crimes include burglary, theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson. orruption is a significant problem. %he idea that acts like murder, rape and theft are prohibited e!ists all around the world, and has a universal moral basis.&'( )hat precisely is a criminal offence is defined by criminal law of each country. )hile many have a catalogue of crimes called the criminal code, in some common law countries no such comprehensive statute e!ists.

%he state *government+ has the power to severely restrict one's liberty for committing a crime. %herefore, in modern societies, a criminal procedure must be adhered to during the investigation and trial. #nly if found guilty, the offender may be sentenced to punishment such as community sentence, imprisonment, life imprisonment or, in some ,urisdictions, even death. %o be classified as a crime, the act of doing something bad *actus reus+ must be usually accompanied by the intention to do something bad *mens rea+, with certain e!ceptions *strict liability+. )hile every crime violates the law, not every violation of the law counts as a crime. -reaches of private law *torts and breaches of contract+ are not automatically punished by the state, but can be enforced through civil procedure.

Teen Suicides Increasing in India Definitions

"ain article. /uicide terminology /uicide, also known as completed suicide, is the 0act of taking one's own life0.&1( 2ttempted suicide or non-fatal suicidal behavior is self-in,ury with the desire to end one's life that does not result in death.&3( 2ssisted suicide is when one individual helps another bring about their own death indirectly via providing either advice or the means to the end.&45( %his is in contrast to euthanasia, where another person takes a more active role in bringing about a person's death.&45( /uicidal ideations is thoughts of ending one's life but not taking any active efforts to do so.&3(

Introduction
%een suicides are increasing among the Indians. It is growing as a kind of disease rampant among the Indian teens especially in cosmopolitan cities India the largest democratic country, having the largest youth population in the world, has become the suicide capital of the world. It is an alarming fact that teen suicides are increasing among the Indian youth shaking the very foundations of human e!istence. 6esearches say that out of every three cases of suicide reported every 47 minutes in India, one is committed by a youth in the age group of 47 to 83.

%he highest number of suicides and attempted suicides happen in cosmopolitan cities and towns of India. /tudies show that for every student who commits suicide, there are at least 49 cases who attempt suicide. "ost youngsters who attempt suicide do not really want to die. 2ctually, they are crying out for help. %here seems to be universal agreement on the manner in which they act before their suicidal attempt.

W !T !"# T # "IS$ %!&T'"S(

"ental and physical illness 2lcohol and substance abuse hronic illness, history of trauma and acute emotional distress :!posure to violent situations $revious suicide attempt and or family history of suicide and e!posure to suicide behaviour through media /udden change in an individual;s life $overty -arriers to getting mental healthcare

6easons for teen suicide

%hree ma,or reasons lead to teen suicide. %hey are academic disappointments, relationship failures and psychological imbalance. %here are many socio-economic, psychological and cultural factors associated with suicide. 4+ %he family situation <amily plays a vital role in teen suicide. =ucleus families running after money and comfort never think of the psychological conditions of their wards. "ost mothers are employed. 2s /wasti =aik, a student counselor of "umbai says, > /ome decades back, the ,oint family system ruled supreme in Indian society and a child upset about usually came back home to sympathetic grandparents, uncles, and cousins who were always willing to pitch in with assistance.? -ut now, what is the situation of the family@ Life in families is ,am-packed and there is no time for anybody to care for the other.

"oreover, parents today are more worried about the academic performance to push them up as per their ambitions rather than the ability and condition of their children. %he children are forced to study what their parents want. 8+ losed emotions of teens %he mental condition of our younger generation is in turmoil. %hey are unable to outlets for their suppressed emotions. %he emotions of today;s youngsters are different from that of olden days which the parents and elders do not recogniAe. 9+ hange in societies /ocieties have drastically transformed into much more openness which has positive and negative conseBuences. %C and other media have become more important. %hey have their own negative aspects.

'+ 6elationship failures 2t home there is no one to care. #nly stomachs are more cared than hearts. )hen a friendship or love affair fails, today;s emotional mind thinks of suicide as the only relief. :ven the media suggest this end as an effective solution. 7+ 2ddiction to Internet %oo much of addiction to Internet and self-centered approach often aggravates their isolated life. %eens become cocooned Dinsects; without any interaction with anyone. E+ =egative thoughts lead to suicide Life seems to be nothing more than a hellish nightmare to the disappointed youth of modern emotional world. %hey easily lose confidence in life as their unrealistic sense of hopelessness is one of the most crucial factors in the development of their serious suicidal wish. %hey do not wait to analyAe things. 6ather they ,ump to the conclusion that their problems are insoluble. F+ Indian education system is more ,ob-oriented than life-oriented. :ducation system in India is more ,ob-oriented than life. $ressure to perform well to reach higher academic Bualifications is one of the ma,or reasons for suicide. <ailure in e!aminations and lack of family support in such situations cause depression in youth. /uicide news filling the newspaper columns after the e!amination results has become common in India. %een suicide in India is a serious problem which needs the attention of every one. <acts are alarming. )e are aware of the reasons. It is our turn now to act to solve the problems.

#ne solution that I propose is to include >self-development? as a sub,ect at all levels of education G pre-primary, primary, secondary and tertiary. %he advent of self-development in the school curriculum will ensure that this generation of youth are educated on how to say no, how to communicate better and how to find good companionshipH failure is not the end of the world, but rather a learning opportunity that offers leadership skills and various other self-development traits. %his is what is missing in our society. /elf-development as a sub,ect will ensure that each and every youngster is able to know themselves while defining their own limits of what to do and what not. %his missing dimension is an alarming one for the youth of today have moved into a critical Aone whereby they are seen as the cause for various societal flaws. I will not support this argument with Buantifiable facts, but would rather reBuest that you take the time from your busy life to think about these issues G ,uvenile delinBuency, teen pregnancy, youth suicides, IICJ2IDs, crime, rape and the list goes on. )hat creates so much negativity in our mind that leads us to take wrong decisions in life@ It is obviously a lack of the right education. I use the term >right? because we often confuse education with :nglish literature, math and other sub,ects, which is a total misconception. )ithin the boundary of schools, colleges or universities, self-development as a sub,ect or module will allow the possibility of coaching. Inclusion of self-development as a sub,ect would solve part of the problemH designing a coaching or mentor programme will solve the other part. It is time to stop focusing only on school Bualifications, but to base schooling on self-development. Let us cascade the wisdom of self-development to youngsters for us to avoid saying >I wish he had enough guidance.?

&oping With )roblems

%here are many new social, academic, and personal pressures. 2nd for teens who have additional problems to deal with, such as living in violent or abusive environments, life can feel even more difficult. /ome teens worry about se!uality and relationships, wondering if their feelings and attractions are normal, or if they will be loved and accepted. #thers struggle with body image and eating problemsH trying to reach an impossible ideal leaves them feeling bad about themselves.

/ome teens have learning problems or attention problems that make it hard for them to succeed in school. %hey may feel disappointed in themselves or feel they are a disappointment to others. %hese problems can be difficult and draining K and can lead to depression if they go on too long without relief or support. )e all struggle with painful problems and events at times. Iow do people get through it without becoming depressed@ $art of it is staying connected to family, friends, school, faith, and other support networks. $eople are better able to deal with tough circumstances when they have at least one person who believes in them, wants the best for them, and in whom they can confide. $eople also cope better when they keep in mind that most problems are temporary and can be overcome.

Suicide Warning Signs

"any suicidal youth demonstrate observable behaviors that signal their suicidal thinking. %hese include.

/uicidal threats in the form of direct and indirect statements. /uicide notes and plans. $rior suicidal behavior. "aking final arrangements *e.g., making funeral arrangements, writing a will, giving away priAed possessions+. $reoccupation with death. hanges in behavior, appearance, thoughts andJor feelings.

-ased on a review of the available literature and other reports and recommendations, the 2dvisory Lroup identified four ma,or issues or areas of concern.

%here is a gap in knowledge about what actually works in the area of suicide prevention. )ith regard to <irst =ations populations, we lack rigorous evaluations of programs and interventions as well as basic epidemiological information on risk and protective factors at the individual and community levels.

2t the national and regional levels *system-wide+, e!isting mental health services *e.g. access to assessment, consultation and treatment+ are inadeBuate and poorly integrated. 6esource distribution is not eBuitable or consistent. <unding mandates do not respond to communities in crisisH some communities have had to go to the media and present themselves as pathological to get support. /ome care providers are not adeBuately trained or prepared. Iolistic integration of health services *physical, mental, emotional and spiritual+ is lacking, as is the integration of health in relation to social services, education, etc. %here is fragmentation, segmentation and stove piping of services *i.e. they are provided through various federal and provincial departments and funding is allocated separately+. In many <irst =ations the issue of suicide is not 0owned0 for reasons previously outlined. %here is a breakdown of many <irst =ations family units and a need for wholeness and wellness. are providers need adeBuate training to be prepared, and many communities have human resources who need to be trained to respond. :!ternal agencies and helpers need to engage in a respectful way with <irst =ations communities in order to build trust and fulfil a responsibility on the part of anadian society to engage with problems and not simply step back in the name of autonomy. %his points to the need for dialogue between <irst =ations communities and others, and for more support of community-centred approaches. 2t the individual level, there is too much focus on individual pathology and blaming the victim. /uicide is embedded in larger structural problems associated with coloniAation, including racism and bureaucratic control. %here is a need to focus on holistic health at individual, family and community levels. ultural continuity must be renewed and maintained as a central component of youth identity, self-esteem, hope and being invested in living. %he nature of youth peer groups is critical as is their influence. onnection to the emotional self, the land and spirit increases the valuing of life. $ositive reasons for living, coping skills, choices and decisionmaking are essential. )hen these connections are established and maintained, youth can be integrated within <irst =ations communities as a valuable asset.

%here is a great concern that many useful recommendations from previous initiatives related to prevention of youth suicide have not been acted on, such as those made in the 6oyal ommission on 2boriginal $eoples 6eport on suicide. & 6 2$, op. cit ( It is crucial that the recommendations in this report serve as a starting point for action, and as the basis for a living document which communities can continue to develop and adapt for their own use.

In an effort to promote action, the ne!t four sections of this report describe the above-noted concerns in greater detail and provide #b,ectives and 6ecommendations for dealing with each of these issues. 2 timeframe is laid out to indicate which recommended actions could be implemented within the ne!t si! months *short-term+, over the ne!t si! months to a year *medium-term+ and in the longer-term. 6oles and responsibilities of various entities are assigned as much as possible in the recommendations for action.