Delih's juvenile homes pushed to brink with rise in crime by teens

Hindustan Times

20 hours ago

In Kingsway Camp in north Delhi, over 100 minors are currently packed into a nondescript facility designed to house just 60 children in conflict with the law (CCLs). Every few days, police vans back up to its entrance, dropping off more boys — many of them accused of serious, sometimes violent crimes. With no place else to send them, the home simply swells beyond capacity.
Overcrowding has become routine at homes housing undertrial juvenile boys across the Capital, and officials say it mirrors a sharp and sustained spike in juvenile crime. Data from the Women and Child Development (WCD) department shows that Delhi has eight homes for children in conflict with the law. Of those, five have the combined capacity to house a total of 285 boys facing trial, as of May 5, data shows. A total of 421 boys were housed in these five facilities, which together have a sanctioned capacity of only 285. Just two years ago, in May 2023, the number stood at 199 — meaning the homes were operating at roughly 70% capacity.
In less than 24 months, the population has more than doubled, pushing the system to its limits.
These include the Observation Home for Boys at Delhi Gate, which houses boys up to the age of 16 and has a sanctioned capacity of 75 but was home to 82 minors as of May 5. In Kingsway Camp, two Observation Homes for boys between the ages of 16 and 18 are supposed to hold 50 each — but both were housing 75. The 'Place of Safety' in Majnu ka Tilla, which is meant for older CCLs aged 16 to 18 undergoing inquiries for heinous offences and those who were caught after turning 18 for crimes committed earlier, was built to hold 60, but currently houses 110. In the same area, SPYM at Sewa Kutir in Kingsway Camp, a facility meant to provide de-addiction treatment for drug-addicted minors, was built for 50 but currently houses 79.
To be sure, the remaining three facilities – one for minors convicted of crimes, and two for girls – are relatively empty. Only 21, out of the sanctioned strength of 110 in these are occupied. 'Special Home' in Majnu ka Tilla, which is meant for those found guilty and sentenced under the Juvenile Justice Act, has a sanctioned strength of 60 but housed only 16 boys. Two Observation Homes for Girls in the Nirmal Chhaya Complex on Jail Road — with capacities of 30 and 20 respectively — housed only five girls in total, the data shows.
Behind the over occupation at undertrial facilities for boys is an unmistakable rise in violent offences involving minors.
Police officials said that while children have long been involved in petty crime — such as pickpocketing or small-time theft — the last two years have seen a rise in brutal offences, including murder, armed robbery and gang violence. At least 20 murders involving juveniles were reported in the first three months of 2025 alone. Police sources say the pattern first emerged in early 2023 and has escalated since.
'It's hard to say exactly why so many boys are now involved in heinous crimes,' said a senior police inspector who works on gang-related cases. 'But there's no doubt gangsters like Hashim Baba and Lawrence Bishnoi are recruiting them. They know the law will be lenient. A minor who commits murder could be out in a matter of weeks or months. That's what they exploit.'
Inside the homes, this change in the profile of offenders has brought new challenges. Anil Kumar, a retired WCD superintendent who managed three observation homes until 2020, said the lack of space has forced staff to get creative — sometimes using classrooms and teachers' lounges to lay out mattresses. But more than space, he said, it's the mindset of these minors that worries him.
'The boys who come in for murder — many of them have no interest in reform. They've already decided they'll go back to the gang. Classes don't help. Counselling doesn't work. And then there's the added danger of rival gang members being lodged in the same facility,' Kumar said. 'In those cases, we try to separate them. We get court permission to transfer one of them to another home or ensure they never meet — not during meals, not during recreation, not in the corridors.'
The threat isn't limited to juvenile rivalries. Officials themselves have become targets. A current WCD official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, 'Some of us have been attacked — with improvised weapons, kitchen knives, even hot dal. The worst we're allowed to do in return is put the child in isolation for a few hours.'
Child rights activist Bharti Ali, who was earlier associated with Delhi based NGO HAQ Centre for Child Rights, said that juvenile homes are 'worse than prisons' and that one of the reasons of overcrowding is that the minors are not getting released on bail. 'The staff in juvenile homes is not enough for those lodged there. They are also not motivated enough because they are contractual employees. They do more of administrative work than actual reformation. The boys just while away their time without actually undergoing any real change,' she said.
Kumar said the only real solution is to build more facilities. 'The government is already spending a lot on these boys — their food, clothes, education, vocational training, medical needs. In many cases, they live better here than at home. Then why not build more homes? At least then there wouldn't be so much overcrowding.'
Even for the minors, the experience of being inside is not necessarily seen as punishment. A 17-year-old boy from northeast Delhi's Jafrabad who spent three months in one of the homes earlier this year after allegedly attempting to kill a 25-year-old man said he never once thought of it as jail. 'It was a badge of honour,' he said. 'I made friends — contacts. We still keep in touch. Sometimes there were classes, sometimes not. No one really cared. We mostly just played outside all day.'