In the Indian context, juvenile delinquency is deeply intertwined with processes of rapid urbanization, migration, poverty, family disorganization, and the breakdown of traditional joint family controls. Indian sociologists like Radhakamal Mukerjee (emphasizing social values and ecological balance in urban slums) and M.N. Srinivas (analyzing cultural transition) provide frameworks to understand how moral disorganization occurs in transitional societies.
- Differential Association Theory (Edwin Sutherland): Proposes that delinquent behavior is learned through social interaction in intimate personal groups, where definitions favorable to violation of law outweigh definitions unfavorable to it.
- Social Disorganization Theory (Chicago School - Clifford Shaw & Henry McKay): Demonstrated that juvenile delinquency is spatially concentrated in transitional zones characterized by high residential mobility, poverty, ethnic heterogeneity, and community breakdown.
- Juvenile Justice Framework in India: The statutory framework has evolved from the Apprentices Act of 1850 and Children Acts to the comprehensive Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, distinguishing between 'Children in Need of Care and Protection' (CNCP) and 'Children in Conflict with Law' (CCL).