Formulating an Integrated Intervention Programme: Reshaping the Brain-Behaviour Functioning of Children in Conflict with Law in India

Abstract

Juvenile delinquency is a serious social concern, characterized by disturbance in executive functions, cognitive emotion regulation and aggression. The term 'children in conflict with the law' refers to any individual below the age of 16 years, who has come in contact with the justice system as a result of committing an illegal activity or being suspected of committing an illegal activity. It can be easily understood that the Children in Conflict with Law require rehabilitative measures while they are spending their formative years of life in Juvenile Justice Homes. Rehabilitation has particularly been the focus of corrections programs for Children in Conflict with Law. Research in different parts of the world has focused on various facets of psychotherapeutic intervention like Behaviour Therapy, Contingency management programme, Family Therapy, Music therapy etc. that have been effectively applied in separate formats on these children. It is often found that while implementing psychotherapeutic intervention programmes in practice, these have often not reached up to the extent of their wholistic betterment. This is also true in the Indian context where published research in this particular domain is sparse. To reach the aim of reducing or preventing future criminal behaviour, it is much necessary to strengthen and integrate the appropriate execution of existing psychotherapeutic intervention programmes for delinquency prevention. This paper aims to delineate the conceptual formulation of an Integrated Intervention Programme which is aimed at providing rehabilitation for Children in Conflict with Law. It includes Psychoeducation, Music Therapy, Psychodrama and finally Cognitive Behaviour Therapy as well as Cognitive Retraining to enhance positivity, aid in self expression and better emotional regulation and promote adaptive executive functioning. Starting with the Group Therapy mode, the Programme will gradually move towards an individual format to deal specifically with the individualistic needs of each child.

Family support and well-being programme (FSWP): A specialized family strengthening psychosocial services for parents of children in conflict with law

“…[ 27 ] Neurobiological deficits including poor executive and maladaptive functioning of the cortical and sub cortical regions are also responsible for such deviant behaviors. [ 28 ] The other psychosocial causal factors, particularly the familial constructs such as lack of access to education due to low family income,[ 29 ] drug abuse and associated compulsive economic behavior, parental separation, poor parent–child relationship, harsh or lax discipline, inadequate monitoring, supervision, low parental involvement, antisocial parents, broken home, low socioeconomic status, poverty, abusive parents, and family conflict are found as major contributors to juvenile delinquency. [ 30 ] This can also be based on the social control theory[ 31 ] that assumes that people are more likely to engage in delinquent behavior when social bonds erode.…”