Juvenile Delinquency in the Perspective of Criminology in Indonesia: A Systematic Literature Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30829/jai.v14i1.24677Keywords:
Criminology, Juvenile Delinquency, Systematic ReviewAbstract
Juvenile delinquency remains a growing social challenge in Indonesian society, encompassing various forms of deviant behavior such as student brawls, drug abuse, illegal street racing, and acts of group violence frequently occurring within educational environments and urban communities. This phenomenon not only poses a threat to social stability but also signals the weakening of social control functions and the failure of character-building systems for adolescents. This study aims to identify the causal factors of juvenile delinquency, evaluate the countermeasures that have been implemented, and analyze the relationship between criminological theory particularly the Differential Association Theory and the practice of juvenile delinquency prevention in Indonesia. The method used is a systematic literature review (SLR) of various scientific publications from the past five years, sourced from open-access databases and reputable journals. The data were analyzed using a content analysis approach to synthesize thematic patterns from relevant empirical and theoretical findings. The results indicate that juvenile delinquency is primarily triggered by negative social environments, weak emotional bonds within families, and close association with deviant peer groups. Repressive approaches to addressing delinquency have proven ineffective, as they overlook the sociological roots of such behavior. This study concludes that preventive, community-based interventions that emphasize value education are key to addressing juvenile delinquency systemically. These findings provide an important contribution to the development of evidence-based policy strategies and the design of more contextually relevant social intervention programs in Indonesia.References
Acar, O. A., Tuncdogan, A., van Knippenberg, D., & Lakhani, K. R. (2024). Collective creativity and innovation: An interdisciplinary review, integration, and research agenda. Journal of Management, 50(6), 2119-2151.
Antunes, M. J. L., & Manasse, M. (2022). Social disorganization and strain: macro and micro implications for youth violence. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 59(1), 82-127.
Archer, R. J. L., & Flexon, J. L. (2022). Unstructured socializing with peers and delinquency: The role of mediation through the lens of Akers'(1998) social structure social learning theory of crime and deviance. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 47(5), 980-1005.
Basuki, A. R. N. A., Sari, I. N., Arifin, R., & Nte, N. D. (2023). Minors and crime: Law and criminological analysis on theft by children (case of central java, Indonesia). Law Research Review Quarterly, 9(1), 71-88.
Cioban, S., Lazăr, A. R., Bacter, C., & Hatos, A. (2021). Adolescent deviance and cyber-deviance. A systematic literature review. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 748006.
Dalimunthe, M. A., Syam, A. M., Suhendar, A., & Ritonga, A. R. (2024). Optimizing Local Regulations in Creating a Balance of Human Health and Environmental Preservation. KOLABORASI: Journal of Multidisciplinary, 1(1), 1-12.
Fathoni, A. B. M., Sulaeman, M., Azizah, E. A. N., Styawati, Y., & Ramadhan, M. U. C. (2024). The new direction of indonesian character education: bullying, moral decadence, and juvenile delinquency. Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam, 21(1), 22-39.
Juliana, J., Mohamad Nor, A., & Hutagalung, F. D. (2025). From Perpetrators to Partners: Juvenile Offenders Perspective on Student Mass Fighting Prevention in Indonesia. Asian Social Work and Policy Review, 19(1), e70004.
Kholil, S., Ismail, I., Dalimunthe, M. A., Suhendar, A., & Rambe, R. F. A. K. (2024). Strengthening Religious Moderation through PTKIN and SIT Collaboration to Build Social Harmony. JIPI (Jurnal Ilmu Perpustakaan Dan Informasi), 9(2), 228-236.
LaFree, G. (2023). Toward a criminology of terrorism. Cambridge University Press.
Laursen, B., & Faur, S. (2022). What does it mean to be susceptible to influence? A brief primer on peer conformity and developmental changes that affect it. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 46(3), 222-237.
Lee, G., & Choi, S. (2025). A Comparative Study on Cyberbullying Behaviors Among Korean and American College Students: Insights from Social Learning Theory and General Strain Theory. Social Sciences, 14(5), 257.
Li, N., Guo, S., & Park, H. (2024). Cyberbullying among adolescents in East Asian societies: explanations based on general strain theory. International Journal of Bullying Prevention, 1-15.
Maksymova, N. Y., Hrys, A., Maksymov, M. V, Krasilova, Y. M., & Udovenko, J. M. (2021). Causes and criteria of disharmonies in family system functioning. Linguistics and Culture Review, 300-310.
Marenyenya, M. (2023). Delinquent behaviours influencing learners' academic achievement at secondary schools in Nemanwa Community, Zimbabwe. International Journal of Studies in Psychology, 3(1), 13-21.
Maulidi, A., & Ansell, J. (2021). The conception of organisational fraud: The need for rejuvenation of fraud theory. Journal of Financial Crime, 28(3), 784-796.
Mihăilă, M.-M., Gavriluță, C., Dughi, T., & Rad, D. (2025). The Paradigm of Desistance and Correctional Interventions: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Relapse Risk Reduction in Sexual Offenders. Societies, 15(4), 112.
Muna, C. (2024). A Literature Review Study of the Role of Family Education in Minimizing Klitih Crime and Moral Decadence in Yogyakarta. Muslim Education Review, 3(1), 145-172.
Nurhadiyanto, L. (2020). Analisis Cyber Bullying Dalam Perspektif Teori Aktivitas Rutin Pada Pelajar Sma Di Wilayah Jakarta Selatan. IKRA-ITH HUMANIORA: Jurnal Sosial Dan Humaniora, 4(2), 113-124.
Scheaf, D. J., & Wood, M. S. (2022). Entrepreneurial fraud: A multidisciplinary review and synthesized framework. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 46(3), 607-642.
Steffensmeier, D., Slepicka, J., & Schwartz, J. (2025). International and historical variation in the age-crime curve. Annual Review of Criminology, 8(1), 239-268.
Suhendar, A., & Halimi, M. (2023). The Role of Anti-Bullying Change Agents in Shaping Civic Dispositions to Tackle Bullying Behavior. Proceeding International Conference on Religion, Science and Education, 2, 903-913.
Suhendar, A., Halimi, M., Taufika, R., Batubara, T., & Rawanoko, E. S. (2024). Fostering environmental responsibility among students: Collaborative strategies between village heads and school principals. Education, Environmental and Society Research, 1(1), 33-45.
Suhendar, A., & Rambe, R. F. A. K. (2023). Group Discussion Effectiveness in Increasing Student Learning Interest in Pancasila and Citizenship Education Subjects. Pancasila and Civics Education Journal (PCEJ), 2(2), 9-12.
Suhendar, A., Syam, A. M., & Ritonga, A. R. (2023). Efektivitas Instagram Sebagai Ruang Motivasi Hijrah Mahasiswa IAIN Lhokseumawe. KomunikA, 19(02), 12-20.
Vadivel, B., Alam, S., Anwar, C., & Teferi, H. (2023). Examining the relationship between antisocial behavior and the academic performance of teenagers: The role of schools and causes of the antisocial behavior. Education Research International, 2023(1), 9463882.
Widayati, W., Winanto, W., Arpangi, A., & Rahmawati, A. F. (2022). An efforts to prevent juvenile delinquency to prepare the nation's successful generation. International Journal of Law Society Services, 2(2), 66-76.
XinYing, C., Tiberius, V., Alnoor, A., Camilleri, M., & Khaw, K. W. (2025). The dark side of metaverse: a multi-perspective of deviant behaviors from PLS-SEM and fsQCA findings. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 41(5), 3128-3148.
Yi, W., Yu, X., Ye, B., Lin, L., & Liu, R. (2025). The Longitudinal Relationship Between Parental Conflict and Adolescents' Aggressive Behavior in China: The Mediating Role of Poor Family Functioning. Aggressive Behavior, 51(3), e70029.
Yohros, A. (2023). Examining the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and juvenile recidivism: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 24(3), 1640-1655.
Yunus, N., Nasir Ismail, M., & Osman, G. (2025). Smart library themes and elements: A systematic literature review. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 57(1), 175-190.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
COPYRIGHT
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access
LICENSE
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
