Juvenile detention is not intended to be punitive. The state or local jurisdiction is usually responsible for providing education, recreation, health, assessment, counseling and other intervention services with the intent of maintaining a youth’s well-being during his or her stay in custody. More intensive treatment and remedial activities are usually made available in dispositional facilities like training schools, rehabilitation centers and correctional facilities for sentenced youth.

Secure detention reserved for juveniles is considered to be a threat to public safety or the court process, though in many cases youth are held for violating a court order. Juveniles charged with running away from home, alcohol possession, and other offenses that are not crimes if committed by adults, may only be held for short periods while in initial case investigation is completed and other alternatives are arranged.

The Juvenile Home for boys situated in Laitumukhra, Cleve Colony in Shillong has about 40 boys all aged between 9-18yrs. All the boys come from different backgrounds. Some of them are street children and have no one to look after them, while some of them are associated with severe crimes. After crossing the age of 18yrs they are to leave the home.

The Government has not taken any concrete steps as to what should be done to the boys who have crossed that age. Till now there are two boys who have crossed the age of 18 years at the Juvenile Home in Laitumkhrah. There are some people who sponsor them and are looking after the food and education of these two boys. One of the members of the group led by Fullmoon Dhar is still in the Juvenile Home. For the uninitiated, Fullmoon Dhar was the notorious murder case suspect who was gunned down in earlier this year while trying to elude police personnel after his sensational jail break.

Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 is an act relating to children below 18 years in conflict with law and children in need of care and protection by providing proper care, protection and treatment catering to their development needs and by adopting a child-friendly approach in the adjudication and disposition of matter in the best interest of children and for their ultimate rehabilitation through various institutions established under this Act.

Apart from the Directorate of Social and Welfare Development, the Khasi Jaintia Presbetarian Assembly (KJP) is also looking after the Juvenile Home. All the children in the home are treated equally without any discrimination to set up a good psychological impact in their minds. The people in charge of the Juvenile Home not only look after the food and well being of the children, but also help them in learning various other skills such as stitching, weaving and such so that when they leave the home they are able to earn their own living.

Three Homes e.g. Observation Homes was set up in the State under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for temporary reception of children in conflict with law during the pendency of inquiry. The services provided to them aims at rehabilitation and social integration of a juvenile.

Apart from the Juvenile Home located in Cleve Colony there are other homes as well such as the Observation Home for Girls at New Colony, Laitumkhrah and the Shillong Children Shelter Home, Lower New Colony, Laitumkhrah, Shillong.

Some boys living in the juvenile home aged about 13-14years are associated with severe crimes like prostitution but who, sadly are no more than mere agents having big personalities behind them who are roaming freely while these minors have to face the brunt of repercussions when they are caught.

Some children suffer merely because of their parents who do not have enough time to look after their children and are more interested in building up their own careers. As a matter of fact they become spoilt brats and tend to lose control over themselves and get associated with various crimes.

These children also tend to lose their own culture, but with the social age, this home helps the children to uphold a clean life and help them fight the social evils of life so that they can live respectful lives upon leaving these places.

The government should immediately look into the matter as to what should be done with the children after they cross the age of 18 years as, without intervention and a well thought out plan, these boys could once again be sucked into the quagmire of crime and easy money.

The Khasi Jaintia Presbyterian Assembly is also trying their best to improve the conditions of the Juvenile Home in Laitumkhrah as well as the children living there.

What is commendable is about these homes is that they o not treat the children as criminals. In fact, they provide them with the love and guidance that all too often is a prime cause of their association with criminal trends. This is surely food for thought in this day and age where many children are left to their own means. The parents, in pursuit of ‘careers’ or more often, the demands of the present working environment compels them to spend lesser and lesser time with their children. As a result, these children often grow up devoid of ethical and moral values. They grow up among peers who inadvertently or deliberately lead them astray. They grow up with a void in a very important sphere in the life of a youth. This sphere is the importance of matured role models and guides who play an integral part in the development of children. This is where they learn the difference between right and wrong, social norms and acceptable behaviour. In the absence of this aspect of their development, they become very susceptible to social evils and crime. Maybe this is a call to all parents and guardians of our future as children have been oft termed. Spend more time with your children, fill that void that is becoming very prevalent today. Let it not come to a stage where absentee parents become the norm.