NEW DELHI: The number of juvenile offenders in the city registered a jump in 2012 with a hundred apprehended for murder and 63 for rape, a National Crime Records Bureau report has stated. Though the capital fared better than states like Bihar and Maharashtra, psychologists say it's time for some on-ground action .

Also, 74 minors were detained for attempt to murder and six for culpable homicide. Eighteen were held for kidnapping and abduction, 10 of whom had targeted girls, while 13 were held for dacoity.

Figures from Andhra Pradesh , Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra show that the juvenile crime graph has seen a big spike. While 183 juveniles were held in Maharashtra in 2012 for murder, in MP the figure was 197.

That these youngsters can be as brutal as adults was seen recently when a Class XII student was murdered by his four minor friends in Greater Noida, with police finding his body in Aligarh, 27 km away.

According to psychologist Dileep Majumder, this data calls for a rethink on the legal definition of adolescence. "The report of the Justice Verma Committee has not really dwelt on the adolescence debate. The committee should also have had psychologists throwing light on the mental health of juveniles apprehended for rape which would add perspective to the debate on whether or not the age of trial should be lowered from 18 years to 16 years," Majumder said. With access to internet, psychiatrists feel that the "aspiration levels of adolescents and adults are slowly becoming the same".