Status Offense vs. Delinquency, Essay Example

A definition is in order: a juvenile is legally known as a minor. There is no one standard age at which this period ends, but typically it is between 15 and 21 years of age, after which an individual reaches the age of majority and becomes an adult.

Juveniles are capable of committing a range of crimes that match those of adults. But many of their behaviors are considered illegal only because the offenders are juveniles. Examples are truancy, smoking, drinking, and curfew violations (NotMyKid, n.d., p.1). A common denominator is the absence of an ulterior motive for committing the offenses. These types of crimes are called status offenses, and those found guilty of them are handled through the juvenile justice system, youth courts, teen courts, youth detention centers, or by parents.

Delinquency offenses are crimes committed by juveniles that are also considered crimes when committed by adults. Motive comes into play at this stage. Depending on the seriousness of the crime, juvenile offenders can be and increasingly are treated as adults for purposes of sentencing and incarceration. Repeated or even first-time car theft, burglary, assault, sexual assault, vandalism, and arson are delinquent offenses meriting adult sentencing. But juveniles convicted of minor first-time offenses, such as shoplifting, carrying a false I.D., spray-painting (tagging), and disturbing the peace are usually referred to the juvenile justice system.

References

NotMyKid. (n.d.) A Legal System View. Retrieved from http://www.notmykid.org/media/12959/delinquency.pdf