Juvenile Offenders

A young offender is a person who has been convicted or cautioned for a criminal offence. Criminal justice systems often deal with young offenders differently from adult offenders, but different countries apply the term 'young offender' to different age groups depending on the age of criminal responsibility in that country.

Juvenile Delinquency

Juvenile delinquency refers to antisocial or illegal behavior by children or adolescents. Most legal systems prescribe specific procedures for dealing with juveniles, such as juvenile detention centers. There are a multitude of different theories on the causes of crime, most if not all of which can be applied to the causes of youth crime. Youth crime is a major issue and is an aspect of crime which receives great attention from the news media and politicians. The level and types of youth crime can be used by commentators as an indicator of the general state of morality and law and order in a country, and consequently youth crime can be the source of ‘moral panics’. Theories on the causes of youth crime can be viewed as particularly important within criminology. This is firstly because crime is committed disproportionately by those aged between fifteen and twenty-five. Secondly, by definition any theories on the causes of crime will focus on youth crime, as adult criminals will have likely started offending when they were young.

A Juvenile Delinquent is a person who is typically under the age of 18 and commits an act that otherwise would've been charged as a crime if they were an adult. Juvenile delinquents sometimes have associated mental disorders and/or behavioral issues such as post traumatic stress disorder or bipolar disorder, and are sometimes diagnosed with conduct disorder partially as both the cause and resulting effects of their behaviors.

UNITED STATES

What Is A "Juvenile Offender"?

A juvenile offender is an offender who is too young to be tried as an adult. The age at which a person can be tried as an adult varies between states, but is ordinarily the age of seventeen or eighteen. This age can go down for certain serious offenses, such as homicide or sexual assault.

What Happens In "Juvenile Court"?

When a juvenile is charged with a criminal offense and is sent to a juvenile court, the focus is ordinarily on what will rehabilitate the juvenile, rather than on punishment. Often, the offender will be said to have committed a "delinquent act," as opposed to a "criminal offense." The juvenile court has broad discretion to tailor a sentence to the needs of a young offender. This is not to say that juveniles are not sentenced to prision - many states have large juvenile prisons and treatment facilities. It is understood that some juvenile offenders are very dangerous, despite their age, and that incarceration can be appropriate.

UNITED KINGDOM

The United Kingdom has three separate and distinct criminal justice systems: England & Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. Young offenders are often dealt with by the Youth Offending Team.

In England & Wales the age of criminal responsibility is set at 10. Young offenders aged 10 to 17 (i.e. up to their eighteenth birthday) are classed as a juvenile offender. Between the ages of 18 and 21 (i.e. up to their twenty-first birthday) they are classed as young offenders. Offenders aged 21 and over are known as adult offenders.
In Scotland the age of criminal responsibility was formerly set at 8, one of the lowest ages of criminal responsibility in Europe. It has since been raised to 12 by the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010, which received Royal Assent on 6 August 2010.

In Northern Ireland it is 10.

Related Links

Juvenile offenders: Resources dedicated to protecting young offenders

Better HIV prevention interventions needed for juvenile offenders