What are Juvenile Crimes?
A criminal offense is usually charged in juvenile court in Illinois if the preson is under 17 years old. A child who has been “adjudicated as a delinquent minor” will not have a permanent criminal record, but can be sentenced by the court to many of the same sanctions as an adult who is convicted of a crime. A Juvenile Court judge can sentence a minor to supervision or probation with various conditions, or can sentence a child to serve time in the Youth Home or even the Juvenile Department of Corrections. Some serious offenses, such as first degree murder and aggravated criminal sexual assault, certain drug offenses and certain offenses committed with a firearm can automatically be charged in adult court if the minor is as young as 15. In some instances, a child as young as 13 can be charged with first degree murder as an adult. The laws in Illinois have continued to get worse for juveniles and have brought an increasing number of children into the adult criminal justice system. While
