What is the difference between a juvenile delinquent and a youthful offender?
A juvenile is child between the ages of seven and seventeen who has been charged with a crime. The complaint is filed in juvenile court and the case is heard before a 6 person jury or a judge in a courtroom that is closed to the public. At the hearing of the case, the Court may continue the case without a finding or adjudicate the child delinquent and either: (a) place the case on file; (b) place the child on probation; or (c) commit the child to the Department of Youth Services until his eighteenth birthday.
