Why should young criminals be treated differently from adult criminals?

A well-respected legal principle provides that a person must have criminal intent to be held accountable for a criminal act. A crime is an illegal act committed by a person who intends to commit the crime. A child under age 7 is considered too young to form criminal intent. Youths over age 14 are held accountable for their crimes in juvenile or adult court. Children ages 7–14 may be held accountable only if the prosecutor proves the accused had the intent to commit the crime.

A juvenile crime is defined as an offense committed by a youth under the age of 18. Juvenile offenses include delinquent acts that would be crimes if committed by adults and status offenses, which are less serious misbehaviors such as truancy and parental disobedience. Both are within the jurisdiction of the juvenile court; more serious offenses committed by minors may be tried in criminal court and be subject to prison sentences.

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