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youthful offenders :: legal definition


Youthful offenders - n. under-age people accused of crimes who are processed through a juvenile court and juvenile detention or prison facilities. In most states a youth-ful offender is under the age of 18. Often a court has the latitude to try some young defendants as adults, particularly for repeat offenders who appear to be beyond rehabilitation and are involved in major crimes like murder, manslaughter, armed robbery, rape or aggravated assault. A youthful offender has certain advantages: he/she will be kept in a juvenile prison instead of a penitentiary, is more likely than an adult to get probation, can only receive a maximum prison sentence not to exceed a 25th birthday or some other limitation and cannot get the death penalty.

See also: juvenile delinquent and Related Law Terms ↓


Related Law Terms

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constable :: n. a law officer for a particular area such as a r ... ice of the Peace. See also: sheriff
court :: n. 1) the judge, as in "The court rules in favor o ... cost and wait of full court trials.
felony :: n. 1) a crime sufficiently serious to be punishabl ... ion. See also: misdemeanor sentence
Grand Jury :: n. a jury in each county or federal court district ... arge indictment preliminary hearing
habeas corpus :: (hay-bee-us core-puss) n. Latin for "you have the ... nality of a state court conviction.
indictment :: n. a charge of a felony (serious crime) voted by a ... ictable offense preliminary hearing
information :: n. an accusation or criminal charge brought by the ... Jury indictment preliminary hearing
insanity :: n. mental illness of such a severe nature that a p ... M'Naughten rule temporary insanity
jurisdiction :: n. the authority given by law to a court to try ca ... Superior Court Supreme Court venue
juvenile court :: n. a special court or department of a trial court ... See also: court juvenile delinquent
juvenile delinquent :: n. a person who is under age (usually below 18), w ... low as 14. See also: juvenile court
not guilty by reason of insanity :: n. plea in court of a person charged with a crime ... fense not guilty temporary insanity
perjury :: n. the crime of intentionally lying after being du ... ly made a mistake or misunderstood.
preliminary hearing :: n. in criminal law, a hearing to determine if a pe ... nment charge Grand Jury information
sentence :: 1) n. the punishment given to a person convicted o ... ence restitution suspended sentence
warrant :: 1) n. an order (writ) of a court which directs a l ... e search and seizure search warrant

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youthful offenders :: n. under-age people accused of crimes who are proc ... alty. See also: juvenile delinquent