Special Laws for Children

Sometimes children do things that would be OK for an adult to do but not for a child. Driving a car, staying out all night, drinking, and skipping school are all examples of things children cannot do.

If you are a child and you do these things, they are called status offenses. That means you are breaking the law because you are not yet old enough to do these things. Children do things that are status offenses for many reasons. For example, some children have problems that never seem to go away. These children feel sad, alone, and angry. They may feel so angry and alone that they always disobey their parents, never go to school, or even run away from home. But because of their age it is against the law for children to do these things. Children can get help with these feelings. They can see a school counselor or any adult they trust to talk to about their feelings.

Usually status offenders can go home, but if you are not allowed to go home, you can call your parents, your lawyer, or someone else to help you.