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Juvenile law refers to that body of law dealing with juveniles, or persons who are not yet adults. The definition of a juvenile varies from state to state according to the age at which a person is deemed to reach adulthood. In at least one state (Wyoming), the age of adulthood is 19; for some legal purposes, other states set the age at 16, and still others set the age at 17 or 18.

Juvenile law is a special blend of law created especially for juveniles to account for their immaturity and innocence. There are three basic categories of children over which juvenile courts have jurisdiction: children accused of committing a crime; children who are in need of protection from the state; and children who have committed a status offense. A status offense is conduct that is prohibited only to children, and not to adults. Examples of status offenses include failure to attend school (known as truancy), failure to obey reasonable parental...