The term juvenile denotes a person who has not reached the age at which he (she) should be treated as an adult by the criminal justice system. It includes a child or a young person, and generally covers persons under the age of eighteen years.[1]A juvenile who commits a crime could be regarded as a juvenile or youthful delinquent or offender, as the case may be. On juvenile justice system generally, reference should be made to the Children and Young Persons Act 1943 and the Child Rights Act 2003.
[1]Doripolo v State (2012) LPELR-15415(CA) P. 35, paras. B-E; BA Garner (ed) Black’s Law Dictionary (8th edn Thomas West Publisher, 2004) 884.