Status offence
Filed Under: Criminal Law
1 definition found for this term.
Definitions are presented in the order source books were published (most recent first).
Source:
An offence that is only a crime for a person under a particular age, that is, having a particular status — “child” or “juvenile.” A number of status offences were created by the JDA, such as the vaguely worded “engaging in sexual immorality.” The YOA and YCJA eliminated status offences, although some provinces retain the status offence of truancy, the failure of a child under a specified age, usually sixteen, to attend school without lawful excuse.