The juvenile court system is set up to deal exclusively with minors who are caught up in the legal system by violating a criminal statute. Juvenile cases are civil instead of criminal; therefore, minors are accused of committing a delinquent act instead of committing a crime. A person is considered a juvenile if they are under the age of 18 in most states; a few states set the maximum age at 16 or 17. Children under the age of 7 are generally not considered responsible for their actions and the parents can be held accountable for their delinquent acts. If the juvenile is between 7 and 14, it is up to the court to decide if they are aware of the difference between right and wrong. Most states consider children older than 14 capable of making rational decisions and are responsible for the criminal intent of their actions.

The procedure in juvenile court is less formal than in criminal court. In many cases, the court will try to find rehabilitative types of punishment such as counseling or probation. For some offenses, the juveniles are ordered to serve time in a detention center. For serious felonies such as murder or rape, or if the juvenile is a repeat offender, they can be transferred to adult court and be charged with a crime.

Examples of cases that are heard in juvenile court include:

1. Delinquency cases – the delinquent act by the juvenile would be considered a crime if it had been committed by an adult

2. Dependency cases – the juvenile is neglected or abused by parents or guardians and the court will decide if they will be placed in foster care or some other alternative

3. Status offenses – cases that only apply to minors such as truancy, violations of court ordered curfews, or underage drinking.

The difference between a juvenile record and an adult criminal record is that juvenile records are sealed by the court. Once the juvenile turns 18, their record is expunged. The concept behind this act is for the juvenile to become an adult with a clean slate and not have the mistakes of their youth haunt them forever.