When a person under the age of 18 commits a crime or engages in illegal activity, it is termed minor delinquency. At times, it is an adult who puts the child in such a position to have no way to commit the crime. On the other hand, sometimes, an adult might not be aware that they are putting the child in a difficult position, leading to illegal activities. Even then, the adult would be held responsible for contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Here are certain things you need to know about this issue.
What Constitutes as Contributing to Minor Delinquency?
To start with, it could be something as simple as keeping the child away from school for an adult’s gains, thus making the child a truant. The child can grow up thinking it is alright to miss school and may do that in the future. While this might not get reported, it is not a harmless incident at all.
Other things fall under contributing to minor delinquency. There are many drink driving offences, for example, serving alcohol to the child when they have not reached the drinking age is a crime. Or trying to play it cool when the child engages in activities like rash driving or not answering to tickets is also contributing to delinquency.
It shows that you are being lackadaisical about the child’s training and not making him aware of the rules and laws they should abide by to become responsible citizens.
Other Kinds of Activities That Can Be Categorized as Minor Delinquency
Other kinds of behaviors contributing to minor delinquency include:
- Helping a minor acquire alcohol or drugs
- Helping a minor for activities like shoplifting or black-marketing
- Allowing a minor to drive a vehicle without a license
- Getting a minor a fake ID
- Forcing a minor into performing sexual activities or engaging in child pornography
- Accompanying a minor if they try to commit any form of illegal activity
In the last few years, a number of cases have come forward where normal individuals are blatantly names and accused in such cases. This is done with the purpose of blackmailing an individual and engaging in extortion related activities. Given the serious nature of the accusation, people are more than likely to hand over money to their blackmailers to get their names cleared. This mostly happens in the realm of sex crimes. Sex crime lawyers can help innocent individuals clear their name and protect their money when they have neem falsely accused in such cases.
What Will Happen if You Are Apprehended in the Act of Contributing To Minor Delinquency?
If an adult is caught in the act of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, or if a minor names an adult as helping him or her after they have been caught committing an illegal activity, then the adult can be jailed or prosecuted. The term of the punishment will depend on the severity of the crime.
While it can be considered a misdemeanor in some states and will attract penalties, it can be considered a severe offense in other states. In some states, the adults like the parents and guardians can also be convicted if the minor commits a significant crime while the child was in their custody.
Yes, there have been cases where a juvenile has committed an act of crime, and on being caught, had tried to shift the blame on to someone else by naming an adult. Such situations can be scary, and it is up to the adult to prove that the minor is lying. Thankfully, modern technology almost always comes out with the truth. Nevertheless, it would be best if you still were careful when you have custody of your wards and lookout so that they can avoid getting into trouble.
