Which of the following best defines a status offender?

• A. A child who is accused, adjudicated, or convicted for conduct that would not, under state law, be a crime if committed by an adult
• B. A person who commits a crime that would be considered a status offense
• C. A minor who has committed a crime that is illegal only under federal law
• D. An adult who is charged with a status offense

Answer: (A)

Status offenses are acts that are illegal only because the offender is a juvenile; they would not be crimes if an adult did them. This option describes a child who is accused for conduct that would not be a crime if an adult did it, which is exactly how status offenses are defined (think truancy, curfew violations, running away). The other descriptions don’t fit: status offenses are not about adults or about crimes that would be illegal only under federal law, and they aren’t about adults being charged, since the concept centers on age-related offenses.