youthful offender

[ yooth-fuhl uh-fen-der ]

noun

1. a young delinquent, especially a first offender, usually from 14 to 21 years old, whom the court tries to correct and guide rather than to punish as a criminal.

Example Sentences

A judge transferred Chamdual’s case to adult criminal court in December under the recommendation that he be granted “youthful offender status.”

From Seattle Times

Davis, 20, has sought youthful offender status and since then court files for Davis have been sealed.

From Seattle Times

Boynton said he will recommend Alston be placed in the youthful offender program at the Patuxent Institution, which typically takes six to seven years to complete, according to earlier testimony in the case, and has its own parole program that allows those detained to be released.

From Washington Post

A Maryland teenager who shot another student inside the boys’ bathroom at Montgomery County’s Magruder High School was sentenced to 18 years Thursday in a judgment designed to allow his earlier release from a youthful offender program if he does well behind bars.

From Washington Post

She frequently discussed her relief at being treated as a youthful offender.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• delinquent
• gangster
• hoodlum
• hooligan
• troublemaker