Juveniles; adjudication of delinquency.

Juveniles; adjudication of delinquency. Specifies that a delinquent child is a child 11 years of age or older who has committed a delinquent act. Currently, there is no minimum age for a child to be adjudicated delinquent. The bill provides that if a juvenile younger than 11 years of age is found to have committed a delinquent act, the juvenile shall not be proceeded upon as delinquent; however, the court may make any orders of disposition authorized for a child in need of services or a child in need of supervision. The bill includes in the definition of "child in need of services" a child younger than 11 years of age who has committed a delinquent act. Finally, the bill includes in the offense of causing or encouraging acts rendering children delinquent, abused, etc., any person 18 years of age or older, including the parent of any child, who willfully contributes to, encourages, or causes any act, omission, or condition that causes a child younger than 11 years of age to commit a delinquent act. Under current law, any person who commits such offense is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. This bill is identical to SB 23.