Truancy, vagrancy, and running from home are examples of:

• A. Felonies
• B. Status offenses
• C. Misdemeanors
• D. Violent offenses

Answer: (B)

In juvenile justice, a common category is status offenses—acts that are illegal because the person is a minor, not because the behavior is inherently criminal for everyone. Truancy (skipping school), running away from home, and vagrancy fit this idea because the illegality hinges on the youth’s status rather than on committing a crime that would be illegal for an adult. Adults who do these same things aren’t charged as criminals in the same way, so these acts aren’t classified as felonies or misdemeanors. They also aren’t violent offenses, since none of these involve harming or threatening someone. So the best label for these behaviors is status offenses.