2.5 Delinquent versus Criminal

The distinction (the exam's pair — Unit 1.3's table in the actor's frame): Face The delinquent (child in conflict with law) The criminal The actor A developing person — diminished culpability A responsible adult — full culpability The wrong's meaning A stage-and-circumstance conflict A chosen wrong against the public order The system's question "What has happened and what does this child need?" "What is deserved for what was done?" The process Closed, protective, specialised Public, adversarial, general The outcome Disposition: the reform-and-reintegration measures Sentence: the punishment tariff The record's future Confidential; the sealing logic The permanent record Face The delinquent (child in conflict with law) The criminal The science's word Most delinquents desist by themselves (the age- crime curve's fade) The persistent minority across both worlds The honest close: the delinquent and the criminal are the same ACT's different doers — the law's separate system rests on the doer's developmental stage, not the deed's lesser harm (a juvenile rape is still rape — the juvenile frame answers HOW the actor is handled, not WHETHER the act was wrong). Exam Focus Long questions: (i) Define juvenile and juvenile delinquency — the legal vs. sociological rivers + status offences; (ii) The guiding principles (the dozen — with the CRC articles); (iii) The types (the five axes); (iv) Delinquent vs. criminal (the table).…