What types of offenses are considered “status offenses” in Georgia?

In Georgia, "status offenses" refer to actions that are only considered unlawful due to the age of the individual committing them. These offenses typically include behaviors that are deemed inappropriate for minors but are perfectly legal for adults, such as truancy, curfew violations, or underage drinking. The key factor defining status offenses is that they are based solely on the offender's age, rather than the nature of the act itself.

On the other hand, violent crimes, theft, property damage, and offenses that involve mandatory minimum sentencing do not fall under the category of status offenses because they are illegal regardless of the offender's age. These types of offenses carry implications related to the nature of the crime rather than the specific characteristics of the offender that make the act inappropriate within a certain age group. Thus, the classification of status offenses is unique to behaviors tied intrinsically to the age of the minor involved.