Delinquency refers to behavior that does not conform to the legal or moral standards of society, and it usually applies only to acts that, if performed by an adult, would be termed criminal. Delinquency can be a legal or moral misdeed or act, such as vandalism or stealing, but it can also refer to a general tendency to act out and violate the law. In the United States and other national legal systems, a status offense is a term applied to acts considered wrongful when committed by a juvenile but not when committed by an adult. Efforts have been made to identify potential delinquents at an early age in order to provide preventive treatment, and such predictions of delinquency generally depend not only on the child’s behavior in school but also on the quality of the child’s home life.
Delinquency can also refer to a debt on which payment is overdue. A delinquency is a late payment that can appear on your credit report once youre 30 days or more past due on a debt, and delinquent payments remain on your credit report for seven years from the original delinquency date.
In summary, delinquency can refer to criminal behavior, especially that carried out by a juvenile, or to a debt on which payment is overdue.
