A "runaway" is a person within the juvenile jurisdictional age limit established by the home state who (1) has voluntarily left their residence without permission of their legal guardian or custodial agency or (2) refuses to return to their residence as directed by their legal guardian or custodial agency, but who may or may not have been adjudicated.
"Juvenile" generally means a person who is not old enough to be considered an adult. However, in the context of ICJ, “Juvenile” means any person defined as a juvenile in any member state or by the rules of the Interstate Commission. This includes:
“Adjudicated” is a judicial finding that a juvenile is a status offender or delinquent.
An adjudicated status offender is a person found to have committed an offense that would not be a criminal offense if committed by an adult.
An adjudicated delinquent is a person found to have committed an offense that, if committed by an adult, would be a criminal offense.
The Interstate Compact for Juveniles (ICJ) is the only legal means to transfer a juvenile’s supervision from one state to another and to return runaways. A Commissioner in each member state administers the Compact and collectively forms the Interstate Commission for Juveniles (the Commission).