Which term best describes a juvenile who repeatedly engages in criminal behavior?

The term that best describes a juvenile who repeatedly engages in criminal behavior is "Chronic Offender." This designation indicates that the individual has a continuous pattern of offending behavior, as opposed to someone who may have committed a crime only once or a few times. Chronic offenders are typically recognized within the juvenile justice system as having a long history of delinquency that may not only involve minor offenses but also more serious criminal conduct over time.

The classification as a chronic offender often involves an in-depth understanding of the juvenile's behavioral patterns, which can lead to the assessment of underlying issues such as family dynamics, peer influence, or socio-economic factors that contribute to their ongoing criminal activity. This term emphasizes the severity and persistence of the behavior, setting it apart from terms that suggest infrequent or isolated incidents of offending.

In contrast, "First-time Offender" refers to juveniles who have committed a crime for the first time, "Habitual Offender" can sometimes overlap with chronic offenders but often pertains to adult classifications or states with specific legal definitions, and "Minor Offender" typically refers to those involved in less serious or less frequent offenses. Each of these terms does not encapsulate the repeated and chronic nature of criminal behavior as effectively as "Chronic Offender