• Juveniles have a different set of laws that apply to them.here comes the law image by Pix by Marti from Fotolia.com
  
  In the United States criminal justice system distinguishes between adults and juveniles when it comes to crimes and how persons are handled. In the state of Kansas there are a variety of these laws which only apply to juveniles, and even these laws are constantly challenged and re-written as new interpretations are decided upon.
  
  

Age of Consent

• The age of consent is the age at which a person is considered to have the right to agree to sexual activity. If someone has sex before this age, even if that sex is consensual, it is considered statutory rape under the logic that because the person hasn't reached the proper age they can't really decide for themselves and thus can't give true consent. In the state of Kansas, the age of consent is 16 years old. Other states may have 17 or 18, but age of consent is never above 18 years old.
  
  

Preliminary Hearing

• In the state of Kansas a juvenile is not legally required to receive a preliminary hearing when accused of a felony crime. An adult, if arrested and accused of a felony, will have a preliminary hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to proceed to a trial. However, authorities must have probably cause to hold and accuse a juvenile of any crime, felony or misdemeanor.
  
  

Medical Privacy

• Regarding sexual activity in juveniles, medical personnel are required to report any underage sexual activity to social services or to police. This is true even in instances where the other party is also a minor and the sex was consensual.