Juveniles⁴, or people under the age of eighteen, are usually tried in a juvenile³ court for misdemeanor offenses. Misdemeanor offenses are not serious crimes like murder, rape⁵, or assault, but they are still serious enough to warrant punishment. Crimes are usually classified as felonies and misdemeanors. Generally speaking, felonies are the more serious crimes and are usually punishable by imprisonment⁶ in a penitentiary⁷ （pen-uh-'tench-uh-ree）. Misdemeanors are offenses of a less serious nature and are punishable by a fine or imprisonment in a county or local jail. Committing a forgery⁸ is a felony, but driving an automobile⁹ in excess of the speed limit is a misdemeanor. The criminal statutes¹¹ define the acts that are felonies and misdemeanors. Occasionally, the same offense¹ may be either a misdemeanor or a felony, depending on its degree. For example, the first offense of a crime may be a misdemeanor. After a certain number of convictions for that same crime, the state may prosecute¹² the next violation¹³ as a felony. Punishment for juvenile misdemeanor offenses can range from probation¹⁴ to reform school, depending on the seriousness of the crime and if there was any prior criminal behavior. If the juvenile has a long record of serious crimes, he or she may be tried in a regular court as an adult. For more information on juvenile law, consult an attorney.

　　翻译： 未成年人或者十八周岁以下的人,所犯的罪行为轻罪通常在少年法庭接受审判。轻罪与谋杀、强奸、殴打相比没那么严重，但理应受到应有的惩罚。犯罪通常分为重罪与轻罪。一般来说，重罪是严重的犯罪行为，受到的惩罚是进监狱；轻罪从本质上讲是不严重的犯罪，通过罚款或只在小市或当地监狱关押（笔者注：此句翻译不准，希望网友能有好的建议）。进行伪造是犯重罪，但超速驾驶属于轻罪。刑法中的法则定义了什么是重罪、什么是轻罪。有时，根据犯罪情节不同，同样的罪名可能判重刑也可能轻判。比如说，初犯可能轻判，但重复犯同一轻罪，就会发展为重罪。对未成年人犯罪的惩罚，根据犯罪的严重性以及看是否有前科，可以缓期执行或送到少年管教所，如果未成年人有很长的严重犯罪记录，他/她可能会象成年人那样在普通法庭接受审判。要想知道更多有关未成年人法的信息，请向律师咨询。

　　1 assault n.攻击, 袭击v.袭击

　　2 warrant n.授权, 正当理由, 根据, 证明, 凭证,委任状, 批准, 许可证vt.保证, 辩解, 担保, 批准, 使有正当理由

　　3 penitentiary n.监狱, 收容所, 教养所adj.忏悔的, 监禁的

　　4 excess n.过度, 剩于, 无节制, 超过,超额adj.过度的, 额外的

　　5 statute¹⁰ n.法令, 条例

　　6 Occasionally adv.有时候, 偶而

　　7 conviction n.深信, 确信, 定罪, 宣告有罪

　　8 prosecute vt.实行, 从事, 告发, 起诉vi.告发, 起诉,作检察官

　　9 violation n.违反, 违背, 妨碍, 侵害, [体]违例,强奸

　　10 probation n.试用, 见习, 鉴定, 查验, 证明, 察看,缓刑

　　11 prior adj.优先的, 在前的n.预先adv.在

　　备注：

　　疑问点：

　　（1） Misdemeanor offenses are not serious crimes like murder, rape, or assault中, assault是否可翻译为“殴打”。

　　（2） After a certain number of convictions for that same crime, the state may prosecute the next violation as a felony.是否可翻译为“重复犯同一轻罪，就会发展为重罪”

　　（3） Misdemeanors are offenses of a less serious nature and are punishable by a fine or imprisonment in a county or local jail翻译不准确，请网友多提宝贵意见