{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-10a-10a-2-5-202","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 10A, § 10A-2-5-202","heading":"Definitions – Purpose – Legislative intent","body":"A. For the purposes of the Youthful Offender Act:\n\n1. \"Youthful offender\" means a person:\n\na. thirteen (13) or fourteen (14) years of age who is\n\ncharged with murder in the first degree and certified\n\nas a youthful offender as provided by Section 2-5-205\n\nof this title,\n\nb. fifteen (15), sixteen (16), or seventeen (17) years of\n\nage and charged with a crime listed in subsection C of\n\nSection 2-5-205 of this title, and\n\nc. sixteen (16) or seventeen (17) years of age and\n\ncharged with a crime listed in subsection E of Section\n\n2-5-205 of this title,\n\nif the offense was committed on or after November 1, 2022; provided,\n\nthe state shall not base the timing of the filing of any charges\n\nsolely on the applicability of the Youthful Offender Act;\n\n2. \"Sentenced as a youthful offender\" means the imposition of a\n\ncourt order making disposition of a youthful offender as provided by\n\nSection 2-5-209 of this title which shall constitute an adult\n\ncriminal sentence if the youthful offender is transferred to the\n\ncustody or supervision of the Department of Corrections;\n\n3. \"Next friend\" means an individual or executive of an\n\norganization who has assumed a parental role without formal legal\n\nproceedings, but to all objective observers is readily identified as\n\ncustodian or guardian in fact;\n\n4. \"Certification as an adult\" means a person for whom the\n\ncourt has granted a motion for the imposition of an adult sentence\n\npursuant to subsection C of Section 7 of this act;\n\n5. \"Certification as a juvenile\" means a person for whom the\n\ncourt has granted a motion for certification as a juvenile pursuant\n\nto subsection B of Section 6 of this act;\n\n6. \"Certification study\" means a report prepared for the court\n\nby the Office of Juvenile Affairs that includes but is not limited\n\nto information related to the circumstances of an offense, any\n\ninjury that may have occurred, the history of the person in the\n\njuvenile justice system, and a psychological evaluation. Such study\n\nshall address the guidelines established in subsection B of Section\n\n6 of this act; and\n\n7. \"Juvenile delinquent\" means a person who is accused of\n\ncommitting an act which could be prosecuted under subsection A, B,\n\nC, D, or E of Section 2-5-205 of this title and against whom the\n\ndistrict attorney has chosen to file a petition alleging the person\n\nas delinquent.\n\nB. It is the purpose of the Youthful Offender Act to better\n\nensure the public safety by holding youths accountable for the\n\ncommission of serious crimes, while affording courts methods of\n\nrehabilitation for those youths the courts determine, at their\n\ndiscretion, may be amenable to such methods. It is the further\n\npurpose of the Youthful Offender Act to allow those youthful\n\noffenders whom the courts find to be amenable to rehabilitation by\n\nthe methods prescribed in the Youthful Offender Act to be placed in\n\nthe custody or under the supervision of the Office of Juvenile\n\nAffairs for the purpose of accessing the rehabilitative programs\n\nprovided by that Office.\n\nC. It is the intent of the Legislature to fully utilize the\n\nYouthful Offender Act as a means to protect the public while\n\nrehabilitating and holding youth accountable for serious crimes.\n\nThe Legislature finds that eligible seventeen-year-olds should have\n\nthe opportunity to be processed as youthful offenders as provided by\n\nlaw and held accountable through the provisions of the Youthful\n\nOffender Act for custody, institutional placement, supervision,\n\nextended jurisdiction within the Office of Juvenile Affairs (OJA),\n\nand the ability to transfer youthful offenders to the Department of\n\nCorrections when incarceration or additional supervision is required\n\nbeyond the maximum age allowed in the OJA. No older youth should be\n\ndeemed ineligible or denied consideration as a youthful offender who\n\nis otherwise lawfully eligible based upon the age of the youth being\ndiction within the Office of Juvenile Affairs (OJA),\n\nand the ability to transfer youthful offenders to the Department of\n\nCorrections when incarceration or additional supervision is required\n\nbeyond the maximum age allowed in the OJA. No older youth should be\n\ndeemed ineligible or denied consideration as a youthful offender who\n\nis otherwise lawfully eligible based upon the age of the youth being\n\nseventeen (17) years, but it is the intent of the Legislature that\n\nsuch youthful offender shall not remain in the custody or under the\n\nsupervision of the OJA beyond the youthful offender's maximum age of\n\neighteen (18) years and six (6) months or until nineteen (19) years\n\nof age if jurisdiction has been extended as provided in subsection D\n\nof Section 9 of this act. To deny access to an otherwise eligible\n\nolder youth without cause is to circumvent the original intent of\n\nthe Legislature in creating the Youthful Offender Act.\n\nD. Unless otherwise provided by law, when a court determines\n\nthat a youthful offender has successfully completed his or her\n\ntreatment and rehabilitation plan and is discharged by the court\n\nwithout a court judgment of guilt and the case dismissed with\n\nprejudice, the arrest or adjudication record does not have to be\n\ndisclosed for the purposes of employment, civil rights, or any\n\nregulation, license, questionnaire, application, or any other public\n\npurpose. Any prohibition regarding possession of firearms pursuant\n\nto Section 1283 of Title 21 of the Oklahoma Statutes shall still be\n\napplicable.\n\nE. In any case for which the court orders a certification\n\nstudy, the district attorney shall provide to the Office of Juvenile\n\nAffairs (OJA) a copy of any police report and all other relevant\n\ndocuments or information in the possession of the district attorney\n\nor any other law enforcement agency that has reported to the\n\ndistrict attorney in the case, which should be considered in\n\npreparing the ordered report. The police reports, any report from\n\nthe Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and any other relevant\n\ndocuments or information as available, shall be provided to the OJA\n\nwithin five (5) business days of the issuance of the order.\n\nF. In any case for which the court orders a certification\n\nstudy, the attorney for the youth is ordered to provide to OJA the\n\nnames and contact information of the youth's parents, guardians, or\n\nnext friend, along with any relevant documents or information the\n\nyouth requests OJA to consider in the preparation of the ordered\n\nreport. The names and contact information and any other documents\n\nor information shall be provided to OJA within five (5) business\n\ndays of the issuance of the order.","path":["OK Code","Title 10A"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os10A.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"d23dd615f2908547d2faa75a466f340d213a4f2f3acddecb544b1a47be82d908","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-10a-10a-2-5-201","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-10a-10a-2-5-203"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}