Twigg v. Mays

The term "child emancipation" is often used in conjunction with majority, or the age at which a young person is old enough to make his or her own decisions--and to experience the consequences of those decisions. This age is usually set at 18, and it marks the point when a child is free to leave home, and likewise when parents are no longer compelled legally to support the child. It is also the age at which a young person who commits a crime will no longer be charged as a juvenile (with all the attendant legal protections), but will be prosecuted as an adult.