First Release

Year: LX.
Zagreb, 07 April 2023
PSZ-2023-1-2

ISSN 1334-0557

JUVENILE PERPETRATORS OF CRIMINAL OFFENCES, BY TYPE OF DECISION, 2022

In 2022, public prosecutor's offices in the Republic of Croatia decided upon crime reports for 1 055 juvenile perpetrators of criminal offences, which was 5.5% more than in 2021. The number of accused persons increased by 10.1% and the number of perpetrators to whom criminal penalties or other measures were pronounced by 3.8%, as compared to the previous year.

The number of juveniles to whom criminal penalties or other measures were pronounced amounted to 274 in 2022. Out of that number, 224 were educational measures, that is, 81.8%. When pronouncing criminal penalties or other measures, juveniles are divided into older and younger juveniles. Compared to the previous year, the number of convicted older juveniles (175) decreased by 5.4% and the number of convicted younger juveniles (98) increased by 24.1%.

There were 9 juvenile imprisonment sentences (an increase of 200.0%) and 40 suspended juvenile imprisonment sentences (an increase of 17.6%) pronounced to older juveniles.

The largest number of perpetrators was recorded with regard to criminal offences against property, that is, there were 581 crime reports (55.1%) and 163 accusations (49.8%).

1 JUVENILE PERPETRATORS OF CRIMINAL OFFENCES – REPORTED, ACCUSED AND CONVICTED

      Reported Accused Convicted
Total Female persons Total Female persons Total Female persons
2021 1 000 122 297 47 264 44
2022 1 055 139 327 31 274 24
Indices
2022
2021
105,5 113,9 110,1 66,0 103,8 54,5

2 DECISIONS OF PUBLIC PROSECUTOR’S OFFICES, BY TYPE OF CRIMINAL OFFENCES, 2022

       Total Criminal offences against Other criminal offences Indices
2022
2021
Life and limb Personal freedom Sexual freedom Sexual maltreatment and sexual exploitation of children People˙s health Property Counterfeiting Public order
Total 1 055 127 86 13 71 27 581 15 52 83 105,5
Female persons 139 8 21 - 6 4 70 - 10 20 113,9
Submitted proposal for a penalty or other measure 403 50 22 7 44 18 211 4 22 25 115,1
Proceedings not initiated 642 75 64 4 23 9 368 11 30 58 101,6
Reported offence not defined as criminal offence 25 2 6 - 1 - 5 1 6 4 131,6
Trivial offence 16 - - - 4 2 7 - - 3 177,8
Circumstances excluding guilt 42 6 8 - 3 - 22 - - 3 66,7
No reasonable suspicion exists 119 20 11 1 10 2 59 - 4 12 100,0
In the interest of defendant or society 437 47 39 3 5 5 274 10 18 36 104,8
The report is not trustworthy 3 - - - - - 1 - 2 - 60,0
Interlocutory proceedings terminated 10 2 - 2 4 - 2 - - - 55,6
Reported offence not defined as criminal offence 1 - - - 1 - - - - - 33,3
Trivial offence - - - - - - - - - - -
Circumstances excluding guilt - - - - - - - - - - -
No proof 6 1 - 2 2 - 1 - - - 54,5
Public prosecutor abandoned a charge - - - - - - - - - - -
In the interest of defendant or society 3 1 - - 1 - 1 - - - 75,0
Measures taken during interlocutory proceedings 104 7 13 1 6 1 57 2 9 8 119,5
Supervision by care organisation 60 6 6 - 5 - 29 2 7 5 109,1
Temporary commitment to social care institution 44 1 7 1 1 1 28 - 2 3 137,5

3 COURTS’ DECISIONS AND PENALTIES OR OTHER MEASURES, BY TYPES OF CRIMINAL OFFENCES, 2022

       Total Criminal offences against Other criminal offences Indices
2022
2021
Life and limb Personal freedom Sexual freedom Sexual maltreatment and sexual exploitation of children People˙s health Property Counterfeiting Public order
Total 327 35 31 4 32 16 163 3 18 25 110,1
Female persons 31 3 5 - - 2 15 - 2 4 66,0
Criminal penalties or other measures 274 30 28 3 29 15 127 3 17 22 103,8
Female persons 24 2 5 - - 2 10 - 1 4 54,5
Proceedings terminated 53 5 3 1 3 1 36 - 1 3 160,6
In the interest of defendant  or society 19 2 1 - 1 1 13 - - 1 172,7
Public prosecutor forfeited the penalty or other measure 16 3 1 - 1 - 9 - 1 1 133,3
Other reasons 18 - 1 1 1 - 14 - - 1 180,0
Measures taken during interlocutory proceedings 33 4 5 1 2 1 14 - - 6 126,9
Supervision by care organisation 21 2 2 1 - 1 11 - - 4 150,0
Temporary commitment to social care institution 12 2 3 - 2 - 3 - - 2 100,0
Criminal penalties or other measures – total 274 30 28 3 29 15 127 3 17 22 103,8
Younger juveniles – all 98 15 8 - 16 1 42 2 4 10 124,1
Female persons 12 1 3 - - 1 4 - 1 2 109,1
Educational measures 98 15 8 - 16 1 42 2 4 10 124,1
Measures of warning 40 8 - - 10 - 12 2 2 6 160,0
Increased supervision 30 2 4 - 5 1 15 - 1 2 111,1
Correctional institution measures 28 5 4 - 1 - 15 - 1 2 103,7
Older juveniles – all 175 15 20 3 13 14 84 1 13 12 94,6
Female persons 12 1 2 - - 1 6 - - 2 36,4
Juvenile imprisonment 9 - 1 - - - 6 - 1 1 300,0
Educational measures 126 13 14 2 9 7 64 - 8 9 85,1
Measures of warning 62 5 8 - 8 5 24 - 8 4 98,4
Increased supervision 41 6 5 2 - 2 22 - - 4 63,1
Correctional institution measures 23 2 1 - 1 - 18 - - 1 115,0
Suspended juvenile imprisonment 40 2 5 1 4 7 14 1 4 2 117,6
Security measures 27 2 6 - 4 1 12 - 1 1 142,1

G-1 REPORTED, ACCUSED AND CONVICTED JUVENILE PERSONS, 2021 AND 2022

G-2 REPORTED, ACCUSED AND CONVICTED JUVENILE PERSONS, BY TYPES OF CRIMINAL OFFENCES, 2022

G-3 PENALTIES OR OTHER MEASURES PRONOUNCED AGAINST JUVENILES, 2022

Older juveniles

Younger juveniles

G-4 REPORTED, ACCUSED AND CONVICTED JUVENILE PERPETRATORS OF CRIMINAL OFFENCES, 2013 – 2022

NOTES ON METHODOLOGY

Source and methods of data collection

On the basis of the Official Statistics Act (NN, No. 25/20), data on criminal offences of reported, accused and convicted juvenile persons are collected by regular statistical surveys which use the following statistical reports: the Statistical Report for a Juvenile against Whom Criminal Proceedings Based on Crime Report and the Interlocutory Proceedings Have Been Concluded (SK-3 form) and the Statistical Report for a Juvenile against Whom a Criminal Proceedings Have Been Validly Concluded through a Senate (SK-4 form).

Statistical reports are filled in by competent public prosecutor’s offices after the final decision has taken place as well as county and municipal courts of first instance that act after the criminal procedure was validly concluded. Observation units are juvenile perpetrators of criminal offences who can be either direct perpetrators, accomplices, instigators or assistants.

On 1 January 2013, the new Penal Code (NN, Nos 125/11, 144/12, 56/15, 61/15 – correction, 101/17, 118/18, 126/19 and 84/21) entered into force. This Code, besides implementing new and modified existing general institutes of material criminal law, prescribes a new catalogue of criminal offences.

Coverage

Statistical surveys cover all juvenile perpetrators of criminal offences, whether reported, accused or convicted, in order to examine the volume and spread of crime for the whole territory of the Republic of Croatia.

Definitions

Crime in terms of statistical surveys ranges from reporting a criminal offence to the valid conclusion of the legal proceedings by a public prosecutors’ office, that is, to pronouncing a valid decision of a juvenile court.

Juvenile perpetrator of criminal offences is a person who turned 14 but not yet 18 at the time of committing the criminal offence, against whom legal proceedings have not been initiated (crime report dropped), interlocutory proceedings have been terminated or a proposal for a criminal penalty or other measure has been filed. Legal proceedings have been validly concluded by issuing the decision on termination of proceedings or pronouncing of criminal penalty or other measure.

Younger juvenile is a person who turned 14 but not yet 16 at the time of committing a criminal offence and who may not be sentenced to juvenile imprisonment but may only be given educational measures.

Older juvenile is a person who turned 16 but not yet 18 at the time of committing a criminal offence and who may be given educational measures, but may also be sentenced to juvenile imprisonment, if the Code foresees any conditions for that.

Reported person is a juvenile perpetrator of a criminal offence against whom the legal proceedings based on the crime report and interlocutory proceedings have been concluded.

Accused person is a juvenile person against whom legal proceedings have been concluded with a valid court decision, by which the legal proceedings were terminated or a criminal penalty or other measure has been pronounced (juvenile imprisonment or educational measures).

Convicted person is a juvenile perpetrator of the criminal offence against whom criminal penalties or other measures have been pronounced: juvenile imprisonment, suspension of juvenile imprisonment or educational measures. Educational measures may comprise reprimand, special obligations, increased care and supervision, increased care and supervision with daily stay in correctional institution, commitment to a centre for disciplinary development, commitment to correctional institution, commitment to the rehabilitation centre and commitment to special correctional institution.

After coming into force of the new Juvenile Courts Act (NN, Nos 84/11, 143/12, 148/13, 56/15 and 126/19), the earlier educational measure of commitment to a disciplinary centre is no longer implemented. At the same time, a new educational measure, called commitment to a centre for disciplinary development, was introduced.

 

Abbreviations    
       
NN Narodne novine, official gazette of the Republic of Croatia
       
Symbols      
       
- no occurrence  

Published by the Croatian Bureau of Statistics, Zagreb, Ilica 3, P. O. B. 80.
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Persons responsible:
Dubravka Rogić Hadžalić, Director of Demographic and Social Statistics Directorate
Lidija Brković, Director General

Prepared by:
Petra Mačak Kocijan and Mario Vlajčević

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