JUVENILE PERPETRATORS OF CRIMINAL OFFENCES, BY TYPE OF DECISION, 2025

In 2025, public prosecutor's offices in the Republic of Croatia decided upon crime reports for 1 259 juvenile perpetrators of criminal offences, which was 0.7% less than in 2024. The number of accused persons decreased by 13.9% and the number of perpetrators to whom criminal penalties or other measures were pronounced by 14.6%, as compared to the previous year.

The number of juveniles to whom criminal penalties or other measures were pronounced amounted to 264 in 2025. Out of that number, 217 were educational measures, that is, 82.2%. 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 (168) decreased by 7.7% and the number of convicted younger juveniles (96) decreased by 24.4%.

There were eight juvenile imprisonment sentences (an increase of 14.3%) and 39 suspended juvenile imprisonment sentences (a decrease of 11.4%) pronounced to older juveniles.

The largest number of perpetrators was recorded with regard to criminal offences against property, that is, there were 546 crime reports (43.4%) and 97 accusations (33.4%).

G-3 PENALTIES OR OTHER MEASURES PRONOUNCED AGAINST JUVENILES, 2025

NOTES ON METHODOLOGY

Source and methods of data collection

On the basis of the Official Statistics Act (NN, Nos 25/20, 155/23 and 124/25 – corr.), data on criminal offences of reported, accused and convicted juvenile persons are collected by regular statistical surveys conducted using 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 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 by county and municipal courts of first instance that act after the criminal proceedings have been 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, 84/21, 114/22, 114/23, 36/24 and 136/25) 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. Criminal proceedings have been validly concluded by issuing the decision on the termination of proceedings or by the pronouncing of a 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 Juvenile Courts Act 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 criminal proceedings have been concluded with a valid court decision, by which the proceedings were terminated or a criminal penalty or other measure have 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 a correctional institution, commitment to a centre for disciplinary development, commitment to a correctional institution, commitment to a rehabilitation centre and commitment to a special correctional institution.

After entering 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.

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Published by the Croatian Bureau of Statistics, Zagreb, Ilica 3, P. O. B. 80.
Phone: (+385 1) 48 06 111
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Persons responsible:
Mario Vlajčević, Director of Demographic and Social Statistics Directorate
Lidija Brković, Acting Director General

Prepared by:
Terezija Špančić Petrić and Dubravka Rogić-Hadžalić

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