JUVENILE PERPETRATORS OF CRIMINAL OFFENCES BY TYPE OF DECISION, 2008

*FIRST RELEASE*		CROATIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS 10000 ZAGREB, ILICA 3, PHONE: +385 1 4806-111, P.O.B. 80, CROATIA ISSN 1334-0565

YEAR: XLVI.	ZAGREB, 23 MARCH, 2009		NUMBER: 10.1.2.

				OBLIGED TO NOTIFY DATA SOURCE

JUVENILE PERPETRATORS OF CRIMINAL OFFENCES

BY TYPE OF DECISION, 2008

In 2008, public prosecutor's offices in the Republic of Croatia decided upon crime reports for 3 419 juvenile perpetrators of criminal offences, which was by 7.1% more than in 2007. The number of accused persons increased by 3.7%, while the number of perpetrators to whom criminal sanctions were imposed decreased by 1.0%, as compared to the previous year.

The number of juveniles to whom criminal sanctions were imposed amounted to 958 in 2008. Out of that number, 897 were educational measures, that is, 93.6%. Regarding older juveniles, there were 9 juvenile prison sentences and 52 suspended juvenile prison sentences imposed. The largest number of criminal offences recorded was against property, which made 64.1% of crime reports and 66% of accusations.

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

		Reported		Accused		Convicted
		Total	Female	Total	Female	Total	Female

2007.		3 191	212	1 250	71	968	53

2008.		3 419	308	1 296	70	958	59

Indices	2008. 2007.	107,1	145,3	103,7	98,6	99,0	111,3

2. DECISIONS OF PUBLIC PROSECUTOR’S OFFICES, BY TYPE OF CRIMINAL OFFENCES, 2008

	Total	Criminal offences against							Other criminal offences	Indices 2008. 2007.
	Total	Life and limb	Freedoms and rights of man and citizen	Values under protection of international law	Property	Public safety of persons and property and safety in traffic	Authenticity of documents	Public order	Other criminal offences	Indices 2008. 2007.

Total	3 419	463	99	214	2 191	93	45	185	129	107,1
Female	308	68	15	24	146	7	7	16	25	145,3
Submitted proposal for imposing sanctions	1 076	109	14	76	679	37	9	90	62	103,2
Proceedings not started	2 087	325	76	123	1 345	50	34	82	52	107,7
Reported offence not defined as criminal offence	32	7	6	1	11	-	-	2	5	80,0
Insignificant offence	120	5	5	41	60	-	7	-	2	218,2
Circumstances excluding guilt offence	77	9	8	-	56	1	-	1	2	120,3
No reasonable suspicion exists	100	12	12	1	54	1	1	11	8	125,0
In the interest of defendant or society	1 758	292	45	80	1 164	48	26	68	35	103,5

Interlocutory proceedings terminated	256	29	9	15	167	6	2	13	15	121,9
Reported offence not defined as criminal offence	5	2	2	-	-	1	-	-	-	83,3
Insignificant offence	2	-	-	-	2	-	-	-	-	50,0
Circumstances excluding guilt offence	11	2	-	-	8	-	-	-	1	137,5
No proof	96	16	3	5	57	4	-	5	6	168,4
Public prosecutor abandoned	22	4	1	1	11	-	-	4	1	84,6
In the interest of defendant or society	120	5	3	9	89	1	2	4	7	110,1

Measures taken during interlocutory proceedings	41	3	-	1	27	3	-	4	3	100,0
Supervision by care organisation	19	2	-	-	10	2	-	4	1	111,8
Temporary assignment to care organisation	22	1	-	1	17	1	-	-	2	91,7

3. COURT'S DECISIONS AND CRIMINAL SANCTIONS, BY TYPE OF CRIMINAL OFFENCES, 2008

	Total	Criminal offences against						Other criminal offences	Indices 2008. 2007.
	Total	Life and limb	Freedoms and rights of man and citizen	Values under protection of international law	Property	Public safety of persons and property and safety in traffic	Public order	Other criminal offences	Indices 2008. 2007.

Total	1 296	104	20	120	855	41	68	88	103,7
Female	70	13	-	12	29	4	5	7	98,6
Criminal sanctions	958	69	8	100	618	38	49	76	99,0
Female	59	7	-	10	28	2	5	7	111,3

Proceedings terminated through a senate	338	35	12	20	237	3	19	12	119,9
In the interest of defendant or society	107	4	5	10	83	1	1	3	130,5
Public prosecutor forfeited the penalty	179	20	6	8	121	1	17	6	112,6
Other reasons	52	11	1	2	33	1	1	3	126,8

Measures taken during interlocutory proceedings	37	4	1	-	27	-	2	3	100,0
Supervision by care organisation	21	4	1	-	14	-	1	1	110,5
Temporary assignment to care organisation	16	-	-	-	13	-	1	2	88,9

Criminal sanctions – total	958	69	8	100	618	38	49	76	99,0

Younger juveniles – total	390	24	2	17	281	6	27	33	111,1
Female	26	2	-	5	15	-	1	3	123,8
Educational measures	390	24	2	17	281	6	27	33	111,1
Warning	159	11	-	9	112	5	14	8	152,9
Increased supervision	179	11	2	6	128	1	13	18	101,7
Assignment to rehabilitation centre	52	2	-	2	41	-	-	7	73,2

Older juveniles – total	568	45	6	83	337	32	22	43	92,1
Female	33	5	-	5	13	2	4	4	103,1
Juvenile prison	9	4	-	-	4	-	-	1	64,3
Educational measures	507	39	5	75	301	27	22	38	91,7
Warning	234	25	1	47	117	16	14	14	83,9
Increased supervision	228	11	4	25	153	10	7	18	99,1
Assignment to rehabilitation centre	45	3	-	3	31	1	1	6	102,3
Suspended juvenile prison	52	2	1	8	32	5	-	4	104,0

Security measures	69	7	-	29	21	2	1	9	107,8

NOTES ON METHODOLOGY

Source and methods of data collection

On the basis of the Official Statistics Act (NN, No. 103/03), data on criminal offences of reported, accused and convicted juvenile persons are collected through the Statistical Report for a Juvenile against whom Proceedings Based on Crime Report and the Interlocutory Proceedings Have Been Terminated (SK-3 form) and Statistical Report for an Accused Juvenile against Whom a Criminal Procedure Have Been Validly Terminated 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 has been validly terminated. Observation units are juvenile perpetrators of criminal offences that may be either direct perpetrators, accomplices, instigators or assistants.

Coverage

The statistical survey 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 covers an action from reporting a criminal offence and violation to the valid termination of the legal proceedings by a public prosecutors’ office, that is, to pronouncing a valid decision of a juvenile court

Juvenile perpetrator of criminal offence is a person who turned, at the time of committing the criminal offence, the age of 14 but not yet 18, against whom legal proceedings have not been initiated (crime report dropped), interlocutory proceedings have been terminated or a proposal for a penal sentence has been filed. Furthermore, it comprises that legal proceedings through a senate have been concluded by issuing the decision on termination of proceedings or pronouncing of measures.

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

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

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

Accused person is a juvenile person against whom the legal proceedings through a senate have been terminated by a valid court decision, by which the legal proceedings have terminated through a senate or a penalty measure has been imposed (juvenile imprisonment or educational measures).

Convicted person is a juvenile perpetrator of the criminal offence against whom penalty measures have been imposed. It may comprise juvenile prison or educational measures (reprimand, special obligations, assignment to a disciplinary centre, increased supervision and surveillance, increased supervision and surveillance with daily reporting to correctional institution, assignment to the correctional institution, assignment to the rehabilitation centre and assignment to special correctional institution).

Abbreviations

NN Narodne novine, official gazette of the Republic of Croatia

Symbols

- no occurrence