| Abstract [eng] |
The rate of juvenile delinquency is fairly high, therefore this problem is topical in Lithuania as well as in other countries. The attention European society pays to juvenile delinquency leads to the effective means of response based on three principles – prevention, punitive measures of education and social integration and reintegration of juvenile offenders. The purpose of this Master degree paper is to initiate the peculiarities of criminal responsibility of juveniles and display the main principles and reasons, which condition specific juridical regulation, to compare Lithuanian and foreign criminal law that regulates the juvenile justice, to analyze the purpose of punitive legal sanctions applied to juveniles, to study the peculiarities of prescription of penalty and educational sanctions. To execute the purpose different scientific methods will be invoked. Criminal responsibility of juvenile is exceptional. This oneness is related to versatile singularities of their age, physical and mental health. Regarding these singularities, harsh punishment is not always necessary applied to juveniles. Considering questions of criminal responsibility, every particular case needs to be individualized and firstly the alternative sanctions that provide help and assistance should be applied. Many countries accentuate the punitive sanctions for juveniles and the entire justice of criminal responsibility of juveniles. The specific educational nature is amplified. Educational and not punitive sanctions have preference; however, educational sanctions are applied if they help to reach the objectives mentioned in criminal law. The reform of Lithuanian criminal law has made a huge step ahead updating the juvenile justice. However, in reality educational sanctions are still vulnerable part of Lithuanian juvenile justice. To put educational sanctions in practice, the infrastructure for organizing alternative means needs to be created. Moreover, the content and prosecution of these means should be determined in the acts of law. |
