Definition, Purpose and Types of Juvenile Criminal Sanctions in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina / Pojam, svrha i vrste maloljetničkih krivičnih sankcija u Federaciji Bosne i Hercegovine

Abstract

Juvenile sanctions are legally prescribed measures and proceedings of social response to juvenile perpetrators of criminal acts. The purpose of juvenile criminal sanctions is within the overall purpose of criminal sanctions. That represents preventive influence on others to respect legal system without committing criminal acts. It also means preventing perpetrators to commit another criminal act and encouraging its upbringing. In essence, general purpose of juvenile criminal sanctions is to fight all types, forms and aspects of crime through special and general prevention.
When pronouncing these sanctions court cannot know nor predict how the process of education, discipline and therapy will develop. It also cannot know what time period will be necessary to realize the purpose of its pronouncement. Every adolescent is an individual for itself therefore has a different reaction to pronounced sanction. Interest i.e. wellbeing of an adolescent always comes first when deciding on criminal sanction.
The Juvenile Criminal Law in Bosnia and Herzegovina prescribes three basic types of juvenile criminal sanctions. In essence, they are not of repressive character. Basically, the only juvenile criminal sanction of repressive character in the true sense of the word is juvenile imprisonment (detention).