The criminal legal status of juveniles in Serbia

Juvenile crime is one of the biggest problems of the modern society. Consequently, almost all countries of the world regulate the status of juvenile offenders in a special way prescribing both legal and sub-legal norms in this area and harmonizing them with a number of international instruments that the country has ratified. The criminal legal status of juveniles in Serbia is defined by the Law on Juvenile Offenders and Criminal Protection of Juveniles which entered into force in Republic of Serbia in 2006. By this legislation there are defined the bases of the juvenile justice system in Serbia and the basic features of the criminal legal status that juvenile offenders have in our country. So, this paper presents the basic characteristics of the criminal legal status of minors in Serbia in accordance with the applicable criminal law.