CRIMINAL LIABILITY OF MINORS IN LITHUANIA

Abstract

The basic principles of criminal law applicable to juveniles were formed more than a century ago, and this area of law is constantly changing in an attempt to strike a balance between the protection of the rights of the offender and the public interest. As minors are the most vulnerable and affected group of individuals, they must be punished differently from adults. Although the basic regulations applied to juvenile offenders are the same as those applied to majors, Lithuanian law nevertheless provides features that alleviate or otherwise mitigate the situation of the accused persons who have not reached the age of majority at the time of the offence. However, do the exceptionally applied rules on the imposition of penalties on minors ensure the purpose of the sentence and are those sentences effective?