Legal Framework of Criminal Liability of Juvenile Criminals in Romania

Although the level of life in society has evolved, the Romanian society, as the Western civilization in general, still faces a significant number of cases of juvenile crimes, and certainly this number is much higher than is desired by the authorities. This article has as a goal to provide an overview of the criminal liability of minors in Romania (defined as persons under the age of 18). This article will also provide a broad view of the criminal sanctions that can be applicable to minors who committed crimes. Of course, the current legal framework has resolved some issues that were faced in the past, but in some cases has generated others, which will be underlined, and, when possible, also solutions will be provided. The procedure of work and the methods for this article included the analysis of the legal national provisions, the read of the main legal authors that commented the relevant legal provisions. We have also included several psychology studies that have analyzed the particularities of the juvenile criminals, which differ in many aspects from adult criminals, and their needs that should be taken into consideration by the legal system that must, especially in their case, not only punish, but also educate and transform.