Juvenile delinquency

The university textbook Juvenile Delinquency is intended for undergraduate and graduate students and provides a comprehensive and multidisciplinary overview of the causes, forms, consequences, and methods of preventing juvenile delinquency. Special attention is devoted to the etiology of delinquent behavior through psychological, sociological, and biosocial theories that explain the emergence and development of criminal behavior among young people. The textbook analyzes exogenous factors, such as family, school, peer groups, media, poverty, migration, and wartime circumstances, as well as endogenous factors, including personality traits, intelligence, emotions, mental disorders, gender differences, and motives for delinquent behavior.

The textbook also examines the impact of sociopathological phenomena on youth crime, including the abuse of psychoactive substances, prostitution, gambling, vagrancy, begging, and juvenile suicide. Particular attention is given to the phenomenological aspects of juvenile delinquency worldwide and in the Republic of Srpska, new forms of crime such as cybercrime, and the issue of recidivism among juvenile offenders.

A significant part of the book is dedicated to society’s response to juvenile crime, the criminal law status of juveniles, alternative measures, educational sanctions, and international standards for the protection of children's rights. In addition, the book analyzes victimological aspects, the position of children as victims of violence, abuse, and human trafficking, as well as the consequences of victimization.

The final section presents contemporary approaches to the prevention of juvenile delinquency, emphasizing the role of the family, school, police, media, social welfare centers, and non-governmental organizations. Particular emphasis is placed on the importance of early prevention, intersectoral cooperation, and the resocialization of juvenile offenders as key mechanisms for reducing juvenile delinquency and achieving the successful social integration of young people.