At the beginning of June, the Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office published a work report that is full of data on crime for the year 2023. The part related to juvenile crime is particularly interesting: although compared to 2022, a slight decrease in the total number of criminal offenses is noticeable, the drastic increase in violent and especially serious crimes, such as murder, rape and sexual harassment, is worrying
In the history of Serbia, the year 2023 will forever be marked by the fact that two mass murders took place in 48 hours. One was committed by a child, and the other by a young adult. The first, the perpetrator of the mass murder in "Vladislav Ribnikar" elementary school, cannot be held criminally responsible because he was under 14 years old at the time of the crime, even though he killed 10 people. The second, the perpetrator of nine murders in Dubona and Mali Orašje, was 20 years old and cannot be sentenced to life imprisonment because he was under 21 years old.
photo: pexels...
The public, contrary to all ethical principles, both human and media, knows everything about these two perpetrators. She turned her head away from something else. The annual public report on the work of public prosecution offices for 2023 was published on the website of the Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office at the beginning of this month. It contains frightening information: last year, 26 minors committed murder. Out of that, in seven cases the crime was qualified as - serious murder. Compared to the previous year, 2022, the number of juvenile perpetrators of murder increased by 117,42 percent, as there were a total of seven of them last year. When it comes to aggravated murder, this crime was committed by only one juvenile in 2022. The report does not even mention the percentage of growth, which is 700 percent. It is a number for which "terrifying" is a euphemism.
WHAT ARE CHILDREN'S CRIMES
When it comes to the structure of juvenile crimes, 2023 juvenile perpetrators of crimes against life and limb were registered in the territory of the appellate public prosecutor's offices in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Kragujevac and Niš in 764. In contrast to the previous reporting period (2022), when 777 juvenile perpetrators of this type of crime were registered, a slight decrease of 1,68 percent was observed. However, the more difficult the acts, the greater the growth compared to last year. Thus, we have a jump of 171,42 percent of juvenile perpetrators of murder and 700 percent of juvenile perpetrators of serious murder. Five persons were reported for the criminal offense of murder in the area of the Appellate Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade (previous year 2), in the area of the Appellate Public Prosecutor's Office Novi Sad 8 persons (previous year 2), in the area of the Appellate Public Prosecutor's Office Kragujevac 4 persons (previous year there were no reported persons) and in the area of the Appellate Public Prosecutor's Office Niš 2 persons (previous year 3 persons reported).
There are four appellate public prosecutor's offices in Serbia: Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš and Kragujevac. As you can see, last year each of them had more than one juvenile perpetrator of murder, although there were years when some had none - none.
Seven minors were reported for the criminal offense of aggravated murder: four in the area of the Appellate Public Prosecutor's Office Novi Sad, one person in the area of the Appellate Public Prosecutor's Office Kragujevac and two minors in the area of the Appellate Public Prosecutor's Office Niš.
INCREASE OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE
The report looks at all the criminal acts listed in the Criminal Code (CC), including those against sexual freedom, which are found in Chapter XVII of the CC. During the reporting period, 174 minors were reported for this group of crimes. Compared to 2022, this represents an increase of 39,20 percent, when 125 minors were registered.
When it comes to the criminal offense of rape, 26 minors were reported, while in 2022 there were 22. When it comes to the territorial distribution by appellate prosecutor's offices, there were six in Belgrade (as in 2022), eight in Novi Sad (as opposed to from six in 2022), in Kragujevac seven (a year earlier – two) and in Niš five, where we only see a decrease, because in 2022 there were eight.
180 juvenile offenders were reported for the crime of sexual intercourse with a child under Article 18 of the Criminal Code (previous year 24). Unauthorized sex work under Article 182 of the CC was committed by 35 minors (previous year 28), which is an increase of 25 percent. In the area of the Appellate Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade, 26 persons were reported for this criminal offense (16 in the previous year), in the area of the Appellate Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad, five (as in the previous year), in the area of the Appellate Public Prosecutor's Office in Kragujevac, four, as in the previous year. In the area of the Nis Appellate Prosecutor's Office, there were no minors reported for this crime, while there were three of them the previous year.
31 minors were reported for the criminal offense of sexual harassment, and in 2022 there were ten of them. The registration was not only in Kragujevac, unlike last year when there were three. As for the other appellate prosecutor's offices, there were 18 applications in Belgrade, which is an increase compared to 2022, when there were five. There was one report in Novi Sad, while there were none the previous year. In the area of the Appellate Public Prosecutor's Office in Nis, 12 minors were reported and there is again a significant jump - compared to two in 2022.
Perhaps the biggest increase in this report is recorded for the criminal offense of showing, obtaining and possessing pornographic material and exploiting a minor for pornography. 56 persons were registered (previous year: 35), which is an increase of 60 percent compared to the previous reporting period. In Belgrade, 17 minors were reported for this offense in 2023, the same number as in the previous year. In Novi Sad, there were 18 reports, which is a jump compared to five in 2022. In Kragujevac, eight minors were reported for this offense, and five in the previous year, while in Niš there were 13, as opposed to eight in 2022.
Probably due to the awareness of the increase in revenge pornography and the use of artificial intelligence, and in the report itself it is especially emphasized that "the commission of these criminal acts by minors, due to their very nature and the consequences they produce, requires special attention and continuous numerous activities, primarily in the field prevention".
FIGHTING AND DRUGS
In 2023, 150 juvenile offenders committed the crime of serious bodily injury, which is almost the same as in 2022, when there were 151. Most of them were reported in the area of the Appellate Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade, 54 of them (45 in the previous year) and the same number in the area of the Appellate Public Prosecutor's Office of Novi Sad (previous year 36). Kragujevac recorded a decrease because 33 minors were reported for serious bodily injury, while in 2022 there were 59. In the area of the Appellate Public Prosecutor's Office Nis, 11 minors caused serious bodily injury to someone, which is the same number as the previous year.
527 juvenile offenders were reported for inflicting light physical injuries on the territory of the whole of Serbia, while there were 547 of them in the previous reporting period.
Everything that has to do with drugs is found in Chapter XX of the Criminal Code and is labeled Criminal offenses against human health. There we have an increase of almost 20 percent: a total of 667 minors were reported for these crimes, while in 2022 there were 560, which is 19,10 percent more.
In the reporting period, 125 minors were reported for the unauthorized production and distribution of narcotic drugs, which is an increase of 34,40 percent compared to the reporting period of 2022, when 93 minors were reported. Until this period, a significant decrease in the number of registered minors was observed: in 2018, there were 240, in 2019 - 259, in 2021 - 85, in 2022, 93, so that we would now reach 125. So, we have an increase in the part that was in decline. The largest number of reported juvenile offenders for drug production and trafficking was in Belgrade, 48 of them. Nine juvenile offenders were reported to the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Požarevac, 11 in Novi Sad, one in Sombor, three in Subotica and two in Šabac.
When it comes to appellate prosecutions, 58 minors were reported for this crime in Belgrade (2022 - 42), in Novi Sad 18 (previous year 15), in Kragujevac 33 persons (2022 - 16) and in the area of the Appellate Public Prosecutor's Office in Niš 18 (previous year 20).
The largest number of reported juvenile offenders from the group of criminal offenses against human health is due to the criminal offense of unauthorized possession of narcotic drugs. In 2023, we have a total of 490 juvenile offenders, which is an increase of 10,11 percent compared to the previous year, 2022.
The report emphasized the importance of suppressing these crimes, not only because of the harmful consequences for health, but also because of the observed increase in other crimes among such perpetrators. Crimes against property and against life and body are especially emphasized.
ROBBERIES, THEFTS AND SIMILAR
Criminal acts against property were committed by 2023 minors in 3096. Although in absolute numbers this is the most common type of juvenile crime, nevertheless, a very slight decrease of 1,8 percent was recorded compared to 2022.
The most common crimes committed by minors in 2023 are theft, aggravated theft and robbery. In 2023, minors committed a total of 1297 criminal acts of theft. Most of them were under the jurisdiction of the Appellate Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad - 430. Next was Niš with 369, then Belgrade with 297 and finally Kragujevac with 201 juvenile thefts.
In 2023, 859 minors were reported for aggravated theft, and here we see a slightly more significant drop of 6,13 percent compared to the previous year, 2022. This criminal offense was committed by 176 minors in the area of the Appellate Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade (previous year 254), in Novi Sad by 308 (previous year out of 268 persons), while in Kragujevac 164 minors were reported for aggravated theft (previous year 153). In the area of the Nis Appellate Public Prosecutor's Office, 211 minors were reported for this crime (previous year 240).
34 minors were reported for the criminal offense of robbery (last year 9), which is an increase of 277,77 percent from the previous reporting period. Thus, this criminal offense was committed by 30 minors in the area of the Appellate Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade (6 in the previous year), and by one person in the area of the Appellate Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad (the same as in 2022). In the area of the Appellate Public Prosecutor's Office in Kragujevac, there were no reports, as in the previous year, while there were three in Niš (two in the previous year).
124 minors were reported for the criminal offense of robbery throughout Serbia (107 in the previous year), which is an increase of 15,88 percent compared to 2022. This offense is also under the jurisdiction of the appellate public prosecutor's offices, so there were 24 of them in Belgrade, which is less than 33 from 2022. In Novi Sad, we see a significant increase because 63 juvenile robberies took place, almost twice as many as the previous year when there were 32 juvenile offenders. Kragujevac recorded a decrease, with 14 minors reported for robbery, compared to 18 in 2022. In the area of the Appellate Public Prosecutor's Office in Nis, 23 minors were reported for robbery, and a year earlier 24. A significant number of minors were also observed who committed the act of destruction and damage to other people's property: 268 of them, as well as the act of unauthorized use of someone else's vehicle, 181 of them.
What we can see is a decrease in the total number of crimes from the "package" of crimes against property, but when we look at individual crimes - the number of crimes with the use of violence is increasing.
WHAT DID THE COURTS DO?
According to the report of the Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office, during 2023, seven minor offenders were sentenced to juvenile prison in the first instance, while 103 of them were sentenced to institutional educational measures. 1506 minors received extracurricular educational measures. In the case of 412 juvenile offenders, the proceedings were suspended due to opportunity, and in the case of 134 juvenile offenders, the proceedings were suspended for other reasons.
In the reporting period, a total of 1987 proceedings against minors were completed (compared to 1762 in the previous year).
At the very end of the part of the report that refers to juvenile crime, the prosecution's dissatisfaction with the work of the courts can be seen:
reporting period. (...) The number of appeals filed by the prosecution also indicates the lenient penal policy of the court, and the number of pending applications in the court indicates an increase in juvenile delinquency".
When viewed only through the numbers, this observation of the prosecution is correct. However, the tightening of penal policies has never led to a reduction in any crime. This is especially important when it comes to minors, for whom there is still hope to become useful members of society, and there is plenty of time for prevention and education.
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Even if we call what happened in Zaječar and Kosjerić on Sunday the victory of the regime and the defeat of the opposition, that is, the student-citizen movement, it would be necessary to add attributes to those terms, for the sake of truth and authenticity. First of all, it is a question of the catastrophic victory of the SNS, which means that the "people from Vučić" are slowly but surely going into the dustbin of history and that they are running a lap of honor in which there is no honor, nor will there be any. What are the other messages of these elections? And what can we learn from them
On Sunday, June 8, the student and progressive lists clashed in Kosjerić. I reported from there during the entire election day. A few minutes after midnight, unknown people, most likely close to the Serbian Progressive Party, punctured the tires of my car and damaged my mirrors. That is why this will not be a classic reportage
Interview: Prof. Tanasije Marinković, Faculty of Law in Belgrade
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Vučić is not defending the state, but himself from the state. With a drum on his back and a guitar in his hands, this man-orchestra performs two or three of the same songs without hearing, with falsifications and falling out of rhythm. His government and politics are like that. In short - dangerous for the environment
Arrests of professors, punishment of people, firing of journalists... The regime of Aleksandar Vučić is shining and is yet to shine. It is the decadent phase of the regime, the one towards the end
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