Slovenia has adopted its first-ever systemic law dealing specifically with crime committed by minors aged 14 to 18, as authorities seek a more effective response to a rise in juvenile and peer violence. Passed by the National Assembly in late January, the legislation shifts the focus away from punishment and toward education, rehabilitation and tackling the root causes of youth offending, while keeping the age of criminal responsibility unchanged at 14.
Justice Minister Andreja Kokalj said the goal is to better understand the social, family and psychological factors that lead minors to commit crimes and to strengthen their personal responsibility without excluding them from society.
A central pillar of the law is the creation of a specialised centre for juvenile offenders, which will prepare individual assessments to help prosecutors and courts tailor decisions to each case. The centre, funded partly through €1.8 million in EU support, will operate as a pilot within the existing House for Children model and is expected to produce up to 80 assessments annually.
The law also aims to significantly speed up proceedings involving minors, which currently last more than a year and a half in over 70% of cases. Dedicated judges, merged proceedings for repeat offenders and a wider range of sanctions are intended to cut delays and improve outcomes. While criminology experts have welcomed the reform as a step in the right direction, they caution that its success will depend on effective implementation and close cooperation between institutions. The legislation will enter into force in 2027, once the necessary by-laws are adopted, against a backdrop of heightened public concern over highly publicised cases of youth violence in recent years.
