Focus on youth crime: Does Austria need a new system?

Focus on youth crime: Does Austria need a new system?

In a explosive exchange at a session of the jury in Innsbruck, the debate about the penalty of young people was initiated again. Prosecutor Hansjörg Mayr was concerned that state institutions often act passively and cannot intervene in good time if children are punishable. He explained that the existing laws in Austria only recommend educational measures, but cannot order bindingly, which leads to an inadequate reaction to youth crime. The statistics show that youth crime decreases, but the reaction must be adapted to it. Mayr advocated strong daily structures and protective measures, similar to Switzerland, where the freath of punishment applies from ten years, and the focus on protection and upbringing is placed on protection and upbringing, such as observer reported .

In Switzerland, young people who are delinquent have the opportunity to not only punish, but also to be supported by various interventions. Instead of prisons, closed and open facilities can pursue the goal of rehabilitation the young people through stability and structure. Critics, including Patrik Killer, youth lawyer in Switzerland, are increasing doubts about the lack of flexibility in Austrian legislation and emphasize the need to create regulations that make it possible to take young people out of the usual environment for a long time in order to solve their problems. Also the view of children expressed at orf tirol that family and social media have a morbid influence on children, which tackles the discussion about the punishment of children and the adequacy of the reactions.

penalties for young criminals

The legal framework for punishing young people who culpably act is also a central point in the current debate. Various punishments for young people are determined in Switzerland, whereby they are evaluated according to the age and the severity of the crime. The legislator allows that in some cases no punishment are imposed if the consequences of the deeds are serious for the young people themselves. The focus is on education - in addition to references and non -profit work, measures such as personal services can be ordered to have a positive impact on the social behavior of the young person. The under 15-year-olds are largely spared in the event of violations of strict punishments, while the youth court can also order up to four years of age from 15 years of age, one aspect that is critically questioned in the context of the Austrian legal situation.