Cuddly lawyer or hard line? The debate about young criminals!

Cuddly lawyer or hard line? The debate about young criminals!

In the current political duel, central issues were discussed on April 16, 2025, including the situation of young criminals, the living situation confronted with financial burdens and social challenges and the definition of gender identities in Hungary. Heimo Lepuschitz, FPÖ communications consultant, emphasized that "cuddly justice doesn't get far". He demands treatment of young criminals with "full hardness and intolerance". The EU MP Lena Schilling replied that there were important reasons why some people become delinquent and that young people should get the chance of a different way of life. These divergent views testify to the deep political trenches in the debate about crimes in the youth field.

The discussion about the re-socialization of young criminals is not new and is supplemented by cases such as that of an Afghan perpetrator who raped a 14-year-old in a refugee home in 2019. Despite a prison sentence of 2 years and 2 months, the convict came into deportation, but could not be deported because there is a freezing stop for Afghanistan. He refused an offer for voluntary return and was finally released from the deportation gap without fulfilling the requirement to regularly report to the police. His new offenses and the subsequent low fine of 1000 euros raise questions about the effectiveness of the judiciary and support the AfD's demands for sharper controls and more consistent deportations of criminals.

challenges of youth crime

The challenges related to youth crime are complex. The Federal Ministry of Youth emphasizes that the majority of suspect children and adolescents only become criminal offenses. Only 5-10% commit several, sometimes serious crimes. Intensive offenders, on the other hand, are often male and have complex problems such as social disadvantage, experiences of violence and school problems. This context requires comprehensive action strategies for prevention.

In the past 20 years, the crime and violence prevention has improved qualitatively and quantitatively. A variety of concepts to avoid youth crime were developed, with the collaboration between child and youth welfare, school, police and judiciary being reinforced. The implementation of preventive measures is the responsibility of the states and municipalities, while the Federal Ministry of Youth has the suggestion competence in order to set thematic focus.

In order to promote public discussion, the job for children's and youth criminal prevention, a central institution at the German Youth Institute, offers current data and facts on its website and provides the Federal Government for the development of new strategies. Efforts for improved prevention and the re -socialization of young criminals are essential for a sustainable and just society.