!!!Jugendgerichtsbarkeit

Juvenile Penal Law: Austria has a special criminal code for juveniles, 
which is valid from the  Criminal Responsibility, Age of until the age 
of 19 (Jugendgerichtsgesetz 1988 = juvenile court law, 1988).

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There are juvenile courts in Vienna (Jugendgerichtshof), Graz, and 
Linz. Criminal proceedings are adapted to the situation of accused 
juveniles, and disciplinary measures can be chosen from a broad range 
of possibilities, in order to find the most appropriate means of 
preventing further offences in each individual case. The imposition of 
unconditional penalties is the most extreme of these. Particular 
features are: 1) waiver of prosecution with or without a judge´s 
warning, 2) closing of the case following satisfactory compensation 
for the misdeed out of court, 3) provisional closing of the case for a 
trial period or if certain conditions are fulfilled. In addition, 
legal dispositions can be made with regard to family or juvenile 
welfare (care orders to remove a juvenile from unsatisfactory 
surroundings, etc.).

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In principle, applicable penalties are half of the maximum amount; 
there is no minimum penalty and no life imprisonment sentence. The 
juvenile penal system has its own regulations and penal institutions 
or units. Information about criminal records is only obtainable under 
limited circumstances, and criminal records are erased after a shorter 
period of time than for adults. Of special significance are the 
ancillary  Probation and juvenile court assistance services. The 
social workers and psychologists in the latter institution assist the 
court, particularly by presenting inquiry material.

!Literature
U. Jesionek and K. Held (eds.), Jugendgerichtsgesetz 1988, 
1989.


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