EN
The article is devoted to a specific category of offenders i.e. juveniles. Firstly, the legal definition of the juvenile, provided under Art. 115 § 10 of the Criminal Code, is analyzed, making a distinction between the notion of the juvenile and the notion of the minor. Then the grounds for the special treatment of juvenile offenders are examined. A special attention is paid to the presumption of lesser degree of juvenile’s guilt and their susceptibility to be affected, which constitutes a good prospect for their education (reformation, reclamation). Finally, the criteria on the basis of which it is established whether an offender is a juvenile offender or not, are analyzed. A special attention is given to the criterion which states that a juvenile is an offender who has not reached the age of 24 years at the time of the trial in the first instance.