Rehabilitation, Resocialisation, and Reintegration: Addressing Legal and Practical Barriers to Recidivism Prevention in Croatia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5937/crimen2601090F%20Keywords:
recidivism prevention, rehabilitation, resocialisation, reintegration, prison systemAbstract
This article examines prevention in the criminal justice system through three main steps. First, it conducts a conceptual analysis of rehabilitation, resocialisation, and reintegration, reviewing terminological ambiguities at the international level and in Croatian legislation, where definitions often overlap and remain unclear whether they denote identical processes or distinct phases thereof. Second, it analyses domestic academic literature to assess how Croatian researchers address this terminological ambiguity while outlining their key conclusions alongside limitations such as scarce empirical data. Third, it evaluates practical implementation by contrasting the normative framework’s rules for treatment delivery with actual program data from prison reports, noting inability to measure frequency or evaluate effectiveness and success, while highlighting penal system challenges like overcrowding and resource shortages, and need for data sources beyond official prison reports that incorporate inmates’ experiences and perspectives from other penal actors.
Downloads
References
Aebi, Marcelo F., et al. European Sourcebook of Crime and Criminal Justice Statistics. Göttingen, 2021. https://doi.org/10.17875/gup2021-1787.
Andonov, Angel. “Primjena pojedinih odredaba Zakona o izvršavanju kazne zatvora.” Hrvatski ljetopis za kazneno pravo i praksu 20, no. 1 (2013): 101–118. https://doi.org/10.54070/hljk.29.2.6
Božičević-Grbić, Melita, Sunčana Roksandić Vidlička. “Reforma maloljetničkog kaznenog prava i sudovanja.” Hrvatski ljetopis za kazneno pravo i praksu 18, no. 2 (2011): 679–715. https://doi.org/10.54070/hljk.29.2.6
Buđanovac, Aleksandar, Ljiljana Mikšaj-Todorović. “Stavovi prema osuđenicima i njihovoj rehabilitaciji na slovenskom i hrvatskom uzorku ispitanika.” Kriminologija & socijalna integracija: časopis za kriminologiju, penologiju i poremećaje u ponašanju 10, no. 2 (2002): 153–160.
Buđanovac, Aleksandar, Ljiljana Mikšaj-Todorović, Zoran Kanduč. “Faktorska struktura stavova prema osuđenicima i njihovoj rehabilitaciji na slovenskom i hrvatskom uzorku ispitanika.” Kriminologija & socijalna integracija: časopis za kriminologiju, penologiju i poremećaje u ponašanju 10, no. 1 (2002): 25–34.
Damjanović, Ivan, Anita Jandrić, Dalibor Doležal. “Uloga rehabilitacije u svjetlu novih promjena unutar zakona o izvršavanju kazne zatvora.” Kriminologija & socijalna integracija: časopis za kriminologiju, penologiju i poremećaje u ponašanju 10, no. 1 (2002): 49–58.
Forsberg, Lisa, Thomas Douglas. “What Is Criminal Rehabilitation?” Criminal Law and Philosophy 16, no. 1 (2022): 103–126. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11572-020-09547-4
Ganapathy, Narayanan. “Rehabilitation, Reintegration and Recidivism: A Theoretical and Methodological Reflection.” Asia Pacific Journal of Social Work and Development 28, no. 3 (2018): 154–167. https://doi.org/10.1080/02185385.2018.1501416
Getoš Kalac, Anna-Maria, Reana Bezić. “Criminology, Crime and Criminal Justice in Croatia.” European Journal of Criminology 14, no. 2 (2017): 242–266. https://doi.org/10.1177/1477370816648523
Getoš Kalac, Anna-Maria, Reana Bezić, Petra Šprem. “‘Ružno pače’ hrvatskoga kaznenog pravosuđa – zatvorski sustav u svjetlu domaćih i europskih trendova.” Godišnjak Akademije pravnih znanosti Hrvatske 12, no. 1 (2021): 83–112. https://doi.org/10.32984/gapzh.12.1.5
Getoš Kalac, Anna-Maria, Lea Feuerbach. “Small-Scaling Imprisonment in the Balkans – The ‘Holy Grail’ of Resocialisation?” Central European Journal of Comparative Law 6, no. 2 (2025): 127–166. https://doi.org/10.47078/2025.2.127-165
Heseltine, Karen, Andrew Day. “Rehabilitation Programmes in Australian Prisons.” In The Palgrave Handbook of Australian and New Zealand Criminology, Crime and Justice, eds. Antje Deckert, Rick Sarre. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55747-2_55
Jukić, Renata, Marin Sabljo. “Penološka andragogija – zatvorski tretman i mogućnosti resocijalizacije zatvorenika.” Andragoški glasnik: Glasilo Hrvatskog andragoškog društva 21, no. 1–2 (36) (2017): 27–36.
Kanduč, Zoran. “Zamisao o rehabilitaciji: pogled s kriminološkog stajališta.” Kriminologija & socijalna integracija: časopis za kriminologiju, penologiju i poremećaje u ponašanju 4, no. 2 (1996): 142–148.
Maloić, Snježana. “Probacija prema punoljetnim počiniteljima kaznenih djela – pomoć ili nadzor?” Kriminologija & socijalna integracija: časopis za kriminologiju, penologiju i poremećaje u ponašanju 23, no. 1 (2015): 157–179. https://doi.org/10.31299/ksi.24.2.6
Maloić, Snježana. “Dominantna načela i modeli tretmanskog rada s punoljetnim počiniteljima kaznenih djela u zajednici.” Kriminologija & socijalna integracija: časopis za kriminologiju, penologiju i poremećaje u ponašanju 24, no. 2 (2016): 115–139. https://doi.org/10.31299/ksi.24.2.6
Maloić, Snježana. “Pojam i značaj poslijepenalne zaštite – koga štititi, zašto i kako?” Kriminologija & socijalna integracija 28, no. 1 (2020): 11–46.
https://doi.org/10.31299/ksi.28.1.2
Maloić, Snježana, Anita Jandrić Nišević. “Reintegracija zatvorenika u društvo – možemo li bolje?” Kriminologija & socijalna integracija: časopis za kriminologiju, penologiju i poremećaje u ponašanju 28, no. 1 (2020): 47–77. https://doi.org/10.31299/ksi.28.1.3
Maloić, Snježana, Dijana Todosiev. “Uloga obitelji u socijalnoj reintegraciji zatvorenika: pregled aktualnih spoznaja.” Kriminologija & socijalna integracija: časopis za kriminologiju, penologiju i poremećaje u ponašanju 28, no. 2 (2020): 236–256. https://doi.org/10.31299/ksi.28.2.4
Meijer, Sonja. “Rehabilitation as a Positive Obligation.” European Journal of Crime, Criminal Law and Criminal Justice 25, no. 2 (2017): 145–162.
https://doi.org/10.1163/15718174-25022110
Mikšaj-Todorović, Ljiljana, Aleksandar Buđanovac. “Edukacija studenata socijalne pedagogije za rad na rehabilitaciji osuđenih u penalnom sustavu.” Kriminologija & socijalna integracija: časopis za kriminologiju, penologiju i poremećaje u ponašanju 5, no. 1–2 (1997): 89–93. https://doi.org/10.31299/ksi.26.2.4
Mikšaj-Todorović, Ljiljana, Aleksandar Buđanovac. “Javno mnijenje o prijestupnicima i rehabilitaciji u Hrvatskoj: utjecaj spola, dobi, obrazovanja i razine urbanizacije.” Kriminologija & socijalna integracija: časopis za kriminologiju, penologiju i poremećaje u ponašanju 8, no. 1–2 (2000): 27–34.
Petković, Željko. “Zastupljenost maloljetnika i mlađih punoljetnika u strukturi prijavljenih počinitelja kaznenih djela zloporabe opojnih droga iz članka 173.” Policija i sigurnost 17, no. 1–2 (2008): 111–119.
Rakić, Martina, Snježana Maloić. “Implementacija probacijskih poslova povezanih s kaznom zatvora u Republici Hrvatskoj: ostvarena postignuća i izazovi ostvarivanja.” Kriminologija & socijalna integracija: časopis za kriminologiju, penologiju i poremećaje u ponašanju
29, no. 2 (2021): 291–310. https://doi.org/10.31299/ksi.29.2.5
Seigafo Sheldon. “Inmate’s Right to Rehabilitation during Incarceration: A Critical Analysis of the United States Correctional System”. International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences 12, no 2 (2017): 183–195.
Šimpraga, Dijana, Ljiljana Vukota. “Probni projekt Uvjetni otpust zatvorenika.” Hrvatski ljetopis za kazneno pravo i praksu 17, no. 2 (2010): 813–817. https://doi.org/10.54070/hljk.29.2.6
Špero, Jana, Perica Rosandić. “Elektronički nadzor pilot-projekt u Republici Hrvatskoj.” Hrvatski ljetopis za kaznene znanosti i praksu 24, no. 2 (2017): 671–692. https://doi.org/10.54070/hljk.28.2.15
Van Kempen, Piet Hein, Warren Young, eds. /2014/ Prevention of Reoffending: The Value of Rehabilitation and the Management of High Risk Offenders, Cambridge: Intersentia.
Váradi-Csemane, Erika, ed. Criminal Legal Studies: European Challenges and Central European Responses in the Criminal Science of the 21st Century. Budapest: Central European Academic Publishing, 2022. https://doi.org/10.54171/2022.evcs.cls.
Whitney, Emily A. “Correctional Rehabilitation Programs and the Adoption of International Standards: How the United States Can Reduce Recidivism and Promote the National Interest.” Transnational Law & Contemporary Problems 18, no. 3 (2009): 777–810.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Lea Feuerbach
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication, allowing others to share the work with proper attribution to the authors and acknowledgment of its original publication in this journal.
