The introductory part explains the concept of the delinquent behaviour, i.e. it tries to answer the question what is delinquent behaviour and what causes its development. According to that, there are three groups of risk factors that can contribute to the development of delinquency: individual risk factors, risk factors in the family and school environment and risk factors in the wider social context. After a detailed consideration of definitions and risk factors of delinquent behaviour, a special emphasis will be placed on delinquency of the young and the treatment of young perpetrators of criminal offenses in the Republic of Croatia by representation of statistical data of the Central Bureau of Statistics. The presented analysis shows us that between 2006 and 2015 has been a decrease in the number of reported juveniles and that the largest number of reported persons committed criminal offenses against property. Also, the connection between delinquent behaviour with gender and age is noticed, and the most commonly juvenile sanctions are educational measures (increased care and supervision, special obligations). At the end is shown the importance and the role of social work in the context of delinquent behaviour in youth.