Legal norms are those norms that strictly determine and prescribe a legal obligation, and which oblige all subjects to comply with it. Legal norms are an integral part of constitutional, legal and by-law regulations, and their violation leads to illegality, ie to the commission of a criminal act. A punishable act is any act for which the perpetrator has consciousness and a certain degree of guilt. The most common form of criminal offenses are criminal offenses regulated by the Criminal Code of the Republic of Croatia. Criminal offenses are the most serious types of criminal acts, and can be committed by doing or not doing. According to the legal regulations of the Republic of Croatia, three types of sanctions are envisaged for criminal offenses, namely: imprisonment, long-term imprisonment and a fine. Imprisonment is now considered a key punishment in all states. It is the most important response to serious crime, especially the offenses of violence, terrorism and organized crime, and is considered the most effective means of combating crime. The basic purpose of the legal system and the legal norm towards the individual refers to the application of repressive measures for all those illegal behaviors that are foreseen as such by the law.