In the Scandinavian countries which include Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, the legal age of criminal responsibility is 15 years of age. So, from the age of 15 one may be punished, even imprisoned. With this said, the focus of this article is legal protection of children and juveniles suspected of or convicted for crime. In Scandinavia, juvenile justice systems do not exist, however there exists diversion of juveniles from prison into social welfare measures and the prohibition of placing children in jail. The article examines the young criminal and the extent of their involvement in crime, the crimes committed by children and reactions to their crimes, and crimes committed by juveniles and the sanctions imposed and reactions to their crimes. Even though Scandinavian countries have been identified as having much in common regarding juvenile investigation, procedure, and penal measures, there are a few exceptions, such as Sweden has the legal ability to try the criminal guilt of a child in court; that mediation based on a presumption of criminal guilt is legal in Norway and Finland; Denmark does not prohibit placement of a sentenced juvenile and un-sentenced children next to each other in secure institutions; and none of the countries definitely prohibits the possibility of a juvenile serving a prison sentence in the same ward in the same prison as an adult. The need to invest in effective prevention efforts of young crime is clear. References