[Delimiting the age of criminal responsibility (section 3 of the juvenile court act) from legal innocence and diminished responsibility (sections 20, 21 of the criminal code) from the adolescent psychiatry viewpoint].

Distinguishing section 3 Juvenile Court Act (JGG) from sections 20, 21 Criminal Code (StGB) can cause some serious problems from time to time, the consequences for the investigated juveniles are then often also serious. The basis for the legal decisions are shown as well as the commentaries written on them which are partly contradicting. With the aid of five examples out of the practice of a child psychiatric expert decision criteria as a guide for an appropriate judgement are developed and discussed.