Addressing the 19th conference of the Croatian Association of Criminal Science and Practice, Mesic said there had been no public condemnation so far by professional associations or those responsible in the judicial hierarchy of "the scandalous decisions of the judicial authority we are witness to".
Explanations that the judiciary is independent or that court decisions can be corrected at a high court cannot justify "actions which defy common sense and the morality of the Croatian society," said Mesic.
Commenting on the latest amendments to the Criminal Code, he said an obstacle to stronger criminal repression could be lack of prison capacities. He said a possible solution was the conversion of former military facilities into prisons and that the government should decide about this.
The Opatija conference focused on the latest, sixth set of amendments to the Criminal Code which the parliament adopted in June.
Mesic said the public had the impression that judges had often applied the mildest possible punishment for a crime, giving mitigating circumstances an importance disproportionate to the crime in question. He added it was necessary to restore public confidence in the judiciary.
Justice Minister Ana Lovrin said the government had full confidence in judges who were expected to find mechanisms of implementing the government's intention to suppress crime through harsher penalties. She called on court presidents to more intensively follow individual cases so as to prevent the statute of limitations from applying.
Supreme Court president Branko Hervatin underlined the importance of judges being independent and professional for the public perception of their work. He said he did not object to public comments on court decisions if they were objective and professional.
Hervatin said the number of cases open more than three years had dropped 49 per cent since the end of 2005.
The Opatija conference began on Wednesday and closes on Saturday.