Abstract: The article presents the results of a study of particular components of the motivational sphere of juvenile offenders, which influence the formation of criminal behavior. The aim of the work is to identify, using tools designed for psychodiagnostics of general everyday motivation, features of motivational components of juvenile offenders, differences in the motivational sphere of offenders and their law-abiding peers. The study is described using the method of measuring the motivational structure (V. Milman), the methods of "Pyramid of needs" (V. Skvortsov, I. Akindinova), MAS (M. Kubyshkina), "Proverbs" (S. Petrova), "Scale of sensation search" (M. Zuckerman) in relation to offenders and law-abiding teenager and young men aged 14 to 17 years, according to the results of which information was obtained on the structure of the dormitory motivation of juvenile offenders, their needs, motivational attitudes, aspirations to search for sensations and other aspirations. A comparative analysis of the reaction of offenders and law-abiding minors was carried out. The results of the study of the answers to direct questions about their own psychological characteristics allowed us to draw conclusions about the presence in juvenile offenders of the dominance of consumer motivation of primitive forms, the actualization of the need to avoid trouble; a low level of aspirations for self-affirmation and self-esteem; unsatisfied needs in the field of interpersonal communication. Also the systematic declaration of socially approved aspirations by juvenile offenders, which are not confirmed in real behavior, has been revealed, which limits the conditions of the use of non-specialized methods for studying the motivation of illegal behavior. The original study of the motivation of juvenile offenders, who are not placed in prison, is of an applied nature and is designed to ensure that psychological factors are taken into account, when implementing rehabilitation and preventive programs by subjects of juvenile delinquency prevention.