Crime is seen as a social criminal law phenomenon that is time-varying. Today, special attention is paid to the fight against this phenomenon. Meanwhile, for effective counteraction, it is necessary to know the signs of crime, statistics , conditions and the nature of the change in the criminal situation.
Quantitative and qualitative characteristics
If we consider crime as a social phenomenon, then it can be assessed using a number of quantitative and qualitative features. Among the main indicators, the structure, level and dynamics should be highlighted.
The complex of qualitatively-quantitative features is called the state of crime . In this case, the term is used in a broad sense. In a narrow sense, the state of crime in criminology is identified with its level. It is evaluated at a specific time in a particular territory.
Crime level
It characterizes the phenomenon in quantitative terms. The crime rate reflects the number of committed, recorded attacks, convicted offenders.
It is measured in relative and absolute terms. In the first case, the indicators reflect the total number of registered illegal acts (or citizens who committed them) per specific population (usually 100 thousand people).
Structure
This characteristic of crime is qualitative. It reflects the danger of the phenomenon. The structure is measured by the ratio of certain groups of crimes:
- Of varying severity.
- Committed by adults and minors.
- Group and individual actions.
- Primary crimes and relapses, etc.
The structure also reflects the state of crime in the highest echelons of power and government, territorial prevalence.
The study of the structure of crime is of great importance in the context of the spheres of public life: domestic offenses, acts in the field of leisure, various economic sectors, transport, etc. This indicator can have a significant impact on the criminological characteristics of crime , based only on quantitative parameters.
Dynamics
It reflects changes in the basic parameters of crime over a certain period in a particular territory. The dynamics of offenses are influenced by many different factors:
- Expansion / narrowing of the scope of criminal liability (criminalization or decriminalization of acts).
- Changes in the socio-demographic picture.
- Increase in mortality / decrease in birth rate, etc.
Information about the dynamics allows us to analyze trends in the development and spread of crime, its decrease or growth.
Other parameters
The state of crime is also determined by the territory of distribution. This indicator is also called its geography. It reflects the distribution of offenses by region, their concentration in certain areas, the relationship of crime and social processes, as well as the state of prevention.
Of no small importance in the characterization is the price of crime. It is called the size of the physical damage to the life and health of the victims, material damage, both direct and indirect. This indicator is formed from:
- Criminal legal consequences, acting as elements of the composition of acts.
- Direct and indirect consequences arising after crimes.
- The cost of responding to illegal behavior, the fight against it. This, in particular, is about financing law enforcement structures, the costs incurred in developing the regulatory framework, and other expenses.
Latent crime
The state of crime cannot be evaluated only by registered indicators. Information about the many acts and the persons who committed them are not reflected in the statistics. All of them form the so-called latent crime. It is a problem of any legal state.
The following groups of crimes are distinguished depending on the degree of latency:
- Low latency. These include robberies, murders, causing serious harm, etc.
- Mid-latent. These include theft, rape, etc.
- Highly patent. This group can include infection with sexually transmitted diseases, corruption.
In the structure of latent crime, latent acts (not identified by law enforcement agencies) and hidden offenses (information about which are hidden by officials) are distinguished. Accurately assess its level is almost impossible.
Detection Methods
The main methods for detecting hidden and hidden acts are:
- Studying discontinued cases and refusals to initiate proceedings.
- Analysis of information from medical institutions, forensic examination bureaus.
- Surveys of experts.
As a rule, latent crimes do not pose a high danger to society.
Predisposing factors
Among the circumstances that determine the presence of hidden and hidden acts include:
- The insignificance of the damage caused by the assault.
- Reluctance of publicity.
- Uncertainty in holding perpetrators accountable.
- Fear of threats posed by the perpetrator.
- The presence of a special relationship between the victim or witness and the perpetrator.
The state of crime in Russia
According to experts, over the past few years there has been a steady increase in crime. This is indicated by the number of recorded acts and the number of entities that committed them.
Today, the mercenary-violent orientation of crimes is clearly expressed. Against the general background, the number of group acts is increasing. Moreover, many criminal groups are quite stable. The high proportion of acts committed by them leads to the consolidation of the criminal environment. As well as the formation of organized criminal associations.
Particularly frightening are the state and dynamics of juvenile delinquency . Recently, the number of participants in illegal activities has not increased, even those who have not reached the age of criminal responsibility. Another problem is the feminization of crime among adolescents - an increase in the number of girls among criminals.
Recently, the structure of criminogenic situations has become more complicated. This is due to the development of transnational ties between organized communities. Criminal professionalism, technical equipment, and armament of criminals significantly increased. The actions of individuals are expressed in more sophisticated forms, which greatly complicates the identification and prevention of criminogenic situations. Hire killings, terrorist attacks, etc., have become widespread.
For the years 1997-2010. up to 3 million crimes per year were recorded. In some years, the indicator decreased, in others it increased. Moreover, the number of registered criminals is less than about half - 1.2-1.5 per year.
Victimological aspects
Victimology is a discipline in which the characteristics of victims are studied. From the point of view of science, the victim of the crime is the injured individual. It does not matter if it is officially recognized as a victim or not.
The role of the victim may be:
- Anticriminogenic, i.e. preventing the crime.
- Neutral.
- Criminogenic, i.e. conducive to action.
In the latter case, we are talking about the behavior of the victim, which pushes the perpetrator to commit an unlawful act. For example, in most cases, the offender is looking not just for the victim, but for a specific person who has a set of characteristics that are relevant to the attacker. In some cases, the active resistance of a person causes the criminal to use more severe violent measures.
In some cases, the victim himself creates the conditions for committing a crime. For example, a driver leaves the door of a car in which valuable items are unclosed.
Another way is to provoke illegal actions. For example, a victim causes anger in a citizen who, in a state of passion, commits murder.
Victimization
Most victims become potential victims even before the assault is committed. This is due to the presence of certain properties.
Individual victimization refers to the ability objectively inherent in a person, but not a fatal predisposition to become a victim of a crime in certain circumstances. This ability can be realized in the course of the attack or remain potential. Mass victimization is characteristic of certain groups of the population. They are distinguished by various signs: sexual, age, social, etc.
The ability of a person to become a victim may be due to a state of crime. The higher it is, the greater the individual's chances of becoming a victim.
Features of the study of crime
The study of the criminal situation is aimed at developing effective targeted measures to combat offenses. To do this, you need to know the state of crime, its structure, dynamics, the degree of danger to society of certain types of unlawful acts, the features of their manifestation in certain regions, economic sectors, spheres of life.
Of no small importance is the study of internal laws, the logic of the development of crime, the identity of the victim and the attacker, and the consequences of the participants' behavior.
The study of the criminal situation involves not only an analysis of official statistics, but also selective results of highly specialized studies. In this case, special attention must be paid to the qualitative characteristics of crime.
The analysis must be carried out constantly: a picture fixed at a certain historical stage should be amended according to the current situation. Research results should be used to design crime control programs.
Organized crime
It arose in the country long before the collapse of the USSR. However, its active study began only in the post-Soviet era.
Currently, organized crime is a relatively independent area. Moreover, it has a significant impact on other types of illegal activities.
The development of organized crime was accompanied by an increase in the number of armed attacks, as well as acts related to the illicit trafficking of weapons. Of particular danger was the fact that weapons were distributed illegally among citizens. As a result, the proportion of violent crimes involving serious harm and murder began to increase.
Currently, the legislation establishes rather stringent requirements for people who want to have weapons. The norms provide for rather strict penalties for entities that do not fulfill them. In addition, the rules on the use of weapons by law enforcement officials and private security agencies have been tightened.