Teenage crime in Russia

In a country with a high criminal situation, there is a menacing level of juvenile delinquency. In this case, the society creates the conditions for involving minors in illegal activities. In such a situation, legal norms should provide an adequate reaction of the state to what is happening. Consider further the problems of juvenile delinquency.

Criminal Code

For all articles provided for in the code, minors are punished from 16 years of age. However, there are a number of rules in the Criminal Code, responsibility for which comes from the age of 14. The latter include articles:

• 105 - The Murder.
• 111 - "Intentional grievous bodily harm."
• 126 - "The abduction of man."
• 112 - "Intentional harm to moderate health."
• 131 - "Rape."
• 158 - Theft.
• 132 - Sexual Assault.
• 163 - Extortion.
• 162 - "Robbery".
• 161 - "Robbery".
• 166 - "Illegal theft of a vehicle without theft."
• 167 (part 2) - "Intentional damage / destruction of property in the presence of aggravating circumstances."
• 206 - "The Taking of Hostages."
• 205 - "Terrorism".
• 213 (parts 2 and 3) - "Hooliganism in the presence of aggravating circumstances."
• 214 - "Vandalism".
• 226 - "Extortion / theft of ammunition, weapons, explosives or explosive devices."
• 267 - "Disabling of communication lines or vehicles."
• 229 - "Extortion / theft of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances."

Features of punishment

The law refers to minors as persons who, at the time of the commission of the act, had reached the age of 14, but they had not yet reached 18. Not all types of punishment may be applied to such entities. In particular, imprisonment cannot last more than 10 years, and correctional labor - more than a year. Serving a sentence, as a rule, is carried out in educational colonies of enhanced or general regime. When pronouncing the verdict, the court takes into account the living conditions of the minor, features of mental development, the degree of influence of the elders. Failure to come of age is considered a mitigating circumstance. The following penalties may apply to adolescents:

1. Fine.
2. Mandatory or remedial work.
3. The ban on the implementation of any activity.
4. Arrest.
5. Imprisonment for a fixed term. If the act of small or medium gravity is committed for the first time, the court may release the minor from liability and compulsory educational measures may be applied to him.
6. A warning.
7. The imposition of the obligation to make amends for the damage.
8. Transfer under parental supervision or under the control of a specialized government agency.
9. Restriction of leisure, the establishment of special rules of conduct.

Several measures can be applied to a minor at the same time. A warning consists in explaining to a person the harm that he has caused, as well as the consequences that arose from his actions. To compensate for the damage financially, the subject can only have earnings. The legislation refers not only salaries to it, but also scholarships and other payments. In the case of systematic non-compliance by the minor with the prescribed rules, educational measures are canceled, and the materials of his case are sent to the court, where the issue of bringing him to justice under the Criminal Code is considered.

Adult influence

There are various causes of juvenile delinquency. Far from the last place among them is the negative influence of adults. In practice, there are quite a lot of cases when minors participate in illegal actions together with senior persons. Repeaters are often the instigators. In fact, they commit dangerous crimes through the hands of adolescents. Moreover, they themselves often avoid responsibility.

Considering the causes of juvenile delinquency, it should be noted that many minors who are inclined not to comply with the norms established in society go towards adults, in return receiving remuneration from them in the form of things that they themselves stole.

In some cases, the role of adults is manifested in actions that are not directly related to the commission of a specific illegal act. However, older people have a negative effect on the adolescent, contributing to immoral, immoral behavior. In particular, this applies to the field of sexual development of minors. Adult involvement in puberty forms fertile ground on which juvenile delinquency is then cultivated. Statistics show that approximately one in three minors who have committed an illegal act, early began a sexual life. More than half of them had sex with adult women and girls.

Psychological features

Solving the problems of juvenile delinquency, experts note that during the formation of transitional and intermediate forms of temperament, there is a certain inconstancy in the formation of inhibitory reactions. In juveniles with pronounced aggressive behavior, a weakening of awareness of the importance of verbal irritants is observed. This category of violators is called difficult to educate. Children's, teenage crime differs from adult crime in that minors commit acts without thinking about the consequences. As a rule, they are driven by a sudden and rapidly passing attraction to an object. That is why in the proceedings against the person committed by minors, it is necessary to use a special approach and exercise caution.

Aggressive behavior is formed by increased emotionality, the predominance of excitement over inhibition. These properties are enhanced by direct experiences. This explains the fact that a minor is easier than an adult to realize, in a state of passion, unlawful intent using violence. When analyzing juvenile delinquency, many psychologists base their conclusions on the fact that the specificity of the nervous system cannot influence the form of manifestation of a specific action. Meanwhile, violence acts as an expression, not the content of an illegal behavioral act. A vivid example, in particular, is a crime based on imitation.

The influence of physical development

Teenage crime in many cases is directly dependent on the nature of puberty. Moreover, it affects not only the functioning of internal organs and the brain. The specificity of puberty determines the nature and behavior of a minor. This is especially pronounced when considering acts related to the assault on the victim’s sexual sphere (rape, etc.). When studying the subjective side of a crime such as hooliganism, it is necessary to take into account that the development of the muscular apparatus and the skeletal system affects adolescents' awareness of their strength. Many minors are proud of their physical condition, striving to demonstrate strength. This often results in aggressive and violent actions.

Teenage Crime: Statistics

Over a long period, the results of a study of the criminal situation indicate an increase in the number of unlawful acts committed by minors. At the same time, an increase in juvenile delinquency was noted during the years of the USSR. This trend continues today. Currently, the statistics of teenage crime in Russia are as follows:

• 40% of minors convicted of theft;
• 13% - for robbery;
• 14% - for robbery;
• 5% - for the murder.

In total, educational colonies contain 12.7 thousand people. In the Russian Federation, there are 3 institutions for girls aged 14-18. In accordance with the new Criminal Code, persons under the age of 20 are allowed to be sent to educational colonies. More than 70% of convicts and serving sentences are not educated.

Teenage crime in Russia

Over the past decade, there has been an increase in the number of acts committed by minors. At the same time, juvenile delinquency is growing 7 times faster than the change in the total population of this age category. In some regions, minors determine the overall criminal situation. So, youth and teenage crime are especially developed in the Murmansk, Sakhalin, Kemerovo, Kamchatka, Arkhangelsk regions. Here minors commit every third illegal act.

Important circumstances

All the years during which teenage crime has been studied, the Russian Federation is on the list of sovereign states of the former USSR, where it was the highest. On average, it was noted that every 5 years it increased by 14-17%. The growth of juvenile delinquency since 1975 was accompanied by a reduction or extremely insignificant increase in the total number of this population. Along with this, an aggravation of the criminal situation in the whole country was noted. Crime encompassed all segments of the population, but in the teenage group it was almost always the most intense.

Negative trends were also noted in those periods when quite severe punitive measures were introduced for minors. For the years 1973-1984, an increase in the criminal record of adolescents was ahead of the increase in the number of identified crimes of this group. At the same time, the total number of minors sentenced to imprisonment during this period was significant. In 1981-1985 the average annual number of convicts has become the largest in all post-revolutionary time. A significant amendment to statistical results can be made by taking latency into account. Due to registration defects, poor detection of unlawful acts of minors, actual figures are 3-4 times more than officially recorded data.

System flaws

The practice of combating juvenile delinquency leads not only to well-known distortions of the overall picture due to defects in the registration of acts, but also to an incorrect and inaccurate criminal law policy in relation to prosecuted and investigated cases, as well as the execution of sentences. Proceedings are dealt with through fragmentation of reality. This is often caused by the reluctance of investigators to establish all participants in crimes, all episodes, communications, etc. In practice, it turns out that the thefts are allegedly committed without marketers and gunners, speculation is without organizers of the purchase, drug addicts act independently, without manufacturers and distributors, and so on. All these circumstances cause the distortion of the criminogenic picture. Thus, the reduction of juvenile delinquency occurs artificially: the total number of subjects who committed an act, the groups of different ages participating in them, and so on, decrease.

Background

The criminological reasons affecting the development of crime among adolescents include:

1. An increase in the population of minors.
2. The slow pace of the implementation of measures aimed at improving the material well-being of families.
3. Low quality of life. First of all, this applies to large families and single parents.
4. Excessive employment of mothers who are forced to work and support life, raise children.
5. Insufficient number of educational schools and preschool institutions.
6. Poor organization of consumer services.
   

In addition, juvenile delinquency rises under the influence of the following factors:

1. Poor educational conditions in families.
2. Inadequate help to parents from teachers.
3. Poor preparation of specialists conducting educational work in child care facilities.
4. Poor work of commissions dealing with juvenile affairs, law enforcement agencies.

Formalism in the work of a number of public organizations, whose activities should be aimed at assisting childcare centers, schools, families, the police, the court, the prosecutor's office, and the prevention of juvenile delinquency, also has a negative impact on the situation.

Actions to improve the situation

Currently, the prevention of juvenile delinquency is administered by the CLC. The commissions are directly called upon to ensure the interaction of various parts of the law enforcement system. However, in practice, the unsatisfactory work of the CPA is often noted. This situation is due to the large volume of cases compared to the judiciary. Preparatory production and direct review of materials is carried out by one, often not exempted from other duties, a responsible employee of the commission.

To resolve the situation, it is necessary to form a special body of professional social workers. Their competence should include family support activities. These workers should interact with children growing up in dysfunctional families, orphanages. A clear legislative definition of the form for such activities is also necessary. Today, a set of additional measures has already been developed and is being put into practice. They are directed:

1. To improve the health of adolescents, their mental, physical and mental condition.
2. The legal allocation of the activities of the state, society and the family on the education of minors as a special area requiring maximum privileges and advantages in comparison with other areas of social and industrial infrastructure.
3. Timely and full compensation to adolescents for losses caused by the loss of parents or family dysfunction.
4. Overcoming irresponsibility for the state and fate of minors crippled by the subjects involved in their education.
5. Formation of conditions for the preservation, improvement and implementation of children's creative and labor potential.
   

Specific measures

State policy provides for:

1. The solution of key tasks related to overcoming hereditary pathologies, reducing fertility from subjects suffering from drug addiction and alcoholism, anomalies of physical and mental development. In this area, measures are being taken aimed at eliminating the negative impact on families of a variety of chemical, including medical, drugs, environmental processes, improving obstetric care, etc.
2. Unconditional and primary allocation of material resources, support for each family is not possible, but in a truly necessary amount, taking into account inflation and other economic phenomena.
3. Formation and development of an assistance service with highly qualified personnel and a sufficient material base. Its creation should be accompanied by a simultaneous reduction of departments, especially in the structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, designed to carry out inspection and control of families.
4. Formation of technical, material and other conditions to ensure the systematic participation of minors in feasible and well-paid work.
   

Conclusion

Currently, the problem of child crime is very acute. Often the measures taken by society and the state are extremely insufficient to correct the situation. Nevertheless, a sufficiently large amount of work has already been done, and it has yielded a number of positive results. Active measures are being taken to substantially change the interaction with minors in conditions of educational labor colonies. Of course, to improve the situation, colossal work still needs to be done. Moreover, interaction should be carried out not only directly with minors themselves, but also with employees of authorized bodies, members of public organizations. Often after a not-so-happy childhood, detention, trial, pre-trial detention center, a correctional institution becomes not the worst place to stay. In freedom, no one cares about the convicted. In the colony, for someone for the first time in their life, they are paid attention to. They are dressed, fed. They sleep in a warm room. And no matter how paradoxical this may sound, they lead a completely normal life.