NCJ Number
214932
Journal
European Journal of Criminology Volume: 3 Issue: 3 Dated: July 2006 Pages: 259-292
Date Published
July 2006
Length
34 pages
Annotation
This article explores the etiology of crime in contemporary Russian society.
Abstract
The main conclusion is that the long history of authoritarian regimes and the recent political and economic shift has created a situation in which both the society and the state of Russia have been criminalized. The author argues that corruption is the central problem in Russia and until it is confronted and dealt with, all other crime problems will proliferate. Since the fall of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), Russia has faced significant social and economic problems that are reflected in its rising crime rates, drug problems, and other social ills. The author begins his analysis of the crime problem in Russia by reviewing the social situation in contemporary Russia, which is marked by the ever-increasing economic polarization of the population seen in the stark contrast between the impoverished majority and the rich minority. Official crime rates in Russia are reviewed as the author cautions that rates of recorded crime greatly underestimate the actual crime problem, which has been more completely uncovered through victimization surveys. The author also notes that a massive system of crime cover-up prevents a large number of crimes from being reported and recorded. The causes of high rates of serious violent crime in Russia are explored, including an examination of drug abuse among the Russian population, the effect of rampant organized crime groups, and Russia’s widespread corruption problem. The author next turns to an analysis of how Russia’s excessively repressive criminal justice system confounds the crime problem through its punitive policies. Statistics are offered that show Russia has the highest rate of imprisonment in the world. Moreover, the justice system mainly focuses on street crimes and ignores the more serious issues of organized crime and corruption, which are arguably more harmful to the Russian population than street crime. Figures, tables, references