NCJ Number
133054
Date Published
1991
Length
12 pages
Annotation
After reviewing the ideological perspective that influences official views of crime in the socialist countries of eastern Europe, this chapter discusses crime patterns in Poland, Hungary, and East Germany and then compares them with crime patterns in western Europe.
Abstract
Marxist and Leninist ideology explains crime as a social phenomenon that arises from private ownership and the consequent antagonism between social classes. Officials of Poland, Hungary, and East Germany thus have a political stake in these countries' crime profiles. There are no victimization surveys in the three countries studied, and official statistics are suspect because of their ideological base. Official statistics indicate that the three countries are dominated by property crime. Between 1980 and 1986 in Poland, thefts were an average of 55.9 percent of all crimes known to the police. In Hungary the comparable figure was 45.7 percent for 1986. Based on conviction data, East Germany has the highest level of thefts of the three countries. East German scholars maintain the crime in their country is five to ten times lower than in the capitalist countries, particularly West Germany. The absence of data from victimization surveys makes this claim suspect, however. A comparative victimization survey conducted in West Germany and Hungary in 1982 found that Hungarians were more frequently victimized than West Germans and that they were less ready to report their victimizations to police. This would suggest that East Germany would yield similar results from a victimization survey.