Status of Criminal Policy in the Federal Republic of Germany (From Praveventive Kriminalpolitik, P 3-26, 1980, Hans-Dieter Schwind et al, ed. - See NCJ-81246)

• NCJ Number: 81247
• Author(s): H D Schwind
• Date Published: 1980
• Length: 24 pages
• Sale Source: Kriminalistik Verlag Gmbh
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: German
• Country: West Germany (Former)

Annotation

This assessment of West German criminal policy defines the parameters of the concept, documents the rising rates of both adult and juvenile crime in the country, and reviews major crime causes.

Abstract

Criminal policy overlaps with but extends beyond both legal and justice policy areas. While the latter two focus on law and criminal justice respectively, criminal policy encompasses all measures to protect society and individual citizens for crime. The significance of criminal policy has grown with rising crime rates. Crime incidence has risen from 1,951,290 criminal offenses recorded by the police in 1959 to 3,533,802 in 1979. The increase is significant not only for categories of petty crime but for violent offenses as well. Juvenile participation in violent crime has increased in the last 15 years from 2,018 to 8,093 offenses. Growing crime rates are linked to recidivism: predictions of future recidivism based on past criminal records of inmates show that 80 percent of those incarcerated have served sentences before. All official crime statistics underestimate actual crime incidence; the dark figure for unreported crimes is believed to be three times that of recorded incidents. The enormity of such a dark figure heightens citizens' distrust of law enforcement effectiveness so that they do not report crime. This, in turn, allows criminals to remain undetected, and the number of crimes being committed continues to rise. The roots of criminal behavior are seen in deficient socialization within the family and school environments. Broken homes, working mothers, and misinterpreted anti-authoritarian theories of child rearing have contributed to the alienation of juvenile personalities. Schools apply discipline inconsistently, thus failing to identify and forestall juvenile deviants. Failure to integrate foreign workers and their children is compounding the problem of youth unemployment thereby contributing to criminal potential of the group. Charts, graphs, and 114 footnotes are supplied.