Effective Forms and Means of Preventing Criminal Activity of Migrant Workers in Russia

Abstract

The article is devoted to an urgent criminological problem connected with the insufficiently controlled and illegal external labor migration into the Russian Federation, which poses a considerable threat to its national interests and public safety. The author presents and analyzes new statistical data regarding the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of crimes committed by labor migrants in Russia as well as their other criminologically relevant characteristics, he singles out and describes economic, psychological, legal and socio-political prerequisites and factors of crimes committed by labor migrants in Russia. It is noted that modern Russian society is characterized by worsening criminogenic situation and processes that lead to hostile and aggressive behavior and intolerance towards labor migrants, which exacerbates both the criminal situation and the interethnic and interfaith conflicts and increases the manifestations of everyday xenophobia, migrant phobia, and nationalism from the locals. The author draws attention to the fact that criminogenic factors in the labor migrants’ environment are mainly connected with a low degree of social adaptation, acculturation and integration of labor migrants into the Russian social and cultural environment due to their poor knowledge of the Russian language, history and culture, the basics of Russian legislation, traditions and customs of social interaction, the absence of a substantial and constant intercultural dialogue or productive information exchange, comprehensive and resourced state and municipal projects and programs aimed at the socialization, successful integration, and social support of labor migrants. In this connection, the author suggests new, effective and optimal anti-criminogenic directions and formats of integration and adaptation work with labor migrants living and working in the Russian Federation that could improve their law abidance, general and legal culture, responsible attitude to social norms; the author also outlines prospective measures of general and special prevention of crimes committed by external migrants.