Regarding the criminological study of suicidal behavior determinants among law enforcement bodies employees

Abstract

The article carries out a criminological study of the determinants of suicidal behavior among police officers. The authors note that in recent years there has been a rapid increase in the number of suicides and suicide attempts, including ones among law enforcement officers. It was determined that criminology as a complex science allows to study suicide not only from a legal point of view, but also from the point of view of other sciences, such as sociology and psychology. There is still a debate among legal scholars whether to refer the problem of suicide to the problems of criminological research. According to scientists, the main reason for insufficient attention of criminologists is that suicide is not a criminal offense in most countries of the world.
 It is determined that suicide has become common among employees of internal affairs bodies aged 25 to 40. Given that law enforcement is a critical and extreme type of activity, suicides among law enforcement officers have specific determinants. Law enforcement officers are a category of persons who need special attention in view of the possibility of developing suicidal behavior, since the availability of weapons provides an opportunity to choose the most lethal methods of suicide. The authors agree with the opinion of the researchers that the greatest impact on a law enforcement officer is not so much household and family problems as the psychological burden associated with the service activity. In other words, socio-psychological maladjustment is the main determinant of suicidal behavior among law enforcement officers. Suicidal behavior is often associated with a psychological crisis that can occur under the influence of threats of various kinds. A person in such a crisis state decides that suicide is the only way to solve problems.
 It has been proven that suicidal behavior among law enforcement officers is caused by a number of determinants that individually and collectively have a negative impact on the policeman's personality, as a result of which his social and psychological well­being is destroyed, the protective functions of body and psyche are depleted, and mental disorders and mental illnesses may occur.