Violent crime of juveniles: features of group behavior

Abstract

Introduction. Prevention of juvenile delinquency is always one of the priorities of Ukraine's legal policy, as children are one of the most criminally affected segments of the population. The preamble to the Law of Ukraine "On Child Protection" states that the protection of children in Ukraine is a strategic national priority, which is important for ensuring the national security of Ukraine, the effectiveness of domestic policy. It should be noted that neither society nor the state has created an effective system for preventing juvenile delinquency, including violence. Today, the level of juvenile delinquency among Ukrainians and its increased public danger is of concern to scholars, practitioners, and ordinary citizens alike. The aim of the article. Establishing the features of group violent juvenile delinquency. Conclusions features of the group nature of violent juvenile delinquency: the desire for community and imitation as normal psychophysiological age traits; greater degree of cruelty and abuse of the victim; incitement to suicide; increased group dependence; insufficient social self-control; conformism; ease of quick informal integration; the need for communication and self-affirmation; group cohesion; dominant group motive. When committing group violent crimes by minors in the group, despite the presence of different motives of its participants, the group motive is dominant. Such a group motive determines the qualification of the crime committed by minors. The group through the system of its intragroup relations determines certain personal characteristics of its members. A promising area of further research in this area is to determine the nature and content of group motive, as well as the role of the leader in the mechanism of group violent behavior of minors.