Criminal Subculture Research Articles

Psychosocial Causes of Crime; Offender as Victim. Post-Soviet Georgian Perspective

This study explores the psychosocial causes of crime, particularly focusing on the unique socio-cultural context of post-Soviet Georgia. It examines how offenders can be both perpetrators and victims due to tough environments. It shows how socio-economic issues and the breakdown of traditional support systems influence criminal behavior. This study explores the experiences and motivations behind criminal behavior among older individuals in post-Soviet Georgia. It aims to understand how the collapse of socio-economic structures and the influence of criminal subcultures contributed to the rise in crime during this period. Using mixed approache, the study combines a thorough literature review with in-depth interviews of 12 men aged 35 to 50, who were convicted of violent crimes in Georgia during and shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The findings suggest that economic hardship, social stigmatization, and the appeal of criminal subcultures were major drivers of criminal behavior. Many participants pointed to tough economic conditions, societal pressures, and a feeling of learned helplessness as key factors behind their actions. The study also highlights the long-lasting effects of early stigmatization and the socio-economic challenges faced during the post-Soviet era. The study concludes that to effectively address criminal behavior, it’s essential to create comprehensive rehabilitation and reintegration programs. These programs should address both psychological and biological factors, provide economic support, build social networks, and offer trauma-informed care. There’s a clear need for targeted interventions that not only prevent crime but also help former offenders reintegrate into society.

Pharmaceutical Dependence and Organization of a Criminal Subculture

Pharmacy drug addiction can lead to the formation of criminal subcultures and groups where people suffering from drug addiction can gather. This creates an environment in which criminal activity can become widespread, with the illegal trade in medicines contributing to increased crime rates in society. Access to prescription drugs (especially opioids, antidepressants, and psychostimulants) through the Internet and illicit channels is contributing to the rise in addiction among various segments of the population, especially among adolescents and young adults. A tendency immediately appears to organize a criminal subculture: its own circle, its own colloquial clichés. Pharmacy addiction causes serious damage to the health of young people, but also contributes to the development of a criminal subculture involved in the illegal trade and distribution of drugs. The author examines the causes leading to the development of addiction and analyzes the consequences for health and social sphere. Particular attention is paid to the structure and functioning of criminal groups involved in the illegal trade in medicines. The impact of these groups on society, including increased crime and economic losses, is examined. The article also proposes measures to prevent and combat pharmacy addiction and the criminal subculture, including strengthening control over the circulation of prescription drugs, prevention programs and law enforcement measures.

Уголовно-правовые и криминологические инструменты противодействия наркотизму (на примере диссертаций, защищенных под руководством профессора Прохоровой Марины Леонидовны)

The article is an overview of criminal legal and criminological tools used in the fight against drug addiction, with an emphasis on research conducted under the guidance of Professor Marina Leonidovna Prokhorova. The authors analyze the final conclusions of dissertations devoted to these issues, including conceptual approaches to combating drug addiction, determining the role of the criminal subculture and the deviant environment of drug addicts in influencing a healthy society, as well as mechanisms for the rehabilitation of people suffering from drug addiction. It is underscored that these dissertations have collectively engendered an entire scientific domain, consolidating developed criminal law and criminological means for counteracting drug addiction. Diverse methods and strategies utilized to address the challenges associated with overcoming drug addiction and rehabilitation of drug addicts are characterized herein. The integration of these doctrinal tenets is advocated for the formulation of a robust and balanced criminal law policy aimed at preempting drug addiction.

The necessity for the scientific research on subcultural processes in the prisons of the Republic of Moldova

This article is an argument for initiating scientific studies on subcultural processes in penitentiaries of the Republic of Moldova, processes that play a key role in shaping penitentiary crime, but which are not sufficiently well reflected in official studies and statistics. The lack of control tools on the dissemination of criminal subculture in the detention environment but also its negative influence on the effect of resocialization actions, order and stability in the prison environment, as well as other important aspects of detention, determine the study of subcultural processes to be extremely current and necessary. The facilities created by the legislator for detainees in order to release them without full execution of the sentence, in order to stop overcrowding in prisons and to avoid losing cases to the ECHR, determined the release of a massive influx of convicts from detention, which makes the study of the subculture even more current, there being a risk of its exportation out of prison.

Problems of Countering the Criminal Subculture in the Penitentiary System of Kazakhstan

The present paper examines the problematic issues of countering the criminal subculture in the conditions of the penitentiary system of Kazakhstan. Currently, the administration of these institutions, various state bodies, and numerous public organisations are engaged in the rehabilitation of prisoners. Through joint efforts, it was possible to stop the wide spread of criminal ideology in places of detention. At the same time, a detailed study of the current situation shows that the criminal subculture, primarily the phenomenon of “code-bound thieves”, till plays a certain role there, since it was formed over many decades of Soviet and post-Soviet history. In modern conditions, this phenomenon has been significantly transformed, but nevertheless, it seeks to strengthen its influence in the penitentiary system of Kazakhstan.

Факторы криминализации несовершеннолетних осужденных

The article discusses the features and factors of criminalization of minors, analyzes the reasons for the involvement of adolescents in the criminal subculture. It also presents a generalized socio-psychological portrait of juvenile convicts serving sentences in educational colonies; The results of a study of risk factors, prevalence and specificity of elements of the criminal subculture (motives for acceptance, aspects of subordination to criminal leaders, etc.) among juvenile convicts are considered, and the directions of correctional and preventive work of penitentiary psychologists and other employees in this social group are shown.

The Role of Fashion in Crime Symbolism in Ghana, West Africa

ABSTRACT This study delves into the intricate interplay between fashion and deviance, focusing on Ghana, West Africa to address the gap in understanding how clothing choices can serve as symbolic conduits for deviant behavior in Ghana. We adopted a qualitative approach, utilizing ethnographic research design to explore the complex relationship between clothing, symbolism, and deviant behavior in the Ghanaian cultural context. We conducted semi-structured interviews with three categories of participants: 10 deviant or criminal individuals from Nsawam prisons and in the communities through non-participant observation, 8 community members, and 2 law enforcement officers. We employed purposive sampling method to ensure that participants had relevant expertise and firsthand knowledge related to clothing symbolism in deviant subcultures. The study findings mainly revealed that clothes convey identities and codes subtly and is a potent emblem of group connection. The intricate dynamics surrounding the stigmatization and labeling of clothing symbolism have an impact on people’s self-esteem and interaction with law enforcement. To develop guidelines and training programs for law enforcement officers and community members on concrete methods of identifying and comprehending clothing symbolism within deviant and criminal subcultures, policy makers may form a collaborative task force consisting of law enforcement, community leaders, and cultural experts.

Manifestations of Criminal Professionalism in the Activities of Robber Gangs of Pre-Revolutionary Russia

Relevance. Professional crime is one of the most dangerous, relatively independent types of crime, which poses a serious threat to modern society and the state. Currently, there is no unified approach to assessing the state, dynamics and trends of this dangerous criminal phenomenon. Mechanisms to combat this type of criminal activity that are adequate to the level of danger have not been identified. In this regard, special studies of professional crime in all its complexity and ambiguity are becoming particularly relevant, including those affecting certain issues of the evolution of this dangerous criminal phenomenon in time and space.The purpose. He purpose of the study is a theoretical analysis and definition of the socio-legal essence of professional crime in pre-revolutionary Russia (using the example of the analysis of socially dangerous activities of robber gangs).Objectives: to analyze the domestic legislation of the pre-revolutionary period, providing for accountability for repeated robbery; to determine the specifics of committing crimes on a professional basis by robber gangs in prerevolutionary Russia; to identify elements of the criminal subculture supported by the community of professional robbers in the period under study in Russia.Methodology. To achieve this goal, such general scientific and private scientific research methods as the method of analysis, synthesis, generalization, comparative legal and chronological methods were used.Results. It was determined that many robbers who traded on the «high roads» during the studied period possessed all the signs of criminal professionalism: the presence of criminal specialization, qualifications, perception of criminal activity as a source of income, connections with the criminal world, including those expressed in the perception and multiplication of values and norms of the emerging criminal subculture.Conclusion. By the end of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a monolithic, well–structured consolidated and criminal world had formed in Russia, in which the professional criminal «core» played a special role. Professional robbers occupied not the least place in the criminal hierarchy, causing significant harm to economic relations in society and the national security of the country.

ИСТОРИКО-ПРАВОВОЙ АНАЛИЗ ПРЕДУПРЕЖДЕНИЯ ВОВЛЕЧЕНИЯ В КРИМИНАЛЬНУЮ СУБКУЛЬТУРУ НЕСОВЕРШЕННОЛЕТНИХ

The purpose of the work is to conduct a historical and legal analysis of the prevention of involvement in the criminal subculture of minors. Based on this goal, the objectives of the study include the identification of theoretical and practical problems in identifying the periods of formation of the criminal subculture of minors, as well as the establishment of measures to prevent the involvement of minors in the criminal subculture. The article uses a set of general scientific and private scientific methods. Among them, the author uses analysis, systemic, historical, formal legal and content analysis. In addition, the methodological basis of the research is the dialectical method of cognition. In conclusion, the periods of formation of the criminal subculture of minors are highlighted. It is noted that in the historical aspect, there were no comprehensive measures to prevent the involvement of minors in the criminal subculture, they were associated with measures to prevent and prevent juvenile delinquency in general.

Criminological portrait of the “thief in law” today: Results of the All-Russian penitentiary research

In legal science and law enforcement, there is no certainty about the relationship between the concepts of “thief in law” and “person occupying the highest position in the criminal hierarchy”, which leads to problems and errors when bringing to criminal responsibility under Part 4 of Art. 210 of the Criminal Code and Art. 2101 of the Criminal Code. In order to solve this problem, a study was conducted among the operational staff of institutions of the penitentiary system engaged in countering penitentiary crime in general and organized crime in part icular, professionally possessing knowledge in the field of criminal subculture. As a result of the study, were established: signs of a person who cannot be a “thief in law”; signs of a person who is a “thief in law”; the relationship between the concepts of “thief in law” and “person occupying the highest position in the criminal hierarchy”; the procedure for conferring the title of “thief in law” (the procedure of “coronation”, “baptism”); the procedure for depriving the title of “thief in law”. In addition, the moment of the end of crimes related to the occupation of the highest position in the criminal hierarchy has been determined, the circle of persons included in the number of subjects of crimes provided for in Part 4 of Art. 210 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and Art. 2101 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, the rights and obligations of “thief in law”, their functions and powers in the criminal environment are established.

ФОРМИРОВАНИЕ И РАЗВИТИЕ УГОЛОВНОГО ЖАРГОНА В ПРОФЕССИОНАЛЬНОМ ПРЕСТУПНОМ МИРЕ ДОРЕВОЛЮЦИОННОЙ РОССИИ

The subject of the study is the formation and dynamics of criminal jargon as an integral element of the criminal subculture of the professional criminal community of pre-revolutionary Russia. The study aims to analyze the peculiarities of the formation and dynamics of criminal jargon as a special social dialect of the domestic criminal environment of the pre-revolutionary period. The objectives of the study are to determine the time of the origin of criminal jargon in the criminal environment of pre-revolutionary Russia, identify the main functions of the thieves cant used by domestic criminals in the period under review, and analyze the development of criminal jargon as an integral element of the criminal subculture in various chronological periods. The methodological base of the study is represented by a set of general and private scientific methods, including chronological, comparative legal, formal logical, and some other research methods. It was determined that at different stages of the development of the criminal world, according to the changes in criminal jargon, different trends in the development of the criminal environment can be identified. In the 17th century, the underclass actively produced and employed criminal jargon in pre-revolutionary Russia. The secret language served such purposes as identification, communication, and conspiracy. The formation of a special thieves cant in the criminal environment of pre-revolutionary Russia is associated with the qualitative transformation of the Russian criminal world and the isolation of a community of professional criminals from the criminal environment. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, thieves became an integral part of the criminal subculture, preserving and multiplying professional criminal traditions and customs.

Alienation and Power in Doris Lessing’s The Fifth Child

In her novel "The Fifth Child", Doris Lessing illustrates the rigidity of a patriarchal society. The analysis of masculinity in this study shows that society as a whole, in addition to its criminal subcultures, are maintained by the masculine law and order, which encourages prejudice against those who do not fit into the norms of society, believe in authoritarian social systems, and favor rational solutions to moral judgments. Therefore, Lessing has fostered the complexities of social relationships between husband and wife from various socioeconomic strata in terms of a crippled child, Ben. Her unbiased insight into the thinking of society’s underprivileged women as well as those who represent the oppressive established society sheds light on various aspects of patriarchy. For this purpose, the current study intends to investigate Lessing’s treatment of women’s alienation and power. It aims to look at psychological conflicts, social alienation, and social status and power through the art of characterization and plot construction.

Introducing methadone maintenance therapy into Ukrainian prisons: a qualitative study of criminal subculture, Russia's full-scale invasion, and contested methadone objects.

After pilot testing, methadone was newly being introduced into Ukrainian prisons in 2021 as part of a national scale-up strategy to treat opioid use disorder and prevent transmission of HIV and HCV infections. Opioid agonist therapy (OAT) scale-up in Eastern Europe and Central Asia prisons has been hampered by varying levels of influence of criminal subculture, an extralegal informal governance by a social hierarchy that operates in parallel to formal prison authorities. This study examined the socio-environmental factors influencing the uptake of methadone treatment in Ukrainian prisons, including changes that evolved during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the displacement of people deprived of liberty (PDL) from conflict to non-conflict regions. In-depth qualitative interviews (N = 37) were conducted from January 2021 to October 2022 in the only two Ukrainian prisons where methadone was being introduced with PDL (N = 18). These two prisons continued to provide methadone after the full-scale invasion. Former PDL (N = 4) were also interviewed and prison staff (N = 15). Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and translated into English. Four authors independently reviewed, coded, and applied a phenomenological framework for data analysis, delineating themes related to criminal subculture, drug use, methadone uptake, and evolving changes during the Russian invasion. Criminal subculture perceptions varied, with some seeing it as strongly discouraging drug use among certain groups, while others described it as a residual and weak influence from a more distant past. The influence of the subculture on methadone treatment uptake, however, was less clear. PDL and prison staff struggled to identify and articulate differences between illicit street-bought methadone, used recreationally, and medically prescribed methadone. Thus, the meaning of "methadone" varies in interpretation as it is being introduced, making it potentially conflicting for patients to opt into this evidence-based treatment. As Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, PDL from conflict zones were transferred to non-conflict regions where methadone was being introduced. The prison environment became more enabling for PDL to start methadone as they were segregated and not subject to the existing criminal subculture's rules and lacked the social ties necessary to procure drugs illegally. It appears that the criminal subculture is variable and evolving in Ukrainian prisons and appears to be impacted differently by the invasion of Russia. As methadone scale-up in prisons expands, it will be important to distinguish the meaning of methadone perpetuated negatively by the prison subculture versus that in which it is intended as a medical treatment by the formal prison authorities. The current invasion of Ukraine by Russia provides a potential disruption to alter this course.

TACTICS OF OVERCOMING COUNTERACTION TO THE INVESTIGATION OF OCCUPYING THE HIGHEST POSITION IN THE CRIMINAL HIERARCHY

The issues of tactics of overcoming counteraction to the investigation of the occupation of the highest position in the criminal hierarchy are considered. Based on the generalization of investigative and judicial practice, typical ways of countering the investigation of this crime are identified. The article defines that for the purpose of such counteraction, interested persons use message encryption, as well as falsification, destruction, modification of material objects and documents. Witnesses are forced to refuse to testify. In general, such methods are reduced to masking information about the functions performed by the suspect and about other signs of his status position in the criminal hierarchy. Organizational and administrative, regulatory, judicial, punitive functions are masked by friendly advice, rules of the hostel, criticism of violators, resolution of domestic conflicts, etc. The disposal of the thieves’ cash register is disguised as the organization of the mutual assistance cash register. The status signs of this crime are expressed in the occupation of the highest position in the criminal hierarchy, according to the traditions and rules of the criminal subculture. It is shown that a typical way of distorting status signs is to represent a thieves’ ritual as a playful form of behavior. Tactical techniques that contribute to obtaining reliable data on the signs of a suspect occupying a higher position in the criminal hierarchy are aimed at verifying the reliability of sources of evidentiary information. The article suggests effective tactical operations, such as the appointment of forensic examinations, interrogation, and other investigative actions, in combination with operational search measures of a search and verification nature.

Особенности содержания и лакуны правового регулирования воспитательной работы с женщинами, отбывающими уголовное наказание в виде лишения свободы

The article discusses the factors that cause significant scientific interest in the peculiarities of educational work with females, in respect of whom a criminal penalty in the form of imprisonment is being executed. It is shown that among convicted women, the widespread manifestation of the criminal subculture is not typical. It is shown that the content of the methods of educational work with this category of convicts is deeper, and their list is more diverse in comparison with the methods of such work with convicted men held in correctional institutions. The contradictory role of the psycho-emotional and socio-legal characteristics of convicted women for the effectiveness of the educational impact on them is indicated. Criticism of the absence in the penitentiary legislation of specially designated norms that would regulate educational work with female convicts is presented. Accordingly, in the order de lege ferenda, additions and amendments to Art. 109, 110 of the Penal Code of the Russian Federation. It is concluded that there is a connection between the ideas of humanism in the domestic penal policy and a more meaningful penal regulation of educational work with convicted women serving imprisonment.

Theory and practice of influence caused by the criminal subculture on crime in the penitentiary sphere

The object of study was the study of the theory and practice of the influence caused by the criminal subculture on criminality in the penitentiary environment. In the main content of the research, two directions are highlighted: first, the influence of criminal subculture among convicts in places of detention of the State Criminal Executive Service of Ukraine and; the second direction of influence, this caused by criminal subculture among convicts who are registered with parole of the State Institution «Parole Center». The methodological basis of the research was presented as comparative-legal and systematic analysis, formal-legal method, method of interpretation, hermeneutic method, as well as methods of analysis and synthesis. Among the contributions of the research, the definition of the influence that the criminal subculture exerts on delinquency in the penitentiary environment is formulated. It concludes on the need for the mandatory application of measures for the individual prevention of professional delinquency, in terms of judicial and public policies.

Juvenile Delinquency: Current Trends and Measures to Prevent It

The article examines the specific features, signs of modern juvenile delinquency and measures to prevent it in the problematic aspect. Based on the analysis of the legislation of the Russian Federation, the opinion of the scientific community and statistical data for the period from 2016 to January 2023, the results of the survey of employees of investigative bodies and questionnaires of persons released from places of isolation, the following conclusions are made. The criminal orientation of minors is more often formed in dysfunctional families, and access to various sites on the Internet increases their activity. The recidivism of minors does not decrease, and the youth subculture "A.U.E." has a negative impact on this process, which spreads its criminal attitudes and prevents the minimization of this social phenomenon. In order to optimize measures to prevent juvenile delinquency, it is necessary to create conditions for increasing the prestige of the family, training specialists who are able to work effectively with children who demonstrate deviant behavior. It is important to monitor the processes of formation and development of criminal subcultures for their research and positive impact on them. An improved set of measures to prepare for release from an educational colony and the provision of post-penitentiary assistance can significantly affect the reduction in the level of recidivism of minors.

The role of the infrastructure and the legal framework in reducing the effects produced by the criminal subculture of persons deprived of liberty

The criminal subculture of people sentenced to prison produces negative effects in the prison environment, including segregation and social stratification of convicts, physical and mental abuse of certain categories of prisoners, resistance to the positive effects of resocialization actions, etc. Both theory and practice have already demonstrated that the destruction of subcultures cannot be achieved without attracting other more serious consequences, such as the formation of another subculture, but much more dangerous then the first. Under these conditions, a much more realistic objective is to weaken the effects of the subculture in the prison environment. In achieving this objective, the role of the infrastructure and the legal framework is extremely important. Moreover, in the case of the legal framework, we expressly state that it is useless without an implementation framework. In this article, we are going to explain the formation of the criminal subculture in penitentiary institutions including through infrastructural factors, and to argue that the laws for the execution of criminal sentences without a framework for their implementation have no purpose and

Crime prevention mechanism in places of deprivation of liberty

The article examines the basic principles of crime prevention in places of deprivation of liberty. It was determined that penitentiary principles and the mechanism for preventing criminal offenses in places of detention remain the primary task of the State Policy in the field of execution of criminal punishments. It is they who ensure the order and conditions of execution and serving of sentences in places of deprivation of liberty in Ukraine and guarantee the safety of society. Emphasis is placed on the fact that penal institutions must return a full-fledged individual to society. It was determined that prevention of crime in places of deprivation of lliberty, as part of all crime, should be carried out at three levels: general social, special criminologicaland individual.
 General social prevention of crime in places of deprivation of liberty is, first of all, a complex of promising socio-economic, organizationalmanagement, ideological, cultural-educational and other measures aimed at solving acute social problems and troubles in the country. In addition, bodies and institutions for the execution of punishments can apply such special measures of criminological prevention as prevention and cessation of crimes. Prevention and termination of crimes are transferred to those stages of the development of criminal behavior, which are characterized either by the emergence of the intention to commit a crime, or when the behavior of some persons is capable of causing it, or when the crime has already begun to actually be committed. Preventive activities in places of deprivation of liberty can be based on methods of neutralization of criminogenic phenomena, dealcoholization and devictimization, destruction of the criminal subculture, criminal law abstinence from committing crimes, medical rehabilitation.
 It is substantiated that the fact of a person’s continued stay in a criminogenic environment or his return to it after serving a sentence or parole is necessary for recidivism.
 It was established that the prevention of crime in places of deprivation of liberty requires improvement and regulation of its mechanism. A system of measures was proposed that would maximally prevent the possibility of committing crimes in places of deprivation of liberty. However, it has been established that in order to increase this activity, first of all, it is necessary to eliminate organizationalmanagement, control-supervisory, informational, operative-search and other determinants that contribute to the commission of criminal offenses in places of deprivation of liberty.

ОКРЕМІ ПИТАННЯ КЛАСИФІКАЦІЇ ЗАСУДЖЕНИХ ДО ПОКАРАННЯ У ВИДІ ПОЗБАВЛЕННЯ ВОЛІ НА ПЕВНИЙ СТРОК

Classification of convicts as one of the main elements affecting the application of the main means of convicts’ correction and resocialization is considered in the article. Criminal’s identity, their personality, social and psychological structure are examined in the article. The criteria of penitentiary influence that ensure the solution of the goals and tasks of the Criminal and Executive System, are also given. The authors note that the classification of convicts can be defined as based on the law, the requirements of Psychology and Pedagogics, as well as the practice of dividing persons deprived of liberty according to a court verdict into more or less homogeneous groups based on the level of social and moral neglect of their personality, as well as the level of social danger and motives of the crime committed by them for the purpose of their separate detention both in various penal institutions and within them in separate local and structural precincts. Special objectives of the classification of persons sentenced to imprisonment for a certain period of time are given, such as: preventing possible negative influence of different groups of convicts on each other, as well as preventing negative influence of convicts with a clearly expressed criminal antisocial position on other convicts; reducing the influence of the criminal subculture on convict’s personality; ensuring safe conditions of stay in penal institutions; construction of a rational, modern system of penal institutions; organization of convicts’ protection and supervision taking into account the requirements of the theory of physical and dynamic security; etc. The authors considered the European Prison Rules that specify the requirements for the separate detention of different categories of convicts, taking into account their safety and protection, as well as the corresponding regime. Key words: convict, legal status, punishment, classifications, penal institution, criminal offense, correction and resocialization.