CHAPTER II. CRIMINAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PECULIARITIES OF CRIME OF MINORS 1. Dynamics, group character, degree of organization

Lecture



Society was faced with a fact: juvenile delinquency is growing catastrophically quickly, its structure and character are radically changing. It is important to understand the essence of this phenomenon, to understand why this is all happening. Not only because with the collapse of the USSR, the crisis of society and statehood, the previously existing system of prevention collapsed, and not only due to a number of socially negative factors, as indicated by criminologists, but also because we do not know modern juvenile crime do not know what she is. We judge it superficially on the basis of only clearly visible signs. With all the similarities of these signs, today's juvenile crime is completely different than 10, 5 or even 2 years ago. It is quantitatively and qualitatively changing. At the same time, neither teachers, nor practical psychologists, nor law enforcement officers are psychologically ready for its quick changes. And from here - serious omissions in preventive work. Consider the main characteristics of juvenile crime.
High dynamism. Juvenile crime is growing disproportionately fast. To characterize this growth, use the following terms: "catastrophic", "landslide", "rapid" growth. What does this mean? Usually the crime rate is compared with the growth dynamics of the adolescent population. There is such a pattern when the increase in crime corresponds to the increase or decrease in the adolescent population. The adolescent-youthful population of the country increased in quantity, the number of crimes committed by them increased, and vice versa, the number of adolescents-youthful population decreased - the number of crimes committed by them also decreased. Then the proportion remains approximately the same, i.e. crime rate does not change. And now the increase in crime among adolescents and youths is significantly ahead of the growth of the adolescent and youth population: juvenile crime has nearly doubled in 10 years. And adolescent and youth population decreased by 15-20%. This is according to our imperfect and gentle statistics. In fact, it is difficult to obtain accurate data, since the level of latency in juvenile delinquency is high when the crime is committed, but this is not known to law enforcement agencies. For example, not all victims of rape, racketeering, pickpocketing, pickup, fraud claim that they have committed a criminal assault. The reasons for the high level of latency are very different, depending on the nature of the committed criminal assault: for example, there is a false shame in rape; unwillingness to disclose incriminating information about yourself; threats from rapists; payment by parents of tyrants to parents of victims "ransom"; the awkwardness felt by the girl in front of the investigator (most of whom are men), etc. When racket, pickpocketing, fraud, there are other reasons. Very often, this is disbelief in the ability of the police to catch and bring criminals to justice; the choice of the smallest evil ("by the investigation and the courts are dragged out"), self-incrimination ("he himself is guilty of being deceived"), etc. Even the victims do not say about all the apartment thefts, especially those who have something to hide from their unrighteous incomes from law enforcement agencies. Thus, a group of teenagers, through gunners, studied the rich apartments of those who made a fortune by illegal means. Having committed the theft, she left a note in which she informed the victims about the presence of "compromising evidence" on the group. At the same time he acted on the victims and a certain "humanism" of robbers. They took only "their share", and did not take everything clean.
In connection with the decrease in the birth rate 14-17 years ago, a decrease in the number of adolescents and young people is currently observed (another demographic decline), and the number of crimes in this environment is growing. Today, on average in the country, every tenth crime is committed by a teenager or young man. In some regions - every fourth. In 1994, over 210 thousand crimes were committed by this group of the population.
What is behind this gentle statistics? First of all, it is very early that a significant part of the adolescent and youth population falls into the criminal world and is attached to its terrible laws of life. Hence, the highest probability of relapse: the earlier a person embarks on this path, the faster he will reach the level of a particularly dangerous recidivist. This is a pattern. Therefore, over the past 15 years, the average age of the most dangerous recidivist has decreased by 4-5 years (from 28-30 years to 23-25 ​​years). The recidivist is dangerous not only and not so much by the potential possibility of committing a new crime, as by the possibility of attaching unstable teenagers and young men to a criminal way of life1. He alone does not act, but organizes criminal groups, drawing in newcomers, i.e. begins to criminalize the adolescent and youth population, give rise to primary crime. Recidivist becomes a teacher and mentor of adolescents and young men in the field of criminal fishing. The young recidivist is also dangerous because of his age (23-25 ​​years old), he did not “get away” from teenagers and young men and, therefore, as a personality, he is psychologically attractive to them. This means that the more juveniles are on the path of crime, the greater the danger of an escalation of crime, i.e. its self-generation, self-development according to its internal laws.
At the same time, juvenile delinquency is characterized by uneven dynamics in various time indicators (time of day, days of the week, seasons of the year), which is explained not only by a number of objective factors, but also by the age-related psychological characteristics of adolescents. Most often, minors commit crimes in their free time during school days (from 15.00 to 24.00). It is interesting to note that the "peak" of criminal manifestations falls on 20.00-21.00. At the same time interval, the greatest number of adolescents appeals to the service "Trust" is recorded due to their difficulties in resolving life situations. Up to 7% of crimes are committed during school hours when teenagers were supposed to be in school. Up to 10% of crimes are committed during work experience and other work. At the same time, up to 18-20% of crimes are committed on weekends and holidays. The least committed crimes on Monday. During the year, the “peak” of criminal manifestations falls on holidays, which is associated with the weakening of social control over minors

_________________
1 Recidivist E.Dulbinsky by the age of 28 had 7 convictions (for malicious hooliganism, robbery, robbery, causing grievous bodily harm, carrying a weapon, possession of drugs). Coming out of the colony, he attached to the criminal activities of a minor, Efim R., with whom he took the hostage, wounded her companion, and killed the criminal investigation officer // B.Sokolov. Death chooses the young. Podmoskovnie news. 1995, September 2.

_________________

curtailing the work camps of work and rest, the destruction of the previously existing system of work with students during the holidays. Another surge in juvenile delinquency occurs in March, which can presumably be explained by the restructuring of the body of a teenager due to the onset of springtime and a change in the level of testosterone in the blood.
Knowledge of the dynamics of juvenile delinquency has practical significance for the more effective development of the strategy and organization of the prevention system, the distribution of duties and responsibilities among the subjects of preventive work. Indeed, if adolescents commit crimes at a time when they should be at home (for example, after 21.00), then the demand should be primarily from parents who do not control their children, as well as from police officers who do not pay attention to adolescents reeling in such time through the streets. Well, while committing crimes during school hours, of course, both parents and pedagogical groups must be responsible, sometimes not paying attention to absenteeism and absenteeism by teenagers. As for the rise in juvenile delinquency during the holidays, this is an indicator of the social "disease" of society as a whole, requiring the development and implementation of long-term regional and federal social support programs for the younger generation.
The nature of juvenile delinquency. It is known that the origins of the formation of criminogenic and criminal groups of minors are in the family trouble of adolescents, their unsatisfactory position in the primary educational team (class, study group), in violation of the principle of social justice in relation to individual students, in formalization of educational work with them. All of this they seek to compensate for the free activity "on the street" among the same rejected peers.
It is the need to communicate (in adolescents, it is particularly acute), the need for self-affirmation, to realize their capabilities and abilities, to recognize others, who are not satisfied in the family and in an educational institution, to look for psychological and physical protection from unreasonable claims of others. in groups.
This is due to their psycho-physiological and socio-group characteristics. A teenager, especially a socially disadvantaged one, is always drawn to strength, and grouping increases it a lot. Moral attitudes and psychological atmosphere of the nearest social environment of minors become crucial for the development and consolidation of asocial habits and behavioral stereotypes. Especially great psychologically is the role of "parties" (gathering places for teenagers and young men), where teenagers and young men are grouped, making themselves into criminal and criminal groups. Here they make acquaintances, find like-minded friends in criminal activities, exchange information, make love in a line, use toxic and narcotic substances. Studies conducted in a number of cities in the country indicate that minors attach great importance to "party" meetings. About 60% of the surveyed people spend their free time on “get-togethers” every day. In recent years, "parties" have been reborn as peculiar "criminal interest clubs", into schools for improving "criminal mastery." So, pickpockets "hang out" in one place, racketeers - in another, fraudsters - in the third, robbers - in the fourth, etc. If in the recent past, secret places were chosen for "parties", away from the police and little controlled by adults (basements, attics, gateways, entrances, distant squares, certain non-residential buildings, etc.), now teenagers "hang out" sometimes in front of them at the police (in discos, cafes, restaurants, casinos), leaving dungeons and attics for the homeless. The composition of "party-goers" is very indicative. Every third visitor of the "party" does not have a father or does not live with the family, every tenth has no mother. Every third is registered in the department of prevention of juvenile delinquency (CPF). The personal file of every fifth was dealt with by the commission on juvenile affairs1. According to the results of our survey, the majority of "party-goers" used alcohol, many tried toxic and narcotic substances. The most significant for the visitors of "parties" are such values ​​as money, pornography and sex, "car" (car), "beautiful life" (visiting restaurants, relaxing in prestigious resorts). Most "tusochnikov" attract such species

________________
1 See: N. Kofyrin. "Tusovka" is also life // Arguments and Facts. 1990, No. 40.
_________________
activities like commerce, work in the security structures of firms and banks, racketeering. From all this we can conclude that the "tusovka" plays a large role in the psychological preparation of adolescents and young men for criminal activity and the criminal way of life: it becomes the "piggy bank" of criminal experience.
The community, the norms and values ​​of which are formed outside of socially significant activities, are aimed at achieving group cohesion and stimulate the antisocial behavior of adolescents (smoking, drinking, using foul language, mischief, harassment of the younger ones, and so on). e), which ultimately is the breeding ground for the commission of crimes1. Taking all the "parties" under control, not allowing the "party" group to develop into a criminal group - the most important task of preventive work.
Criminal groups of minors, whose members feel psychological and moral support for each other, most often commit daring robberies, robbery, theft, group rape, and commit cynical hooligan actions. Moreover, the longer such groups act with impunity, the more serious crimes they commit.
Criminal groups of minors, formed on an antisocial basis and pursuing asocial goals of activity, are among those communities whose status and relations between the participants arise on the basis of not only common sympathies, but common criminal interests, the need for support in joint criminal activities. The criminal activity itself in these groups acquires a touch of false romance, is surrounded by emotionally saturated attributes (tattooing, the ability to master jargon, social group stratification, oaths, nicknames, etc.) 2. The influence of criminal and criminal groups on their members is extremely large. Not only because of the attractiveness of their inner life for adolescents, but also the serious threat of punishment for apostasy. The role of pressure is so great that you need to have extraordinary courage to voluntarily

________________
1 Arzumanyan S.D. Microenvironment and deviations of social behavior of children and adolescents. Yerevan. Ed. LUIS, 1980.
2 See: Pirozhkov V.F. Characteristics of the asocial subculture of juvenile offenders. Sat teach, works VSI, t. 222, Voronezh, 1982.

_________________
leave the criminal group. In due time, the adolescents we interviewed who had left the Kazan "winders" pointed to such factors as the material dependence of the group members on each other and the "bondage" by the general participation in the crimes committed. "To the question:" Was it difficult to get out of the "winders"? "? - they replied: "It is practically impossible, because you owe everything and you all should. And most importantly, you have to pay a large amount of fees. Besides, we were all" covered up "with crime. Clearly, the police would have been covered up. we went out in a group and created a “counter-trolley.” We had to fend off our “podelyatsikov” for a long time until they thundered into the colony. And we ourselves came to confess. "
In the formation of group illegal behavior of minors, the role of vocational schools in which, as noted, accumulates a large contingent of difficult and pedagogically neglected adolescents, who left school for various reasons (bad behavior, failure, etc.). For students in these schools, it is characteristic that many of them from disadvantaged families are deprived of parental control, over 50% of the humanitarian disciplines succeed only in a satisfactory manner. Many systematically skip classes, drink alcohol, smoke, are addicted to the extreme manifestations of fashion, early began sex life. Common interests and destinies facilitate their search for friends and the creation of criminal groups in the school.
In vocational schools there is also a so-called special contingent, which includes:
a) persons who have committed crimes, to whom the court has appointed a conditional sentence;
b) persons who have committed crimes and are assigned a deferment of the execution of a criminal punishment in the form of imprisonment;
c) persons who have committed antisocial dangerous acts to which criminal punishment is not applied due to the failure to reach the age of criminal responsibility (they enter vocational schools from a general education school);
d) minors who were released early or on completion of their term from educational and labor colonies;
e) minors released from special schools and special vocational schools in which they were for the crimes or offenses committed by them;
f) teenagers who are prone to vagrancy, gambling, maliciously avoiding school, using drugs and other stimulants, i.e. all persons who, in accordance with the law, must be registered with juvenile inspectorates1.
These persons, possessing great criminal experience, create a special atmosphere in a vocational school, implanting immorality in interpersonal and intergroup relations ("grandfathers-schino", the system of registration of newcomers, extortion and exploitation by junior seniors, mutual responsibility, false partnership, etc. ). They become centers of attraction for unstable adolescents, around which criminal groups are formed.
Such a psychological atmosphere in some schools, specific social and negative phenomena that arise, the presence of ready-made "cadres" of leaders of criminal groups often fall out of sight of the engineering and teaching staff. Therefore, the effectiveness of preventive and preventive effects on asocial and criminal groups is extremely low. Consequently, it is important to have a pedagogical constant, unremitting attention to spontaneously developing groups, the emergence of potential leaders, their in-depth study, the timely adoption of measures for their reorientation, dissociation or destruction. It is impossible not to take into account that criminogenic, and even more so - criminal groups of adolescents differ in the majority of criminological indicators from criminal groups of adults.
Firstly, they are distinguished by high criminal activity. Any arising criminal group of minors (due to the age-specific psychological characteristics of its members and the operation of the socio-psychological mechanisms of mutual criminalization) will not be inactive. She will seek out her energy. And he will find it in a crime, if the necessary measures are not taken in time.
Joint criminal activity cements the group, is the basis of its existence. According to the research results, N.V. Gukasyan each (out of 85) of the studied group of juvenile criminals managed to commit up to 7 crimes during their existence, and some more. Thus, a criminal group of two students (vocational school No. 38 of Rzhev), during 3 months of its existence, committed 11 daring thefts and hijackings

______________-
1 Regulations on the Commission on Juvenile Affairs (additions and changes were made by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR of October 1, 1985). Vedomosti Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR, 1985, No. 40, Article 1400.

_______________
motor vehicles. The group where Boris T. was the leader for the period of its existence has committed 15 thefts and hijackings of motor vehicles. "Fifteen cars in a year and a half were stolen, dismantled for parts and sold through intermediaries by a group of underage hijackers in Nizhny Novgorod and the region. The hackers of the garages were headed by an adult who had already been tried by a peasant. He also identified the potential victim of the robbery. only all the subtleties of hijacking, but also their own unique "handwriting" of sawing garage locks "1. On this "handwriting" and identified the hijackers.
It must be kept in mind that criminal groups of minors are distinguished not only by criminal activity, but also by high criminal mobility. They are able to quickly change the direction and nature of criminal activity, time and place of criminal attacks. Thus, the tightening by the engineering and pedagogical team of monitoring student behavior (during study, work experience and free time) led, for example, in a number of vocational schools to the fact that the bulk of group crimes shifted from free time to evening time (after 21.00) when students should be at home. The criminal group, where the leader was Sergey R., who returned from an educational and labor colony, within a month and a half had committed two auto thefts, three burglaries, two rapes of minors,one act of sodomy against a teenager, three grievous bodily harm. In addition, the facts of fraud, racket in the local market were identified. It is possible that this is not a complete list of the actions of this group.
The basis of high criminal activity and mobility of criminal groups of minors are the socio-psychological mechanisms of experiencing success in group activities. If the crime is committed and “got away with it” for members of the group with impunity, then the group experiences a state of post-crime euphoria. Members of the group colorfully retell their adventures to each other, flaunt their courage and prowess, which they showed in a perfect act. He is bullied or cautious, he is condemned and condemned. This serves as a lesson for all members of the group. Fearing group condemnation and bullying, even the most cautious teenagers begin to take on the most risky part.

_________________
1 Lebedeva T. "Pocherk" summed up // Labor. 1996, May 14th.

_________________
a new conceived crime, and in these new crimes, these "quiet" acts are especially active and bold. The feeling of impunity that emerged after the first “successful” crime, fueled by the experience of the success and defenselessness of the victim, “intoxicates” the members of the group, encourages them to commit new and more daring crimes. Therefore, it is important not to allow the group to commit the first crime, after which it has nothing to lose.
Given the high dynamism of group crime and criminal activity and mobility of juvenile delinquent groups, it is important to closely monitor the grouping process (“clustering”) of students, identify leaders, asocial orientation groups and promptly take measures to reorient them and divide them. Unfortunately, employees of the Department of Social and Political Education, social and pedagogical workers are late with this and are engaged in the prevention of not “today's” and “tomorrow”, but “yesterday's” group criminality of students.
Organized nature of juvenile delinquency1. Grouping is the beginning of organized crime, but without definite guidance from adult repeat offenders and mafia structures, it will remain just group crime. It is mafia structures and recidivists who give it an organized character. What does organized crime mean? About this there are long discussions with criminologists. Those put forward some signs, others reject them or justify their own. In our opinion, organization suggests: firstly, the inclusion of the adolescent group in a higher-order criminal group (adult criminals), associated with the authorities, with its corrupt elements. And from here, secondly, the subordination of the criminal adolescent group and its activities to the “general command”, i.e. mafia leaderstheir strategic intentions. Thirdly, organization is connected with the functional division of criminal activities of adolescent groups (with a clear separation of territories and zones of criminal fishing (transportation of drugs, weapons, racketeering). Fourth, organization implies professionalization in certain types of criminal activities of adolescents) groups, as well as professionalization within the groupas well as professionalization within the groupas well as professionalization within the group
_________________

1 In the scientific literature and the press, the author found more than .50 signs characterizing organized crime. The table below analyzes only the main ones.
________________

py in the commission of specific crimes. For example, one can identify an organizer (“team leader”), youth recruiters, drug keepers, traffickers, cash holders, “executioner” (knocking out debts from clients), “executor”, etc. from drug sales groups. The group of "thimblers" has a similar structure: "brigadier", "player", "shill", "fake players", provoking the public to the game with their wins, guards, "excusers", keepers of the "cash", etc. Fifthly, organization also implies the rules of behavior, “laws”, “norms”, values ​​that have been called the “criminal subculture” 1 that are common to all criminal groups within the criminal organization. At sixth,An important element of organization is a special selection of "personnel" in criminal groups from among minors and young people and their training at special training grounds (training in shooting, karate techniques, judo, methods of criminal activity) and total control over the behavior of each member of the organization. And finally, seventh, the presence of certain "judicial" instances with the right to conduct a "showdown", to punish the guilty groups or individual participants. However, here are the signs of organized crime, which characterize the place in it of teenage criminal groups. A more complete list of these signs is given in Table 2.1.to juvenile and youth criminal groups and their training at special training grounds (training in shooting, karate techniques, judo, methods of criminal activity) and total control over the behavior of each member of the organization. And finally, seventh, the presence of certain "judicial" instances with the right to conduct a "showdown", to punish the guilty groups or individual participants. However, here are the signs of organized crime, which characterize the place in it of teenage criminal groups. A more complete list of these signs is given in Table 2.1.to juvenile and youth criminal groups and their training at special training grounds (training in shooting, karate techniques, judo, methods of criminal activity) and total control over the behavior of each member of the organization. And finally, seventh, the presence of certain "judicial" instances with the right to conduct a "showdown", to punish the guilty groups or individual participants. However, here are the signs of organized crime, which characterize the place in it of teenage criminal groups. A more complete list of these signs is given in Table 2.1.punish guilty groups or individual members. However, here are the signs of organized crime, which characterize the place in it of teenage criminal groups. A more complete list of these signs is given in Table 2.1.punish guilty groups or individual members. However, here are the signs of organized crime, which characterize the place in it of teenage criminal groups. A more complete list of these signs is given in Table 2.1.

Table 2.1. Content analysis of the main signs of organized crime (according to scientific publications and the press)
№№ PP The name of the sign Qty Ud. weight
one. Corruption of power structures, their merging with criminal groups (or the inclusion of representatives of the highest echelon of power in criminal groups) 29 11.1
2 The presence of a criminal organization with all its attributes (security service, "personnel", accounting, specialists, etc.) 23 8,8
3 Assignment "from above" for all structures included in this organization, programs, strategies and tactics of activity 20 7,6

№№ PP The name of the sign Qty Ud. weight
four. The desire of the elite of the underworld to legalize their activities, penetrate into the official structures of power or have their representatives in it nineteen 7.3
five. "Laundering dirty money" and investing them in the legal business, the pursuit of super-profits 18 6.9
6 The development of informal relations in a criminal organization into formal, separation of members of the organization vertically 15 5.8
7 The functional principle of building an organization across, the professionalization of structural elements 12 4.6
eight. Corporate organization in relation to the outside world and the "elite" in relation to the "bottom" eleven 4.3
9. Strict subordination in the relationship between the "top" and "bottom" eleven 4.3
ten. The presence of the organization's charter ten 3.8
eleven. The presence of its criminal ideology, morality, aesthetics, myths ten 3.8
12. Special legal awareness, hiring lawyers to ensure the "security" of criminal activity ten 3.8
13. Total control over each member of the organization, especially for beginners and minors 9 3.4
14. Security service 9 3.4
15. Special selection and training procedure. Growing future youth underworld leaders 9 3.4
sixteen. Own court and a system of measures to encourage and punish members of the organization 9 3.4
17 Clear separation of the boundaries of territories and types of criminal fishing for groups belonging to a criminal organization eight 3.2
18. Availability of bases for training and storage of weapons, material goods eight 3.2
nineteen. Penetration into the banking system and opening accounts for nominees, often relatives of corrupt government officials 7 2.7
20. Capital transfer abroad 7 2.7

№№ PP The name of the sign Qty Ud. weight
21. Integration with international criminal corporations for similar types of criminal activity (drug business, arms trade, trade in "live goods", car theft, etc.) 7 2.7
Total: 261 100.0



Note: The analyzed sources emphasize that one should not confuse the notions of "organized crime" with the notion of "organized criminal group", which is often handed over to the militia by the owners of organized crime. Organized crime units are fighting against organized crime, and organized crime groups are fighting against organized crime.
See, for example: Nazarov Y. August 91st began in the 90th // Moscow news. 1995. September 5; Gurov A.I. Red Mafia. M .: "Gem" MIKO "Commercial Herald", 1995, section "Organized crime - what is it?", P. 278-303; Koretsky DA Antikiller. SPb. 1995; Sukhov E. I am a thief in law. M., 1995; Podleski G., Tereshonok A. Thieves in Law - a throw to power. M .: Fiction, 1994.

Comments


To leave a comment
If you have any suggestion, idea, thanks or comment, feel free to write. We really value feedback and are glad to hear your opinion.
To reply

Criminal psychology

Terms: Criminal psychology