Russian Crime of the Past Decade: Is the Time of Illusions Over?

Authors

  • Dmitry V. Bakharev Perm Institute of the Federal Penal Service of Russia, Perm, Russia
  • Leonid I. Gamanenko Perm Institute of the Federal Penal Service of Russia, Perm, Russia
  • Mikhail L. Musharatsky Perm Institute of the Federal Penal Service of Russia, Perm, Russia
  • Andrey A. Ustinov Perm Institute of the Federal Penal Service of Russia, Perm, Russia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6000/1929-4409.2021.10.129

Keywords:

Criminality, Russia, official crime statistics, criminal policy, ICT crime.

Abstract

The purpose of the study is by analyzing the state and dynamics of crime in Russia over the past decade (2010-2020): 1) to identify the factors that influenced the criminal activity of the Russian population during this period; 2) determine the main directions of the then implemented state criminal policy; 3) assess its effectiveness. Research methods: method of summary and grouping of statistical observation materials, analysis of absolute and relative values (structure, intensity and dynamics), analysis of series of dynamics. The results of the study indicate that, since 2015, there has been a progressive increase in crime in Russia, due to unfavorable trends in the development of the socio-economic sphere. During this period, there was also a significant discrepancy between the data of official crime statistics and the real situation in the field of crime. This discrepancy was due to large-scale transformation processes taking place in the sphere of the state’s criminal policy. Accordingly, the decrease in the amount and level of official crime in Russia in 2016-2018 was a consequence of these processes, while the real crime continued to grow all these three years. However, the sharp increase in crimes against property committed through the use of information and communication technologies, which began in Russia several years ago, ultimately could not but be reflected in the data of official crime statistics – in the past two years, an increase in both the amount and the level of crime has been recorded in the state. Russian law enforcement agencies have so far shown their unwillingness to offer serious resistance to digital crime. Russian law enforcement agencies have so far demonstrated their unwillingness to offer serious resistance to digital crime. The situation is significantly complicated by the fact that a significant part of crimes in the sphere of information and communication technologies is committed by inmates of Russian prisons. This means that today, in addition to a strong external influence from the criminal environment, the country’s law enforcement system is also experiencing a powerful endogenous influence from the criminals who are already serving their sentences in prisons.

References

Alieva, E., Surkhaeva, Kh. 2018. Administrative Reform of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Field of Drug Control: Prerequisites and Results. Eurasian Law Journal 6: 156-158.

Bakharev, D. 2019. On the Illusions and Realities of the Russian Criminal Policy of the Last Decade. Bulletin of the Perm Institute of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia 4: 9-14.

Bakharev, D. 2016. Spatial Analysis of the Causal Complex of Crime. St. Petersburg: Publishing House “Juridical Center”.

Bakharev, D. 2015a. The Causes and Regularities of Crimes on the Territories of the Central Federal District: The Theoretical Background, Methodology and Results of Spatial Analysis. Journal of Baikal National University of Economics and Law 9 (3): 33-41. https://doi.org/10.17150/1996-7756.2015.9(3).608-623

Bakharev, D. 2015b. The «Time of Leviathan», or Why are Russia's Regions Facing the Crime Rate Growth Again. Forensic Library 6:138-148.

Bakharev, D. 2011. The Use of Integral Indexes in Studying Social and Economic Factors of Territorial Differentiation of the Crime Level: History and Modern Prospects. Criminology Journal of Baikal National University of Economics and Law 1: 608-623.

Brief Description of the State of Crime in the Russian Federation 2010-2020 [Electronic document]. Statistics from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. https://xn--b1aew.xn--p1ai/folder/101762.

Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia. Statistical data. 2010-2020. [Electronic document]. https://fsin.gov.ru/statistics/.

Grishchenko, V., Serogodskaya, E. 2020. An Assessment of the Decriminalization of Beating. Legal Fact 100: 24-26.

Judicial Department at the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation. Judicial Statistics on Cases considered by Federal Arbitration Courts, Federal Courts of General Jurisdiction and Justices of the Peace. 2010-2020. [Electronic document]. http://cdep.ru/index.php?id=5.

Kapkova, M. 2019. Beatings Against Loved Ones. Actual Problems of Administrative Law and Process 1: 25-27.

Mikhailyuk, A. 2020. Problems of Differentiation of Criminal Liability for Beatings and Torture, and Ways to Solve Them. Modern scientist 3: 289-293.

Nigmetova, V., Leonova, A, Lopashenko, N. 2020. Some problems of the criminal law regulation of beatings. Norwegian Journal of development of the International Science 40-3: 35-37.

Santashov, A. 2021. Economic Crimes, committed in Places of Deprivation of Liberty Remotely. Countering Cybercrimes and Crimes in the Field of High Technologies. Materials of the All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference (Moscow, December 10, 2020). Moscow: Moscow Academy of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation.

Sautina, S., Kuznetsova, O. 2019. The use of Information and Telecommunication Technologies when committing Crimes in Places of Deprivation of Liberty // Transformation of State and Law in the Context of Global Digitalization of Society. Materials of the All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference. Irkutsk: ISU Publishing House.

Shiyan, V. 2016. Socio-Demographic and Pathopsychological Characteristics of Participants in Illegal Drug Trafficking. Drug Сontrol 4: 3-8.

Tretyakov, I. 2021. Drug Addicted Criminals (An Attempt at Criminological Analysis). Drug Сontrol 1: 23-27.

Ustinov, A., Titanov, M. 2016. Criminological Сharacteristic’s of Сrime in Prisons. Gaps in Russian Legislation 2: 146-150.

Voroshilova, S., Muzykankina, Yu. 2019. Decriminalizing Battering: Old Traditions and Modern Realities. Bulletin of the Saratov State Law Academy 4: 15-22.

Yakovlev, E. 2019. Some Results of Decriminalization of Beating. Actual Problems of Combating Crimes and Other Offenses 1: 102-103.

Downloads

Published

2021-05-26

How to Cite

Bakharev, D. V. ., Gamanenko, L. I. ., Musharatsky, M. L. ., & Ustinov, A. A. . (2021). Russian Crime of the Past Decade: Is the Time of Illusions Over?. International Journal of Criminology and Sociology, 10, 1112–1118. https://doi.org/10.6000/1929-4409.2021.10.129

Issue

Section

Articles