NCJ Number
212385
Journal
European Journal of Criminology Volume: 2 Issue: 4 Dated: October 2005 Pages: 465-508
Date Published
October 2005
Length
44 pages
Annotation
This article reports on trends in crime and criminal justice in Germany and reviews publications in key areas of criminology.
Abstract
Official crime statistics (Germany has no victimization survey) show divergent trends in recent years, as drug offenses and certain violent offenses have increased while property offenses have remained stable or declined. The early 1990s saw a sharp increase in crime linked to the aftermath of reunification and a peak in immigration. The issues of migration and ethnic minorities have become and will continue to be a critical criminal justice issue, particularly regarding the emergence of hostility and violence toward ethnic minorities. Sentencing statistics show a long-term trend toward informal and community-based sanctions despite some increases in prison sentences in recent years. Periodic surveys of public attitudes and actual practice do not show support for or a trend toward more punitiveness in sentencing. Criminology has not evolved into a strong discipline in Germany, as it is not yet an independent academic discipline, but rather is an interdisciplinary research field to which law, psychology, sociology, and other disciplines contribute. Recent criminological research in Germany has focused on violence against foreigners, ethnic minorities, and organized crime. The authors recommend that future criminological research in Germany include longitudinal studies of child and adolescent development embedded in social contexts of schools, neighborhoods, and electronic media, as well as approaches that link classical theories with recent advances in cognitive and behavioral sciences. Other recommendations are the initiation of a national victimization survey and research on middle-class, occupational, and corporate crimes. 10 figures, 1 table, and 191 references