NCJ Number
152014
Journal
CJ Europe Volume: 4 Issue: 6 Dated: (November-December 1994) Pages: 10-12
Date Published
1994
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article examines some of the issues that are confronting criminologists in Poland as a result of the transformation from authoritarian communism to a democratic state with a free market economic system.
Abstract
Under authoritarian communism, the police were viewed by the people as part of the state's security apparatus, which focused primarily on behaviors perceived to threaten the communist system. Petty crime existed throughout the state as a means people used to improve their lives. The explosion of many enterprises shaped by democratic institutions and by a free market economy have given rise to new forms of criminality with surprising speed. This has not been matched by effective laws and law enforcement. Paradoxically, democratic rules and strict legality of proceedings contribute to the weakening of the struggle against crime. Police officers, mostly young men with brief training and probably frightened by well-organized brutal gangs, use the law as a pretext for remaining inactive in situations that clearly demand their intervention. Also legislators are reluctant to pass laws that give the police greater powers of intervention and investigation, given the police abuses of the past. Criminologists are challenged to provide a theoretical base for the development of laws and a criminal justice system that will both protect citizens from abuse by criminals and by the state.