NCJ Number
77664
Date Published
1979
Length
413 pages
Annotation
This book examines juvenile delinquency, crime, homosexuality, suicide, and labor violations in postrevolutionary Cuban society as well as social control methods adopted by the Marxist government to handle deviant behavior.
Abstract
Data sources for this study -- primarily Cuban Government statistics and newspaper reports -- are discussed with particular attention to the problems inherent in interpreting this data. Characteristics of juvenile offenders are described, including sexual breakdowns, family background, education, and place of residence, followed by a review of the theories of causation about juvenile delinquency developed by Cuba's socialist theoreticians. In 1963, many common crimes were defined as political crimes to given authorities greater enforcement powers, but a new criminal code adopted in 1979 reclassified most offenses back into common crime categories. An outline of the new code identifies offenses listed under 12 general categories and summarizes the extent, possible causes, and control efforts for corruption, traffic offenses, drug-related crimes, gambling, black market activities, murder, sexual offenses, and crimes against property. Trends in postrevolutionary theories on criminology are also traced. The issue of homosexuality in Cuba is explored form three perspectives: official reactions to deviance, public conceptions of homosexuality, and methods devised by homosexuals to cope with stigmatization stemming from Cuba's Catholic culture and Latin American macho concepts. Statistics on suicides, a leading cause of death in official reports of the early 1970's, are analyzed and compared to rates in other countries. A review of the Cuban judicial system emphasizes the role that this organ has played in the revolutionary process. An overview of the police details current organizational structure and powers, along with trends in militarization, professionalization, and politicization. Other topics addressed are the impact of citizens' groups, known as the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, on the criminal justice system and laws enacted to encourage worker productivity and discourage underproduction. A general assessment of deviance in Cuban society concludes the book. Figures, tables, and chaper footnotes accompany the text. Statistical tables on criminal cases presented before the Cuban courts for 1976 and 1977 are appended.