NCJ Number
107384
Journal
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 31 Issue: 2 Dated: (1987) Pages: 91-100
Date Published
1987
Length
10 pages
Annotation
After explaining the Marxism-Leninism view of criminality as rooted in capitalist social conditions, this article examines why Marxism's promise to eliminate crime has not been fulfilled in the German Democratic Republic (GDR).
Abstract
Marx and Engels argued that criminality is not an inevitable aspect of all societies but is tied to the social conditions spawned by the dynamics of capitalism. Theoretically, communism will gradually eradicate crime. The fact that criminality still exists in the GDR under Marxist ideology presents problems for the political leaders. Youth commit most of the crimes, and more than half of the crimes are property offenses. The similarity of crime patterns in the GDR and capitalist societies suggests that criminality may be traced to factors common to persons in all societies. The relatively low rate of criminality in the GDR may be due to a lower level of urbanization, traffic density, ideological uniformity, intense socialization, citizen participation in crime prevention, and the influence of collectives. There are also factors that contribute to crime in the GDR, notably the lack of opportunity to fulfill personal interests and a rigid system of laws that increases punishable behaviors. A consequence of Marxist-Leninist theory is that criminology must be guided by practical needs and must always support social development according to socialist ideology. Such criminology does not abide by the scientific principle that acceptable hypotheses must be empirically tested and verified. 20 references.