5. The psychology of crime

Crime is a massive phenomenon that includes the totality of all persons in a society who have committed crimes and the totality of crimes committed by them, which may (and even as a rule) do not coincide. Thus, one person may commit several crimes, and a single group may commit one crime. This discrepancy is important for understanding the laws of crime.
A collection of criminals. There are statistical aggregate and criminal communities: spontaneous, organized criminal groups, criminal organizations. Statistical analysis of the totality of criminals allows you to identify the typology of criminals and give them psychological characteristics. In the history of psychology, attempts were made to give a psychological classification of the identity of the offender. One of the first to do this work was the Russian psychologist A.F. Lazursky1, which until now has not lost its meaning. An interesting attempt to classify the identity of criminals was made by S. V. Poznyshev. Based on the ratio of personal characteristics (endogenous factors) and external circumstances (exogenous factors) that pushed the subject to a crime, he divides all criminals into two main types: endogenous and exogenous2. There are modern personality classifications of the criminal G.M. Minkovskogo3, A.M. Yakovlev4, A. G. Kovalev5.
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1 Lazurskiy A.F. The classification of personalities. Petrograd, 1921.
2 Poznyshev S.V. Criminal psychology (Criminal types). L., 1926.
3 Minkovsky G.M. On the issue of the typology of juvenile offenders. In the book. "Questions of forensic psychology. Abstracts and reports at the All-Union Conference on Forensic Psychology." M., 1971.
4 Yakovlev AM Crime and social psychology. M., 1971.
5 Kovalev A.G. Psychological basis of correction of offenders. M., 1968.

Criminal communities. There are spontaneous criminal groups, organized criminal groups and criminal organizations. Each of them has its own distinctive psychological characteristics, features and differences, its structure, the internal distribution of functions among its members, the hierarchy, management methods, the criminal subculture (norms, rules, traditions, rituals); ways of occurrence and development of criminal communities, psychological mechanisms of rallying, ensuring the duration of their existence.
Criminal psychology is also interested in ways of drawing people into such criminal groups, what influence the criminal community has on personal behavior, how it assimilates the norms and values ​​of this community.
A set of crimes. Psychological analysis of criminal statistics allows you to identify the dynamics of crime, the types of crimes committed, the ways they are committed, its main trends. The inclusion of our economy in the global processes, the change in interstate policy, the disappearance of the Iron Curtain gave rise to new trends in modern crime, which boil down to the following.
1. The identity of the total crime in the country with crime in other countries. Domestic crime is increasingly more dynamic, the nature of the commission of crimes becomes similar to crime in the most prosperous countries (hostage taking, terrorism, drug business, the growth of acquisitive crimes, auto-tones, trade in "live goods", etc.). The analysis of this tendency makes it possible to see the influence of global crime in general crime, which is well traced, for example, in the drug business, the emergence of the world drug mafia. This is manifested in the restructuring of the criminal subculture, the emergence of new norms, values, another system of relations in criminal communities, new values ​​(knowledge of foreign languages, communication culture, etc.).
2. Crime is becoming more and more corrupt. This trend is also global. Indeed, acquisitive crimes, the enormous wealth acquired by criminal groups, require money laundering, and without penetration into official structures, without lobbying in the corridors of power, this is impossible. Therefore, the accretion of officials with criminal groups or the entry of leaders of criminal groups into power becomes a definite pattern. And this requires the acquisition of a certain image in the eyes of voters (electorate), certain methods of psychological impact on the public.
3. The absolute and relative growth of crime in relation to population, economic development, culture. "In the world per 100 thousand population over the past 20-25 years, crime has increased more than 3-4 times." 1 At the same time, the growth of crime does not depend on the level of the country's socio-economic development. So, in Sweden, with the highest level of social protection of the population, the highest crime rate in Europe.
If in developed countries dominated by mercenary and other crimes against property (95% or more of all crimes), then in Russia and the CIS countries the growth of violent and violently selfish crimes dominates. The growth rate of acquisitive crimes in the world is 2-3 times higher than the violent ones, while in Russia and the CIS it is the opposite. This aims criminal psychology to study the psychology of the dominant crimes.
4. Crime around the world has become organized. All areas and areas of criminal fishing were divided. In Russia, the tendency of organized crime is also strongly expressed, but so far there has not been a complete separation of zones and spheres of criminal fishing, our organized crime is in the stage of feudal fragmentation2. Organized criminal groups are engaged in a fierce struggle for the seizure of areas and zones of criminal fishing, which is carried out by force, which is one of the reasons for the dominance of violent and mercenary crimes. The second reason is the traditional violent approach to resolving conflicts between people in the sphere of everyday life (in the family, between friends, at parties, holidays, etc.). The third reason is the increase in the overall crime rate of the proportion of persons with mental abnormalities who are unable to foresee the consequences of their actions.
5. Organized adult crime increasingly affects teenage crime and youth crime, subordinates it to itself, using age and physical features for criminal purposes. The social danger of juvenile and youth crime is increasing, its organization is increasing.
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1 Lunev V.V. Crime trends: world, regional, Russian // State and law. 1993, No. 5.
2 Ibid.

zovannost, intellectualization, technical equipment1. Today, every eighth crime in the country is committed by minors2. This is explained by the fact that organized crime, even at the “feudal fragmentation stage”, pays great attention to training (individual patronage of adolescent teenagers, the creation of schools and camps for the professionalization of adolescents in certain areas of the criminal fishery, payment of adolescents in selected universities for the required organized crime specialties - computer science, computer literacy, law, economics, psychology, entrepreneurship, etc.). Therefore, experts predict, "when the children grow up, the country will choke in a wave of criminal lawlessness" 3.
6. There is a general social law of lagging social control over crime, its quantitative and qualitative changes. It is caused by the fact that "the first move is made by crime. The fight against it is only the response of society to its challenge (not always timely and adequate)" 4. Now there is an increase in this lag and the adequacy of the measures applied. It is hopeless to rely only on the fear of punishment for the crime committed, especially of minors, it is necessary to move from the traditional criminal law measures to combat it to the measures of criminological, psychological impact on the personality and the environment of delinquents. We had a certain system of such prophylaxis, but with the transition to the market it was destroyed. If earlier "difficult" adolescents were under observation, even if it was formal, it is still better than nothing. Neither his teacher nor his boss are responsible for the illegal behavior of adolescents. Gm Minkovsky calculated that over 50 social institutions and officials in the past carried out preventive work, were responsible for juvenile delinquency. And now there is nobody to ask for child crime if every second teenager does not study and does not work. According to current estimates, 1.5 million children of school age do not study in Russia, 2 million are homeless.

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1 Lunev V.V. Crime trends: world, regional, Russian // State and law. 1993, No. 5.
2 Ibid.
3 Terentyev D. Children // Outlaw. 1977, No. 12.
4 Lunev V.V. The specified work.
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image in the eyes of voters (electorate), certain methods of psychological impact on the public.
3. The absolute and relative growth of crime in relation to population, economic development, culture. "In the world per 100 thousand population over the past 20-25 years, crime has increased by more than 3-4 times. At the same time, the growth of crime does not depend on the level of socio-economic development of the country. Thus, in Sweden, with a high level of social protection of the population The highest crime rate in Europe.
If in developed countries dominated by selfish and other crimes against property: (95% or more of all crimes), then in Russia and the CIS countries the growth of violent and forcibly selfish crimes dominates. The growth rate of acquisitive crimes in the world is 2-3 times higher than the violent ones, while in Russia and the CIS it is the opposite. This aims criminal psychology to study the psychology of the dominant crimes.
4. Crime around the world has become organized. All areas and areas of criminal fishing were divided. In Russia, the tendency of organized crime is also strongly expressed, but so far there has not been a complete separation of zones and spheres of criminal fishing, our organized crime is in the herd ** and feudal fragmentation2. Organized criminal groups are engaged in a fierce struggle for the seizure of spheres and zones of criminal fishing, which is carried out violently, which is one of the reasons for the dominance of violent and mercenary crimes. The second reason is the traditional violent approach to resolving conflicts between people in the sphere of everyday life (in the family, between friends, at parties, holidays, etc.). The third reason is the increase in the overall crime rate of the proportion of persons with mental abnormalities who are unable to foresee the consequences of their actions.
5. Organized adult crime increasingly affects teenage crime and youth crime, subordinates it to itself, using age and physical features for criminal purposes. The social danger of juvenile and youth crime is increasing, its organization is increasing.

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1 Lunev V.V. Crime trends: world, regional, Russian // State and law. 1993, No. 5.
2 Ibid.

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zovannost, intellectualization, technical equipment1. Today, every eighth crime in the country is committed by minors2. This is explained by the fact that organized crime, even at the “feudal fragmentation stage”, pays great attention to training (individual patronage of adolescent teenagers, the creation of schools and camps for the professionalization of adolescents in certain areas of the criminal fishery, payment of adolescents in selected universities for the required organized crime specialties - computer science, computer literacy, law, economics, psychology, entrepreneurship, etc.). Therefore, experts predict, "when the children grow up, the country will choke in a wave of criminal lawlessness" 3.
6. There is a general social law of lagging social control over crime, its quantitative and qualitative changes. It is caused by the fact that "the first move is made by crime. The fight against it is only the response of society to its challenge (not always timely and adequate)" 4. Now there is an increase in this lag and the adequacy of the measures applied. It is hopeless to rely only on the fear of punishment for the crime committed, especially of minors, it is necessary to move from the traditional criminal law measures to combat it to the measures of criminological, psychological impact on the personality and the environment of delinquents. We had a certain system of such prophylaxis, but with the transition to the market it was destroyed. If earlier "difficult" adolescents were under observation, even if it was formal, it is still better than nothing. Neither his teacher nor his boss are responsible for the illegal behavior of adolescents. Gm Minkovsky calculated that over 50 social institutions and officials in the past carried out preventive work, were responsible for juvenile delinquency. And now there is nobody to ask for child crime if every second teenager does not study and does not work. According to current estimates, 1.5 million children of school age do not study in Russia, 2 million are homeless.

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1 Lunev V.V. Crime trends: world, regional, Russian // State and law. 1993, No. 5.
2 Ibid.
3 Terentyev D. Children // Outlaw. 1977, No. 12.
4 Lunev V.V. The specified work.

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At the same time, there was a stratification of society into rich and poor. Children of impoverished families see how they live alone in luxury and they also want to jump out of poverty. And the most accessible way to get rich in their understanding is a crime. Previously, Soviet children did not see "Mercedes", did not have a clue "about a beautiful life." There were no temptations - there were no crimes. Now there are more temptations (which is only the show of "high life" on television of our "stars"), you can buy more, if only there would be money. These temptations become an additional catalyst and incentive for the development of criminal tendencies in adolescents.
The forecast of juvenile crime for the next 5-10 years, if the state and society does not take drastic measures, is unfavorable.
To take adequate measures, it is necessary to comprehensively analyze the juvenile crime at the present stage, to identify its main trends. The following chapters of this book are devoted to this.