Cultural studies

Criminal culture: origins and specifics of reproduction

Introduction

Culture and criminal subculture

Structure criminal subculture

Features of the criminal subculture

Development of criminal subculture in modern Russia

Conclusion

Bibliography

Introduction

A.K. Cohen said that a person develops in a group of peers or in a criminal gang, the members of which have a stable value system that differs from the value system that exists in the larger society. A person in such an environment develops in accordance with the values ​​and norms of his environment, without perceiving the values ​​of the culture as a whole. A similar approach to the study of the causes of crime in criminology began to be called the theory of subcultures.

Certain ideas have developed regarding the criminal subculture, which have become mythologized, just like the criminals who are its main carriers. The most common myth is that criminal culture is a recent and unique phenomenon. Meanwhile, prominent domestic criminologists studied the criminal subculture back in the 19th century: D.A. Dril, M.N. Gernet, P.I. Lublinsky and others.

The criminal subculture is increasingly penetrating modern Russian culture, deforming it. Therefore, studying this topic is vital and necessary.

1. Culture and criminal subculture

Culture? it is a set of industrial, social and spiritual achievements of people. Culture in a broad sense means a high level of something, high development and skill. Shall I add? development of social benefits and the ability to use material achievements for the benefit of humanity. Culture has a complex nuclear structure. There is a core of culture that ensures the storage and transmission from generation to generation of information, rules and norms of behavior. The core of the culture is highly stable because it is protected by a special cultural belt. This belt consists of a system of social, behavioral and moral responses to all types of acculturation. The protective belt prevents the reverse influence on the core of culture from the external quasi-cultural environment (to which I include, first of all, the criminal subculture), protects against destruction and transformation.

More specifically, culture (it is also customary to talk about the dominant culture) is the sum of the characteristic features of social relationships. Culture includes beliefs and moral values society as a whole, as opposed to the social structure, which consists of roles, classes, political and economic agreements. In turn, a subculture is a system of values ​​and behavior that becomes traditional among certain groups of the population. There are groups various types, including professional and ethnic, social classes, etc. The central link in the relationship between official culture and subculture are norms - group instructions, rules that permit or prohibit certain behavior. These rules are approved by a large majority of society, which rewards obedience and condemns disobedience. I want to emphasize that we're talking about about subculture, because in in this case It is impossible to classify the criminal subculture as a subculture for reasons that I will discuss below. A criminal or, as it can also be called, “delinquent” (from the Latin delinquens - committing an offense) subculture is characterized by the behavior of groups of people reflecting values ​​that are directly opposite official culture. These groups include people with criminal professionalism and groups of people, whose age may vary, located in “closed institutions”, such as prisons, secure psychiatric hospitals, etc. They are important system report through which individuals and groups understand the world and interpret it for their own purposes. A “delinquent” subculture is characterized mainly by behavior that reflects values ​​that are directly opposed to the surrounding culture. The theory of criminal subculture thus explains criminal behavior as learnable - the delinquent of the subculture learns values ​​that are deviant (from the Latin deviatio - deviation).

The criminal subculture consists of objective, so to speak, material elements and subjective human moments. Elements of the mechanism of formation of a criminal subculture consist of the following components: 1) the search by an unstable person for psychological and physical protection; 2) mutual aggression of members of the modern crisis community.

In the narrow sense of the word, a criminal subculture is a spiritual area of ​​a special community of people, usually organized into criminal gangs, criminal groups and organizations. As paradoxical as it may sound, the criminal life of criminal people is primitive, but at the same time, very diverse.

Figuratively speaking, the criminal subculture is like a layer cake. Each layer appears to be a subculture of specific groups engaged in specific criminal activities. From this point of view, we can talk about the prison subculture, the thieves' subculture, the subculture of prostitutes and drug addicts, etc. In addition, the criminal subculture is a way of life for a very specific criminal group. The most important characteristics of the criminal subculture of a criminal group are the following:

) the criminal subculture does not like publicity;

) the criminal subculture is organized according to the principle of the so-called “get-together” among its own and for its own.

In other words, each criminal group has its own behavioral attributes, symbols, signs, traditions and customs.

The criminal subculture is an objective phenomenon that is in a complex relationship with the culture of society, social processes happening in our society. The spread of the criminal subculture is directly influenced by the dynamics of the spread of crime in the country, changes in its nature and basic criminological indicators.

During the period of the collapse of the tsarist empire, there was a massive penetration of prison rules of behavior into public life, including because the people who came to power, for the most part, had experience in hard labor and in prisons, which, in my opinion, regardless of the conditions of serving their sentences , cannot but be socially harmful. In turn, the sharp decline in morals in Soviet society during its peak and decline (1960–1980s) led to a decline in morals in the criminal world. Thieves' laws have lost their sacred and inviolable character. Unfortunately, the socially negative phenomena under consideration are still occurring today. Thus, about 1% of our working population annually experiences prison life. This is a colossal number! A huge number of people return to everyday life as preachers of prison life and lifestyle.

The criminal (delinquent) subculture is not only generated by the official culture, but is also in antagonistic contradictions with it. Criminal subculture is a denial of official rules.

The formal (official) structure is designed to help a person in his daily life, which is quite strictly regulated. This is both her strength and weakness. It is impossible to regulate everything; there will always be certain social niches that will not be filled by official rules of conduct.

In an informal (informal) structure, nothing is ever dictated from above. The rules and customs here are absolutely autonomous and do not fit into higher-order structures. Is the apparent anarchy and disorder of the existing thieves' rules actually subject to a strict and straight line of progressive behavior? everything that can harm the criminal community is destroyed. At the same time, simplicity and clarity are attractive to people, especially from the lower social classes.

2. The structure of the criminal subculture.

The criminal subculture consists of the following elements:

Criminal ideology, which is a system of concepts and ideas that has developed in the group consciousness of criminals. In addition, we are talking about a unique philosophy that justifies, explains and encourages a criminal lifestyle, removes psychological and moral barriers for people who find themselves choosing an illegal or social type of behavior. The presence of a criminal ideology is the main condition for triggering the mechanism of self-justification and denial of responsibility by the criminal;

Criminal morality, in turn, is contrasted with social morality. The main thesis here comes down to the fact that public morality is hypocritical in essence, aimed at oppressing the majority of the population. Criminal preachers, not without reason, claim that there are many moral standards, and they often contradict each other. In every specific case the standard of morality that is beneficial to those in power is applied. Morality in the criminal world is supposedly the same for everyone. She cannot be hypocritical because she is simple. Everyone is responsible for failure to comply with established moral standards, and the punishment for anyone, be it a novice criminal or a criminal authority, is the same - death;

A criminal lifestyle, which is an attractive standard type of behavior that primarily influences a young person. The main principle is to spend the stolen money on fun and beautiful expensive cars. There is no point in saving money; you have to spend it today, because you don’t know what will happen tomorrow. At the same time, it is important to give a certain part of the money in advance to the savings bank of criminals in the so-called “thieves’ common pot”, or “common fund” for short. This is a kind of insurance for criminal activity;

A criminal organization that appears not in the form of a monster, which is extremely clumsily shown in films, but in the form of very specific people rushing to help in Hard time(providing an experienced lawyer to an inexperienced offender, assistance to a family whose member is in the dock, etc.). People representing this kind of organization do not consider themselves criminal authorities; the organizations themselves are quite amorphous and unstructured. This, among other things, explains the unsuccessful attempts to defeat them in the usual ways, by bringing their leaders to justice, in whose place others immediately take their place. But at the same time, when the vital interests of such organizations are attacked, their leaders unite in an amazing way and act as a single whole;

A criminal cult, which comes down to two components: the cult of personality and the cult of weapons. There is often a cult of an expensive car or motorcycle and women, but this can more likely be attributed to a criminal lifestyle. The cult of personality will be discussed below; it is important to emphasize that for criminal world The cult of strength and the cult of organizational abilities are equally important. As for weapons, they give extraordinary self-confidence, especially to young offenders. Many criminals are real experts and connoisseurs modern weapons, subscribe to special magazines, try to establish acquaintance with engineers at weapons factories, and keep abreast of the latest technical developments. A weapon for them? an important component of habitual behavior. Without realizing it, they are afraid to admit that without weapons they are nothing. This reveals one of the characteristics of any cult - a person is afraid of losing it, since he has no real personal significance. Weapons give: a) a feeling of superiority over other criminal groups; b) the impulse to immediately demonstrate one's strength. If a criminal group has a weapon, it will definitely use it.

. Features of the criminal subculture

Representatives of the criminal subculture are characterized by patriotism, which surprisingly alternates with primitive rationalism. Patriotism is inherent because the most prominent representatives of the criminal subculture have a totalitarian consciousness. In turn, the central characteristic of totalitarian consciousness is belief in the simplicity of the world. Any phenomenon can be reduced to an easily described, visual combination of several primary phenomena. The illusion of simplicity creates the illusion of omnipotence. Any problem can be solved by giving the right and proper orders. This is especially popular with the younger generation, who almost always and at all times, up to a certain age threshold, strive to understand the world through simplicity of perception. Therefore, young people are attracted to totalitarian-oriented individuals. Totalitarian-oriented individuals and groups unconsciously perceive civilization as having lost its prestige. The past primitive structure of life and interpersonal relationships attracts them, because in it they can find psychological comfort. It is because of this that they begin to fight civilization with such ferocity. Hence the manifestations of aggression and vandalism that are incomprehensible to others. Both Hitler and Stalin had manifestations of primitivism. For many criminals, the image of Stalin is still iconic.

Until recently, there was an opinion that the criminal subculture took place only in penal institutions. It is fair that this is where the criminal subculture is most clearly expressed and, most likely, this is where it originated. Therefore, in the social layer of the criminal subculture, the prison subculture has the greatest influence. Prison mentality breeds criminal behavior. Criminal consciousness, a way of thinking, arises in the psyche of a criminal even before he commits a crime.

In prison communities, the signs of a criminal subculture are as follows:

) the presence of warring asocial groups;

) strict group stratification (hierarchy of roles);

) the presence of a system of minor exceptions for the “top”;

) psychological and physical isolation of the “outcasts”;

) presence of nicknames;

) distribution of gambling

) distribution of prison lyrics and criminal (criminal) songs;

) dissemination of criminal jargon;

) distribution of tattoos;

) propagation of prison traditions and thieves' oaths;

) vandalism.

Professional criminals of the past had stricter morals. Before the revolution, the morality of professional criminals was supported by the tsarist police because it was profitable. It was easier to deal with criminals who adhered to certain rules and principles. I myself witnessed when an investigator told me that it is easier to deal with a professional: he will not deny obvious facts. If there is evidence, he immediately admits and starts bargaining, what he admits, what he doesn’t, who he rats out and who he doesn’t. If you come across a newcomer, he denies even obvious things, and it is much more difficult to deal with him. You never know what he will do next; it is impossible to agree on anything with him. By the way, such people fall more under the power of lawyers, and professional criminals know their value and do not stand on ceremony with them!

Recently, significant changes have occurred in the criminal world and criminal subculture:

Corruption and cronyism corrode not only society as a whole, but also the criminal environment.

A certain mosaic of causes of criminal behavior has developed. It is impossible to identify the root cause or the main or underlying cause of criminal behavior.

There has been a deformation of political psychology, which is manifested in the widespread misconception that democracy is permissiveness. There is a growing lack of faith in the stability of state institutions, the stability of power, its ability to ensure the normal functioning of society, law and order, and the protection of the rights and interests of citizens. Against this background, there is a revival of political and ideological extremism, largely provoked by representatives of the criminal world.

The deformation of legal consciousness is manifested in legal nihilism, a negative attitude towards the law, legal illiteracy, loss of guidelines for legal behavior, disbelief that the law can act as an effective regulator of social relations, the belief that citizens are not equal before the law, distrust of law enforcement agencies, and confidence in the impunity of criminals. There are often cases when, in order to protect their legitimate interests, citizens have to pay money to the police. I emphasize that in order to bring the criminal to justice, the police extort money from the victims! And this is not the exception, but the rule: 39% of citizens talk about their lack of rights when communicating with representatives of law enforcement agencies.

There has been a deformation of people's moral consciousness, which permeates all spheres of human life. Morality determines the limits of permissibility of any type of human behavior and sets the boundaries of good and evil. Now these boundaries are blurred, and soon they will be erased.

The transformation of the criminal subculture was influenced by a number of factors: at various times, many scientific and cultural figures who ennobled the criminal world were imprisoned. This happened during the time of tsarism, it happened under Stalin, it happened later. It must be said that knowledgeable people have always been valued in prisons. For example, the famous researcher of the morals of the royal penal servitude V.M. Doroshevich once met with the famous, as they would now say, criminal authority Pazulsky. Unexpectedly, Pazulsky announced that he would speak to Doroshevich in English. The trouble was that Pazulsky learned the language self-taught and had never heard the living English dialect. The fate of Pazulsky, and most likely, his life, was in the hands of Doroshevich. All he had to do was say that he did not understand what Pazulsky was telling him, and hard labor would have destroyed his idol. However, Doroshevich managed to answer something to Pazulsky, and, according to Doroshevich, one should have seen with what respect the convicts listened to this whole strange conversation in a language they did not understand.

The tendency of the criminal subculture is ordering and systematization. At the same time, in its total mass it remains an amorphous structure. Once a criminal subculture forms a system, it becomes impossible to find its root cause. It develops according to spontaneous laws, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to stop its growing influence and penetration into the general culture.

The criminal subculture has developed its own aesthetic tastes, priorities and values. This concerns concepts beautiful life, easily accessible girls, expensive cars, opportunities to relax in style at expensive exotic resorts, etc.

All ideological, legal, aesthetic and ethical elements of the criminal subculture appear in unity and interconnection.

Dynamics of the criminal subculture: toughening of the morals of vulgar criminals and at the same time democratization in groups of professional criminals. Vulgar crime is called vulgar because force and cruelty rule the roost. All this is reflected in the ways of determining the status of an individual and his role in a criminal group. Professional crime is characterized by intelligence and cold calculation. In such a criminal environment, democratization has occurred, so gangs are not led alone.

criminal subculture moral deformation

4. Development of the criminal subculture in modern Russia

It must be said that in recent decades there have been significant changes in society’s attitude towards crime and its manifestations. The criminal subculture, which they previously preferred not to talk about, has now received legal status along with general culture. Some argue that this is part of the general culture and there is nothing wrong with the fact that society will know some of the postulates of the criminal subculture. Meanwhile, the most important thing is not taken into account? The criminal subculture is not part of the general culture, but its direct antipode. In addition, she is socially aggressive by nature. Representatives of the criminal subculture spare neither effort nor means in order to displace the best centuries-old traditions cultural heritage humanity and replace them with a surrogate of dubious works of so-called prison art. At the same time, the substitution of concepts occurs in veiled forms, for some reason openly criminal songs are called “everyday” songs, criminal jargon and terminology are called “everyday” conversation. No one is surprised that leading journalists talk to their readers on the pages of newspapers and on television in a semi-criminal language. The prison term “lawlessness” has become commonly used. I'm not even talking about the fact that books written in obscene language are published in large quantities. In feature films, actors allow themselves to use obscene language in order, as the directors say, to bring the on-screen life of the characters closer to the real one.

The criminal (delinquent) subculture has not yet become, but is becoming an integral part of our life. On TV screens we are frightened by endless series about life gangster groups, “thieves” (criminal) music, which is now called “everyday music,” does not cease on the radio. Sponsors, whose origins of money can only be guessed at, organized the broadcast and regular operation of a specific radio station - “Chanson”. The very name of the radio station, given its content, looks incorrect. Chanson (from the French chanson) is a French folk song of the 15th–16th centuries, professionally polyphonic, which was performed by a choir, usually from among artisans, while working. (Polyphony is a type of polyphony in music, based on the equality of voices. In the 15th–16th centuries, choral polyphony of a strict style, based on diatonic themes with simple intonations and rhythms, became widespread. It was replaced by free-style polyphony, often instrumental, using the main in the image of major and minor, themes that are complex in intonation and rhythm.)

In this sense, probably, domestic barge haulers were direct performers of chanson. In modern French chanson? This is a modern pop song, usually an original one, from the repertoire of a chansonnier, i.e. those people who write songs and perform them themselves. In our country, such songs are called author's and they have nothing to do with thieves. Based on this, what should the radio station be called? "Chancenet." Chansonette (from the French chansonnette) is a song of playful, often frivolous content, usually performed by a lady, often of easy virtue. Performers of such songs in restaurants and cafes were called chansonettes. Apparently, the name “chansonette” seemed too frivolous and ambiguous for the organizers of the radio station. By the way, does this also reveal a certain hypocrisy of representatives of the criminal subculture? accusing everyone and everything of deceit, they themselves act on the principle of deception and duplicity.

The development and spread of the criminal subculture is currently directly influenced by destructive general social processes:

) insane destruction of one's own national culture;

) collapse of the ideals of youth;

) disorganization and imbalance of all public institutions;

) deideologization;

) destruction of secondary school education

It should be emphasized that the processes associated with de-ideologization have received a rather unexpected development. The resulting vacuum in the field of ideology turned out to be filled with nothing. And we have a whole generation growing up for whom ideology is the absence of ideology!

What is surprising in this regard is the massive introduction into the consciousness of citizens of things alien to us. Various television games (“The Weakest Link”, “The Last Hero”, “Behind the Glass”, etc.) are built on the principles of personal victory at the cost of destroying one’s comrade. Moreover, at all times, even among some of the criminals, the motto was different? Perish yourself, but save your comrade! Therefore, we, and not our enemies, won the victory in the Great Patriotic War.

As V.N. rightly says. Kudryavtsev, two circumstances particularly affected the modern criminal subculture. Firstly, there has been a massive displacement of the former “thieves in law” and their inherent views and traditions by a new generation of criminals who are not isolated from the general social environment, but, on the contrary, are actively being introduced into it, introducing their new “rules of the game.” Secondly, there is a convergence of the criminal subculture with the mores of a modern crisis society, in which “there is a war of all against all,” which suits the representatives of the world of thieves very much.

The spread of the criminal subculture is facilitated by the growth in the number of detective literature and detective films, which relish the elements of criminal activity, the role, place, significance and influence of each member of the criminal community on public life, and mainly by exaggerating such influence. We hear that American society experienced the film “The Godfather,” which did not have a negative impact on it, but became a masterpiece of world cinema. This shows double deceit. Firstly, as soon as the film was released big screen, heated debate flared up around it, and the majority of not only criminologists, but also public figures and authoritative representatives of the cultural elite pointed out, and still point out, serious negative elements of the film. First of all, we are talking about a certain idealization of the mafia world and the open sympathy of both scriptwriter Mario Puzo and director Francis Coppola for the screen hero? godfather. Secondly, and this is the most important thing, the film had a retrospective basis and was filmed, much less shown, at a time when the most odious “mafiosi” were in US prisons, and most of the most dangerous criminal groups (murder corporation) were defeated. Moreover, in the 1930s and 1940s, when criminal clans really ruled the United States, was there an unspoken rule? Cops weren't supposed to be shown in a negative way, and in the movies, the cops always beat the criminals.

Another reason for the spread of the criminal subculture is the migration processes that began in connection with the great migration of young people to the “construction sites of communism”, and continue now, but in connection with the collapse of the once united country. As for the “construction projects of communism,” unfortunately, this problem has never received due attention. It is no secret that, in addition to Komsomol activists, parolees and probationers from among young people were mainly sent to these construction sites. Living and working conditions were not the most ideal, and proper preventive work with this contingent was practically not carried out. Strictly speaking, these construction projects were a type of hard labor, with the only condition that they paid quite decent wages for the work. But thanks to the short-sighted social policy, youth and criminal subcultures in areas of large construction sites created a special socio-psychological climate.

The worst thing is that the criminal subculture is directly connected with minors and young people who have a criminal orientation. The norms and values ​​of the criminal subculture are powerful regulators of individual behavior and have the highest degree of reference due to the mechanisms of mental infection, imitation, and pressure, which constantly create a situation of frustration and mental trauma for a young person. The reference group, according to D. Glasser, is? this is a group to which a person is oriented and which serves as a standard for him, regardless of whether he wants to belong to it or not. M. Sherif believes that the norms and values ​​of the reference group are the main guidelines for a person, in accordance with which he organizes his life. In turn, M.R. Haskell said that a street group that commits illegal acts and which becomes a reference group for a teenager belongs to a delinquent (criminal) subculture.

The “party” youth subculture is a storehouse of criminal experience, a regulator of the activities of delinquent minors, approving one type of behavior (usually illegal) and suppressing another (socially useful).

The peculiarity of the criminal subculture among juvenile offenders is that the norms and values ​​of the criminal environment are constantly updated and improved. About 60% of youth party participants are psychologically ready to drink alcohol, 8%? to drug use, 5% ? to the use of toxic substances. Only 36% of them have independent income. Without exaggeration, we can say that the criminal subculture is the main mechanism for the criminalization of the youth environment.

Conclusion

Crime is an eternal negative social phenomenon. Only uninformed people can talk about its eradication. What is the order of life in a given society, such is the order of violation of its basic foundations. The cause of crime is everything that interferes with the normal functioning of a given society. Thus, the dysfunction of economic and social structures immediately gives rise to a surge in the shadow, criminal, economy. The dysfunction of political and government institutions leads to a sharp increase in official crime. The typology of criminals is determined by the social anatomy of a given society; a persistent criminal is a carrier of typical social defects of a given society, superimposed on the individual psychological characteristics of his personality.

Bibliography

1.Babochkin P.I. Formation of viable youth in a dynamically changing society. M., 2000.

2.Belik A.A. Culturology. M., 1999.

3.Gurov A.I. Professional crime. M., 1990.

4.Enikeev M.I. Criminal psychology. // Legal psychology, 2006 No. 4.

.Criminologists about informal youth associations. Ed. I.I. Karpets. M., 1990.

.Criminology. Ed. V.D. Malkova. M., 2004.

.Kudryavtsev V.N. Crime and morals of a transitional society. M., 2002.

.Culturology. Ed. A.N. Markova. M., 1998.

9.Culturology. Ed. N.G. Bagdasaryan. M., 1998.

10.Stolyarov D.Yu., Kortunov V.V. Culturology. M., 1998.

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Denisov Nikolay Leonidovich. The influence of the criminal subculture on the development of the personality of a minor offender: Dis. ...cand. legal Sciences: 12.00.08: Moscow, 2002 194 p. RSL OD, 61:02-12/828-5

Introduction

Chapter first. Criminological characteristics of the criminal subculture and features of its manifestation among minors 14

1. The concept of criminal subculture 14

2. Criminal subculture of minors: its genesis and main elements 30

Chapter two. Formation of the personality of a juvenile offender under the influence of the criminal subculture 53

1. The role of the criminal subculture in the formation of the personality of a minor 53

2. The mechanism for introducing minors to the criminal subculture 65

3. The main ways of introducing minors to the criminal subculture 79

Chapter three. The main directions of neutralizing the influence of the criminal subculture on the development of the personality of a minor and the features of counteraction to it by internal affairs bodies 99

1. The main directions and subjects of neutralizing the influence of the criminal subculture on the development of the personality of a minor 99

2. Legal foundations and main directions of counteraction by internal affairs bodies to the influence of the criminal subculture on the formation of the personality of a minor offender 134

Conclusion 157

Appendix 167

References 175

Introduction to the work

The relevance of the topic and the degree of its scientific development.

As scientific research shows, those “who commit their first crime as minors subsequently (up to 63%) become repeat offenders”1. These data and numerous results of research by scientists prove that it is at the age of 18 that the foundations of a worldview and the further direction of an individual’s behavior are laid.

Unfortunately, this can be seen when analyzing juvenile crime indicators and its main trends. Minors in our country have become the most crime-prone part of the population, and crime involving them is increasing more intensively than crime among adults. This is happening against the backdrop of a declining trend in the birth rate that threatens the very existence of the Russian state. According to the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation and demographers, in eight to ten years there will be thirty percent fewer school-age children in Russia than today.

The motivation for teenagers to commit many crimes, such as murder and other serious and especially serious crimes, differs significantly from the motivation for adults to commit similar crimes. Unlike adults, a large (if not the main) role in the motivation of behavior of minors is played by moral guidelines and value orientations.

There is a threat in the country of the spread of juvenile delinquency, an attempt by the criminal world to spread its influence over a certain part of the younger generation in order to use it for their own criminal purposes1. One of the main reasons that led to this result is the subsequent criminalization of many aspects of our life, which led to the penetration and even to a certain extent popularization in society of the lifestyle and criminal subculture inherent in representatives of the criminal world2.

As many scientists note, “the introduction of different layers of minors to the criminal subculture is one of the reasons behind their antisocial and criminal behavior.”

Carriers of the criminal subculture influence minors not only when they join criminal gangs within groups, but also when they indirectly commit illegal acts, often being the inspirers and organizers of their criminal activities. An important role in this belongs to the attributes and lifestyle of the so-called “authorities”, who, due to the crisis in our educational system and the weakening of family ties, often serve as the only mentors and even idols for minors.

Minors, joining the criminal subculture, due to their psychology, largely based on imitation of adults, not only acquire a tendency to commit crimes, to engage in criminal activity, but also become conductors of this subculture among other minors. By involving peers in their social circle, they, in turn, introduce them to the criminal subculture, promote a criminal lifestyle, and recruit accomplices from among them to commit crimes. The nature of the criminal activities of such groups is characterized by great social danger.

In this regard, it is especially important to know how the criminal subculture is formed among minors, how it becomes dominant among them. Without this, it is impossible to effectively fight crime, the breeding ground of which, especially among minors, is the criminal subculture. It is very important to know not only the mechanism of formation of a criminal subculture among minors, but also to provide law enforcement agencies, especially internal affairs officers, with the scientific basis for neutralizing this influence on minors, which will make it possible to more effectively resist it, develop and adopt scientifically based programs for these purposes .

This does not mean that this phenomenon has not previously received attention in science. The criminal subculture and the impact of the criminal environment on the development of the personality of minors have been constantly studied by scientists of different generations, such as G.A. Avanesov, Yu.M. Antonyan, M.M. Babaev, I.P. Bashkatov, N.I. Vetrov, M.N. Gernet, A.I. Dolgova, V.D. Ermakov, K.E. Igoshev, I.I. Karpets, V.N. Kudryavtsev, S.Ya. Lebedev, B.S. Ovchinsky, V.V. Pankratov, V.F. Pirozhkov, I.V. Sukhanov and others, but the subject of study was mainly its individual elements: customs, traditions, entertainment, etc. Moreover, this phenomenon was studied, as a rule, in relation to the adult environment of criminals, while the formation of personality mainly occurs in adolescence1 . At the same time, the criminal subculture of minors is not an exact copy criminal subculture of adults. It has its own differences, largely due to the characteristics of this age category, which was the subject of study in this dissertation research.

The purpose and objectives of dissertation research. The purpose of the study is to theoretically and methodologically study the role and mechanism of influence of the criminal subculture on minors and to scientifically substantiate measures to counter this phenomenon. This goal predetermined the objectives of the study, which are:

analysis of scientific concepts available in the legal literature about the concept and elements of the criminal subculture of minors;

consideration of the problems of formation, formation and characteristics of the criminal subculture among minors;

identifying the mechanism of influence of the criminal subculture on minors and the main ways of joining it;

determining the main directions in organizing the prevention of the influence of the criminal subculture on the formation of the personality of minors;

conducting research among juvenile delinquents to determine the mechanism of their involvement in the criminal subculture;

formulating conclusions based on research results and making appropriate recommendations and proposals for organizing the activities of government bodies, including internal affairs bodies, to neutralize the influence of the criminal subculture on minors.

The object of the study is social relations related to the influence of the criminal subculture on minors, the characteristics of their criminal subculture and the mechanism for introducing minors to the criminal subculture.

The subject of this dissertation is:

a) criminal subculture of minors as a socio-psychological and social phenomenon;

b) external and internal determinants of the criminal subculture of minors;

c) mechanisms of influence and involvement of minors in the criminal subculture;

d) the personality of a minor offender, formed under the influence of a criminal subculture, motives for joining it and his criminal behavior;

e) countering the antisocial influence of the criminal subculture on the formation of the personality of minors and preventing them from committing crimes.

The scientific novelty of the dissertation research lies primarily in the fact that for the first time the concept, the genesis of the criminal subculture of minors, the causes and mechanism of the influence of the criminal subculture on the formation of the personality of a minor offender, and its characteristics were clarified and examined in complex. The main directions of counteracting this phenomenon are theoretically justified.

Provisions for defense:

8. Subculture is a special social phenomenon within which many individuals try to self-determinate and self-realize in a certain autonomy from society. A criminal subculture is a type of subculture whose norms are opposed to generally accepted social norms and are associated with violations of criminal law.

9. The criminal subculture of minors, like the subculture of adults, is a special system and structure of certain relationships between individuals, formed on the basis of special value orientations and activities in a relatively isolated environment, the lifestyle and behavior in which are regulated by a system of informal norms, attitudes, and ideas (traditions, customs, rituals, rules) of the criminal world, which determine the behavior and lifestyle of this category of minors and are reflected in external attributes and manifestations.

10. The phenomenon of the criminal subculture of minors is based on a personality with its age-related characteristics: egocentrism, mental characteristics and orientation toward informal connections and relationships with peers and adults, increased suggestibility and a tendency to imitate, and the perception of negative, antisocial value orientations.

11. The conducted research, analysis of the causes and conditions of criminalization of the environment of minors indicates that attitudes towards criminal behavior in many adolescents under the influence of the criminal subculture can be formed by the age of 10-12. This is largely due to the microenvironment in which they live, are raised, spend their leisure time, and study.

5. The introduction of minors to the criminal subculture is one of the reasons for their persistent antisocial and criminal behavior, and the criminal subculture itself, thus, becomes a link between primary and recidivism, as well as professional crime.

6. The impact of the criminal subculture on minors negatively affects the process of development of the minor’s personality, opposes him to society, deforms the psyche, undermines morality, the foundations of society, and threatens the national security of the country. Of particular danger are minors who have united in criminal groups, whose behavior and actions contribute to the cultivation of a criminal subculture among relatively prosperous minors.

7. Preventing the influence of the criminal subculture on the development of the personality of a minor offender is aimed at eliminating the causes and conditions favorable for the formation of a criminal subculture, at creating necessary conditions, the purpose of which is to prevent the impact of the criminal subculture on minors.

8. A special role in preventing the influence of the criminal subculture on minors is assigned to law enforcement agencies, including internal affairs bodies, as subjects of social relations and legal relations that have the widest range of general and special measures that can have a decisive impact on reducing and neutralizing the influence of the criminal subculture.

Methodology and methods of dissertation research. The methodological basis of the dissertation is made up of general theoretical principles of philosophy and sociology, including the categories and principles of materialist dialectics and, above all, the doctrine of the unity of the general and the particular, the relationship of economic, political, social and legal phenomena, fundamental scientific works in the field of the theory of state and law , criminology, criminal and penal law, psychology.

During the dissertation research the following methods were used:

Comparative legal - when analyzing current legislation, as well as the points of view of researchers available in the scientific literature on the subject of research;

Systemic-structural - when analyzing the influence of the criminal subculture on the formation of the personality of a minor as a multifaceted phenomenon, as well as when studying its various types;

Statistical - to analyze the state, dynamics and trends of the influence of the criminal subculture on the formation of the personality of a minor offender;

Prognostic - when predicting processes associated with the action of the mechanism of influence of the criminal subculture on the personality of a minor.

Historical, concrete sociological methods, methods of analysis and synthesis, systematization, generalization of modeling and others were also used.

During the research process, the dissertation student used various methods for obtaining, summarizing, and analyzing information in accordance with the latest scientific requirements. The development of the questions posed in the dissertation was carried out taking into account the current state of these areas of scientific activity. Materials from law enforcement agencies, primarily internal affairs agencies, and foreign experience were used.

The empirical basis of the study was made up of statistical data, including the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia and other law enforcement agencies, the results of sociological studies of criminologists, other Russian and foreign scientists, and the author’s research.

The information base for the study was data obtained from the study of questionnaires specially developed by the applicant, with the help of which 437 minors were interviewed on research questions (287 male minors in pre-trial detention centers in Smolensk, in educational colonies (hereinafter referred to as VK) in the Kaluga and Bryansk regions, 78 female minors serving sentences in the VK of the Ryazan region, 72 minors registered with the internal affairs bodies of Smolensk), 40 employees of internal affairs bodies. The studies were carried out in the Moscow, Smolensk, Ryazan and Bryansk regions.

The validity and reliability of the scientific positions, conclusions and recommendations put forward by the dissertation author is ensured by a deep and multifactorial criminological analysis of the criminal subculture of minors and the features of the mechanism of its influence on the development of the personality of minors, the circumstances of their commission of crimes, a generalization of the practice of law enforcement agencies, including internal affairs agencies involved in prevention juvenile delinquency.

When writing the work, a comparative analysis of the results of other studies with the data obtained by the author was carried out.

The provisions of the dissertation are also based on generalized data and analytical materials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, the Research Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, the Research Institute for the Problems of Strengthening Law and Order under the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation.

Testing of the research results was carried out at international, all-Russian and interregional scientific and practical conferences held in Moscow and Smolensk.

The main ideas and provisions contained in the work are reflected in the author’s publications and speeches at scientific and practical conferences. They were used when conducting classes in criminology at the Law Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, the Smolensk branch of the same institute with cadets, students, at the All-Russian State Tax Academy under the Ministry of Taxes and Duties of the Russian Federation with students, as well as employees of internal affairs bodies. Scientific articles published by the applicant on the topic of dissertation research are used in the educational process of educational institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.

The practical significance of the dissertation research lies in the fact that its results can be used in developing programs to combat juvenile delinquency, to improve legislation at both the federal and regional levels, as well as in determining methods for identifying and analyzing the causes and conditions that contribute to the involvement of adolescents into criminal activity, when developing specific measures to counter the influence of the criminal subculture on minors. The conclusions, generalizations, recommendations, and research materials obtained during the research can be used in scientific work and educational process in higher education educational institutions, and above all when teaching relevant disciplines, special courses in criminological and criminal law profiles in higher educational institutions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, in the practical activities of law enforcement agencies, as well as by employees of institutions and bodies executing punishments against juvenile offenders, local government bodies and public organizations, by the nature of their activity, influencing the formation and education of the personality of minors.

In addition, the results, proposals and conclusions presented in the dissertation can help improve the differentiation of individual educational work with minors, and can also be used in activities to prevent their involvement in criminal activities.

The structure of the dissertation consists of an introduction, including the provisions stated above, three chapters, a conclusion, an appendix and a list of references.

The concept of criminal subculture

When considering the patterns and ways (mechanisms) of the influence of the conditions of the material and spiritual life of society on crime, “...the question inevitably arises about culture as one of the most important phenomena with which all forms of human activity, including illegal behavior, are directly related.” 1.

Man, the social environment and the culture of society form an inextricable link, the study of which allows us to identify the main trends and paths of development of society.

Crime and criminal communities have at all times had a serious impact on the moral state of society, and therefore the subculture of criminals must be considered as an integral part of culture. “If crime is a barometer of the state of moral health of society, then the prevalence of a subculture of criminals outside the spheres of their communication performs the same functions.” Thus, the culture of any society is not only the values ​​​​recognized in official circles. Its structure includes views and lifestyles inherent in criminal communities and indicating the special relevance of this problem for Russia, in which perestroika is taking place in all areas and when the future of the country is being determined.

Culture and its varieties, as well as its system, were most often the subject of study of such sciences as philosophy, sociology, cultural studies, historical sciences, etc. However, due to the increase in crime, the criminalization of society and the perception by a certain part of the population of the values ​​and lifestyle of criminal communities, the need arose in scientifically based counteraction to these phenomena, which required a more in-depth study of these processes within the framework of criminology, including the criminal subculture, which serves as spiritual nourishment for the criminal world.

In order to clarify the concept of “criminal subculture”, it is necessary to disclose and differentiate similar concepts and definitions that will make it possible to more accurately define this phenomenon and outline the main ways and directions for overcoming its development and spread.

It is especially important to define the concept of culture in general. So, N.P. Petrova, having analyzed the existing variety of definitions of culture, taking into account the current state of the sociology of culture, formulates the concept of culture as follows: “Culture is a set of values ​​and norms, products of material and spiritual production and ways of life of people in their creation, distribution and consumption”1. The structure of culture, in her opinion, is multifaceted and includes: a) values ​​and norms; b) products of material and spiritual production; c) the way people create, disseminate and consume these components of culture and comply with its norms2. These signs are generally inherent in the criminal subculture, and we will take them into account in the future. Culture is a complex social formation with many subsystems. They differ depending on what underlies their typology. One of these grounds is the subject of culture, namely: which social group is the bearer of a given subsystem of culture, its subject. In sociology, the specific features of the culture of various social groups have received a generalized expression in the concept of “subculture”.

For the first time, the concept of “subculture” as a scientific term appeared abroad in the 30s of the 20th century, and on the pages of domestic literature - in the 60s in connection with the consideration and critical analysis youth movements in the West (hippies, beatniks, representatives of the occult, mysticism, etc.).

In most definitions, the understanding of a subculture is based on its difference from the dominant (dominant) culture.

The basis for distinguishing a subculture from a general culture, in addition to the subject of culture, is the conflict of norms, values ​​and ideology. This same conflict becomes “the reason that individual people choose this or that subculture for themselves. But, having become a member of a subculture, a person does not isolate himself in its space: he must interact with the general culture”1.

There are many microgroups in society that have different values ​​and traditions from the general cultural ones. A system of norms and values ​​characteristic only of a certain part of the population, distinguishing a microgroup from a social society, distinguishes it into a separate microenvironment with a subculture inherent only to it. Thus, in society there are a number of respected subcultures (for example, the subculture of doctors, the military, etc.).

Criminal subculture of minors: its genesis and main elements

The criminal subculture, including that of minors, is formed under the influence of such factors as ethnic origin, religion and place of residence, family, and social environment. The criminal subculture is generated by the same objective reasons as crime, which is alien to the official culture of society and is, as it were, “another life” in it. But, on the other hand, the criminal subculture remains part of the culture, since criminals are a social microgroup of our society. In this regard, it “depends on the processes occurring in it (general social, economic, ideological, socio-demographic, socio-technical, social, everyday, socio-educational, legal, organizational and managerial, etc.)”

The origins and causes of the subculture go back to the distant past, to the period of division of society into classes. As a socio-psychological phenomenon of antisocial behavior, it became the product of a class antagonistic society. F. Engels wrote: “The basest motives - vulgar greed, crude passion for pleasure, dirty stinginess, selfish desire to plunder the common property - are the successors of a new, civilized, class society, the most vile means - theft, violence, deceit, treason - undermine old classless society and lead it to destruction...” And then he writes: “... The further civilization goes forward, the more it is forced to throw a cover of love over the negative phenomena it inevitably generates, embellish them or falsely deny them, in a word, introduce into practice generally accepted hypocrisy, which was not known to anyone. earlier forms of society, not even the first stages of civilization."

The economic inequality of people in any society gives rise to their social inequality. This leads to the emergence of negative phenomena, the worst of which is crime.

“The transmission of patterns of criminal subculture in groups of offenders is a completely informal process and occurs through the communication of offenders with close relationships. At the same time, the pressure of interpersonal relations on group members, encouraging them to comply with accepted customs and traditions, is extremely high”3.

In this regard, when studying the causes and origins of the criminal subculture, “particular attention should be paid to the socio-psychological communication of offenders and the means by which they interact with each other”4.

It is obvious that the criminal subculture is a product of criminal and antisocial activity, is developed by its experience, is preserved and passed on from generation to generation among offenders. Speaking about the genesis of the phenomenon, V.M. Anisimkov pointed out that any subculture should be viewed through the prism of activity, since initially culture is human activity in all spheres of existence and consciousness. It is the activity of the individual, he says, including asocial or criminal, that is the material prerequisite for the cooperation of this individual with others, that gives him a psychological need with those who are close to his craft, views, ideas, orientations. For a person, emphasizes V.M. Anisimkov, is a social being and always strives to belong to some group that is prestigious for him. If he, by virtue various reasons, chose illegal or antisocial activities, then over time he finds himself increasingly alienated from social formal ties (family, official, professional) and the main positive values ​​of society. Then he inevitably seeks relationships, moral incentives for his activities and protection in groups of similar people1.

Thus, the origins of the criminal subculture were not only socio-economic, but also psychological factors, in particular, mechanisms of self-affirmation, integration, and psychological defense. A criminal subculture is still a minority culture. It comes into conflict with universal human culture. Society rejects criminals and isolates them in special institutions and prisons. In order to feel comfortable, restore the value of their personality, and not feel rejected, an outcast, people with a criminal orientation unite in a community of people similar to themselves, develop their own ideology, modifying the values ​​existing in society and developing their own, and oppose themselves to the law-abiding society (“we” - "They").

The role of the criminal subculture in the formation of the personality of a minor

In the previous chapter, we examined the concept of a criminal subculture, its genesis, its main elements and the characteristics of the manifestation of this subculture among minors. In this chapter we will look at how and why minors become involved in this subculture.

Of particular importance and significance in this regard is the consideration of the process of introducing the personality of a minor to a given subculture, then, in the second paragraph, the mechanism of initiation will be revealed, and in the third - the ways and features of introducing a minor to a criminal subculture.

The need to consider this problem within the framework of the science of criminology is due to the fact that personal culture has a significant influence on decision-making when choosing one or another behavior option in a given situation. Below we will consider the significant influence of the criminal subculture on the choice of criminal behavior.

First of all, I would like to note that introducing a person to culture in general is an objective, necessary process. “A child cannot become a person, an individual, without joining the creations already created by the history of past generations of culture.”

There are many cases that prove that if children from a very early age develop outside of society and the culture created by society, then they remain at the level of almost animals, although much more intelligent, they lack articulate speech and consciousness, specific human forms of relationship with reality.

An important feature of culture is that its objective structures are always ultimately limited to personal acceptance (or rejection), interpretation, reproduction and change. Entry into culture (enculturation) can be “automatically” ensured by the mechanisms of culture, but it can also be a problem that requires moral and creative efforts (which usually happens when heterogeneous cultures collide or when there is a conflict of generations, worldviews, etc.). Thus, correlating oneself with culture is one of fundamental properties personality.

Incorporation into culture enables an individual, in particular a minor, to become a full-fledged member of society. Human social behavior is governed to a greater extent by institutionalized cultural attitudes than by instincts. In the process of familiarization with culture, an individual develops his own subjective culture. The formation of a personal culture, which includes the action of both objective and subjective factors interacting with each other, occurs not only as a result of conscious and purposeful influence on it, but also spontaneously, under the influence of objective living conditions of people. Yurichka Yu.I., confirming this idea, pointed out in his work that the internal pattern of development of human society and the characteristics of the dominant social behavior in the conditions of the corresponding socio-economic formation, it gives rise to a certain type of social behavior, such that deviations in behavior are not only something that exists objectively, but also something that in a subjective form reflects this objective and is determined by the specific historical, socio-economic state of society1.

When considering the process of introducing a minor to culture, it is necessary to touch upon the current state of society. Speaking about the current picture of the state of society, we can cite the results of the study this issue M.Z. Ilchikov and B.A. Smirnov, who believe that at present “essentially new moral criteria and guidelines are being put forward. Widespread confrontation and confrontation cover all segments of the population, all aspects of society. Therefore, the system of social institutions, their target and regulatory mechanisms are in a state of collapse or modernization. Values ​​new to the culture of the last 70 years are being affirmed. Others who were on the periphery are becoming priority ones. It is still difficult to talk about any established system of values, a new culture of the people. There is a process of searching, throwing, breaking.”

Thus, modern society gives a minor a wide choice to determine moral values ​​and orientation, including those related to achieving goals through criminal means, which he can follow and which he can take as a basis when choosing life guidelines and lines of behavior. “The specificity of the modern social situation of child development... is in the maximum uncertainty and variability of the world and, therefore, requires changing thinking and the search for non-standard behavior strategies, different approaches.”

The main directions and subjects of neutralizing the influence of the criminal subculture on the development of the personality of a minor

Minors are people with a particularly vulnerable psyche and consciousness. They are characterized by imitation of elders and authoritative people and susceptibility to the influence of others. Their “life experience is insufficient and their ideas about moral and ethical values ​​are unstable. Emerging problems are aggravated by psychophysiological imbalance, the presence of “adult” needs and desires in the absence of adequate material opportunities.”

The consciousness of a teenager is unstable, he is full of self-doubt and self-doubt, so the reasons for unlawful behavior are often motives of solidarity, self-affirmation in combination with group dependence or age-related frivolity. So, for example, according to the dissertation research, about 14% of minor respondents committed their crimes “for company” and the same number - out of a desire to increase their authority among their peers.

The difficulties of the “transition period” are complemented by the instability of the psyche of minors, which also affects their behavior and makes it easier for criminals to reorient them into an antisocial illegal direction. The absence of previous moral principles and the liberalization of morals have led to a state where compliance with many norms of civilized life has become optional. However, the resulting “value vacuum”, which replaced the failed national ideology, is inevitably filled with negative content in a crisis. Minors have to develop views on life in an atmosphere of moral permissiveness of the so-called “period of initial replenishment of capital.” Under these conditions, the individualistic orientations of adolescents and young men quickly gain strength, and the goal becomes enrichment at any cost. Young people are faced with material problems at an earlier age and more acutely than recently, and the need arises to at least partially take care of self-sufficiency. According to the research conducted by the dissertation author, approximately 17% of minor respondents cited a difficult financial situation as the reason that prompted them to commit a crime.

In this regard, older minors are in the most difficult situation. It is during this period that the main life priorities are largely determined and laid down and “the formation of core, selective interests takes place1.

Many analysts of law enforcement agencies, among the trends characteristic of this age category, note that self-interest and the thirst for easy money came first as the motive that led to the commission of crimes. For this age, there is also an increase in “random crimes committed by teenagers in a state of passion, under the influence of alcohol and drugs1, which is confirmed by the research of the dissertation author - 25% of minor respondents indicated that they committed crimes under the influence of alcohol, toxic or narcotic drugs

This issue is quite broad and multifaceted. Considering the ways of introducing minors to the criminal subculture, three directions can be distinguished among them: - voluntary; - forced; - forced.

Psychology of the criminal environment

test

1. Criminal subculture as a psychological characteristic of the criminal environment

We can give the following concept of the criminal environment, taking into account modern reality: it is a social, criminal legal phenomenon formed from a certain set of persons engaged in criminal activities, most of whom have previously been convicted and are carriers of a criminal subculture, with the goal of committing intentional crimes and evading responsibility .

The most important psychological characteristic of the criminal environment is subculture. Translated from Latin, the term “subculture” (sub - under; under something) means part of the main culture. When they talk about subculture, they mean criminal traditions and customs, slang and tattoos, informal norms of behavior and leisure activities.

The criminal subculture and its attributes manifest themselves not only among members of a criminal group, in places of deprivation of liberty (here it is most pronounced), but also in other social communities. For example, in vocational schools and even in secondary schools, where there are authorities and “outcasts”; in the army and military school, where hazing is common; at an enterprise and construction site where many former convicts work; at discotheques and casinos, where regulars or at least frequent guests are criminal elements.

The criminal subculture unites offenders and acts as a regulator of their behavior. But its main danger is that it distorts public consciousness, transforms criminal experience, undermines the integrity of the population, blocks the process of socialization of youth, forms public opinion on the advisability of violating certain legal norms (for example, tax evasion), creates a positive image for certain categories of criminals and, conversely, condemns citizens who assist law enforcement agencies in their arrest. In other words, the criminal subculture is the main mechanism for the criminalization of communities and, above all, the youth environment.

Speaking about the origins of the criminal subculture, it is important to note not only socio-economic, but also psychological factors, in particular, the mechanisms of self-affirmation, integration, and psychological defense. A criminal subculture is still a minority culture. It comes into conflict with universal human culture. Society rejects criminals and isolates them in special institutions and prisons. In order to feel comfortable, restore the value of their personality, and not feel rejected, an outcast, people with a criminal orientation unite in communities of people similar to themselves, develop their own ideology, and oppose themselves to a law-abiding society (“we” - “they”).

The development of measures to prevent crime and combat crime presupposes an understanding of the psychological mechanisms of the functioning of the criminal subculture.

The main elements of the criminal subculture are as follows. The central element of the subculture is criminal psychology, i.e. a system of unwritten social values ​​and ideas in the minds of people that justifies and encourages a criminal lifestyle and the commission of offenses. Among social values, attention should be paid to such as: human life, family, sense of civic duty, decency, honesty, responsibility for one’s word and other values. Property as a social value is the cornerstone of interpersonal relationships in the modern criminal environment.

The increase in the number of murders in Russia, even by thieves, indicates that such a social value as “human life” has been significantly devalued. If in the pre-reform period the majority of criminal elements adhered to the rules: “Do not carry bladed weapons”, “Do not commit murders”, etc., now for many criminals (and not only them) the main value in life is material wealth, property , for the increase of which all means are good, including taking the lives of other people. Facilities mass media are filled with such messages, which has an even more negative impact on the legal consciousness of citizens.

The attitude towards family as a social value has undergone a change in the criminal subculture. Former authoritative criminals did not have the right to “bind” themselves with family ties, but modern thieves consider it “their duty” not only to create a family, but also to ensure its proper existence.

In a criminal environment, moral values ​​acquire a specific semantic connotation: “decency”, “honesty”, “freedom”, “responsibility for one’s word”, etc. For example, all convicts, with a few exceptions, value freedom. However, a “decent” convict does not have the right to be released early or to cooperate with the administration. The responsibility of criminal elements to each other for a given word, for an assessment expressed towards another is quite high. The reason for this is not their high morality (in relation to law-abiding citizens, these values ​​are absolutely not respected), but because for violating criminal ideology one should be held accountable more severely than under the laws of a rule-of-law state.

A specific element of the criminal subculture is such means as nicknames. Nicknames are a personalized form of slang addressed to representatives of the criminal community. A nickname not only replaces a person’s last name, first name, but also consolidates his status in a criminal environment and simultaneously performs an evaluative function (“good”, “bad”, “evil”, “kind” person). A reputable criminal can never have offensive nicknames. The origins of nicknames can reflect various personality traits of criminal elements: first name or shortened surname (“Lekha” - Alexey; “Bob” - Bobkov; “Savoska” - Savoskin, etc.); physical characteristics (“Humpback”, “Lame”, “Crutch”, “Bespectacled”, etc.); personality status ("Godfather", "King", "Diamond" - high status; "Lady", "Rooster", "Trash", "Toad" - low status); the specifics of criminal activity ("Robinson" - a lone thief, "Plyazhnik" - a beach thief, "Pound" - a currency dealer, "Cormorant" - a hooligan, "Jack the Ripper" - a sexual killer), etc. Knowing the nickname, You can more quickly find the right person and draw up his expected psychological portrait.

An important element of the subculture is the leisure time of members of the criminal community. In the process of leisure, tasks such as relaxation of community members (relieving emotional stress after various criminal operations), informal acquaintance, meetings with representatives of other criminal structures, and even discussion of various criminal problems are solved. Currently, many restaurants, casinos, discos, bathhouses have the “calling card” of one or another criminal group; these establishments themselves are often the business area of ​​criminal authorities or are under the patronage (“roof”) of certain criminal communities. Employees of leisure establishments, including security officers, even if they are not part of the criminal community, are forced to communicate with criminal elements and maintain a certain neutrality.

Concluding a brief presentation of the psychological mechanisms of the functioning of the criminal subculture, it is important to dwell on such a phenomenon as the integration of the criminal environment, i.e. the desire for unification, for unity. The criminal environment, as a community diffusely dispersed throughout Russia and beyond, strives to unite and coordinate its actions. The most accepted form of such coordination is all-Russian “gatherings” of criminal authorities, at which ideology is clarified, the most important problems of criminal practice are considered, those responsible for the state of affairs in various regions of Russia are appointed, and issues of using common finances (“common fund”) are discussed. Despite all the secrecy of the “gathering,” law enforcement agencies almost always become aware of its holding. Depending on the developing operational situation, the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs or local authorities in whose territory the meeting is taking place makes a decision on appropriate actions.

So, the criminal subculture is the spiritual life of a relatively limited part of society, namely citizens of a criminal orientation.

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CRIMINAL SUBCULTURE OF YOUTH

criminal subculture youth

Recently, the problem of child and youth crime has become increasingly acute. In modern society there is a tendency to deform moral and social norms society, the cultivation of asocial attitudes and stereotypes among youth, the formation of a special deviant and criminal subculture of youth society.

Subculture is a set of values ​​and practices accumulated by a group of people, united by specific interests that determine their worldview, accumulated by a certain worldview. Subculture is a sovereign integral formation, part public culture. From the point of view of cultural studies, a subculture is such associations of people that do not contradict the values ​​of traditional culture, but complement it.

The criminal subculture of youth is a way of life of minors and young people united in criminal groups. It is the main mechanism of criminalization of the youth environment and differs from the usual teenage subculture in its asocial and criminal content; pronounced totalitarian ways of influencing people’s behavior; closedness from teachers and adults; the presence of strict criminal morality and sanctions; orderliness and systematization of the status-role behavior of its participants.

Places of operation (entrances of houses, basements, attics, remote public gardens, individual buildings and places) are called “parties” in the jargon of young people. Party-- this is a pastime that involves communicating with friends, exchanging information, drinking together, and antisocial behavior.

The emergence and development of a criminal subculture is based on a complex of multi-level causes and conditions:

Dehumanization in interpersonal and intergroup relations, violation of the principles of democracy, social justice, collapse of the social ideals of young people;

The emergence of new types of crimes due to economic turmoil and the presence of the shadow economy;

The lack of a clear and generally accepted ideology in society, the dominance of criminal philosophies and stereotypes replicated in the media and informal youth associations, the disorientation of young people regarding moral values;

Increasing alcoholization of the population, the spread of traditions of alcoholic feasts with their own attributes;

Lack of sufficient opportunities, abilities, and in some cases, the desire of official authorities, including the command of military units, to resist the negative influence of asocial elements on young people, formalism in educational work, legal, psychological and pedagogical incompetence of officials;

Exceptionally high mobility of criminal communities in exploiting regulatory “gaps” and sluggishness of authorities and officials in applying measures to combat crime;

The presence of numerous informal associations of youth, characterized by vague moral standards and legal nihilism.

The formation of a criminal subculture is influenced by two mechanisms:

A mechanism for an individual to seek psychological and physical protection in a new environment, including protection from hostile youth groups and the administration of a closed institution (at large - from law enforcement agencies);

A mechanism of mutual aggression among community members, mutual punishment and oppression of the weak for the sake of their own satisfaction and aggrandizement.

Empirical signs of the presence of a criminal subculture among adolescents and young people in these organizations include:

The presence of warring factions;

Rigid group stratification;

The appearance of marked tables, dishes, clothes and other items;

The presence of an unofficial system of “minor” exceptions for the “top”;

Psychological isolation of the “outcasts”;

Availability of nicknames for group members;

Prevalence of gambling in groups, criminal jargon;

Facts of extortion of money, food, personal belongings;

- “registration” of newcomers, the prevalence of prison oaths;

Refusal, evasion of a certain type of economic work,

Participation in the work of activists and public organizations, etc.

Like human culture as a whole, the criminal subculture of youth has its own structure. It includes not only the objective results of the activities of criminal communities and their members, but also subjective human forces and abilities realized in the process of criminal activity (knowledge and abilities, professional criminal skills and habits, the level of intellectual development of offenders, aesthetic needs, forms of communication, methods management of criminal communities, etc.).

The main condition for the formation of asocial consciousness and behavior of young people, the condition for launching mechanisms of denial of responsibility for committed actions and self-justification is the presence of criminal ideology. Criminal ideology is the system of concepts and ideas that has developed in the group consciousness of minors and young criminals, their “philosophy” , which justifies and encourages a criminal lifestyle and the commission of crimes, removes the psychological and moral barriers that a person must overcome in order to commit a crime.

Elements of the criminal subculture are classified as follows.

1. Behavioral attributes - “laws”, rules and traditions of “another life”, oaths and curses. They act as regulators of the behavior of adolescents and young people. Norms and rules are divided: according to the method of regulation - into prohibitive and obligatory; according to the degree of generality - applicable to everyone, to specific hierarchical groups; by focus - to regulate relations with government officials, with strangers, intergroup and intra-group relations; by function - to ensure the safety and integrity of the group, the success of criminal activity, leisure activities, staffing the “common fund”, group, compliance with sanitation rules, etc.

2. Communicative attributes - tattoos, signs, nicknames, criminal jargon, acting as a means of communication, interpersonal and intergroup interaction.

3. Economic attributes - a “common pot” and the principles of material mutual assistance, which are the material basis of criminal groups, their cohesion and criminalization.

4. Sexual-erotic values ​​- special attitude towards persons of the opposite sex, sexual perversion, prostitution, pornography, erotica, homosexuality.

5. Special treatment to your health - from simulating illnesses, self-harm as ways to achieve certain benefits, to playing sports, pumping up muscles, and strict adherence to a lifestyle and diet.

6. Stratification-stigmative elements that allow the “top” to divide community members into hierarchical groups in accordance with their position and “tag” each of them. These elements include “registration” as a way of stratifying minors and youth, nicknames, tattoos, and privileges for certain individuals.

The traditional scheme of stratification of members of the youth criminal community includes: “tops” (authoritative teenagers and young men who “hold power” in a certain territory and have a direct connection with the “godfathers” or with their associates among adults and carry out their instructions); “middle layer” (“normally living”, “boys”); “lower classes” (humiliated and exploited teenagers: “outsiders” who accidentally found themselves in the territory controlled by the group, or “insiders” - those who registered dishonestly).

Youth stratification has the following properties:

A rigid division into “us” and “strangers”, an unambiguous definition of statuses and roles, rights and responsibilities;

Social stigmatization, the use of euphonious terms such as “master”, “director”, “master”, “authority” to indicate belonging to higher hierarchical groups and offensive terms (“mongrel”, “rat”, “informer”, etc.) to indicate a person’s belonging to lower groups;

Autonomy of existence of each caste, reduction of status for contacts with representatives of the “lower classes”;

Difficulty in upward mobility while facilitating downward mobility;

Strict subordination in interpersonal relations between the “tops” and the “bottoms”, merciless exploitation and oppression of the “bottoms” by the “tops”;

The presence at the top of certain privileges, taboos, conventional signs, and values.

The factors that determine the status of a teenager and young man in the criminal structure are: age; experience of criminal activity; “experienced”, i.e. life and criminal experience; the presence of influential patrons; behavior during detention law enforcement agencies; nationality; attitude towards official activists; the presence in a person of personal qualities that are especially valued in a given criminal group (organizational abilities, cruelty, resourcefulness, cynicism, physical strength, etc.).

Basic socio-psychological measures to prevent criminal subculture:

Creating reliable psychological protection for every teenager and young person, including him in socially approved activities, increasing his legal and psychological competence;

Formation of socially valuable traditions in all educational and educational institutions, humanization of interpersonal relationships between command and subordinates, administration and the teenage contingent;

Showing the negative consequences of a young person’s participation in a criminal group, debunking crime bosses, creating barriers to the free transfer of traditions and norms of the criminal world into the teenage environment, etc.

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