A survey of soil fauna in Poland revealed 30 cases of centipedes carrying mites of the sub-order Uropodina. The 155 phoretic deutonymphs collected belonged to two species of Uropodina-Oodinychus ovalis (C.L. Koch, 1839) and Uroobovella pulchella (Berlese, 1904). These mites displayed a high degree of selectivity in their choice of carrier. The only species of centipede transporting mites was Lithobius forficatus (Linnaeus, 1758), despite the presence of 30 other species in the same habitats. It is possible that the large size and relatively fast speed of movement of this centipede make it a very good mite carrier. The majority of the mites were located on the sides of the centipedes, on segments near the anterior end. The high selectivity in the choice of carrier as well as the point of attachment suggests adaptation by the mites for phoresy by L. forficatus. 699 * Systematic status correct according to Checklist of Animals of Poland (Wi niewski, 1997).

No abstract

In public debate the subject of penal policy often returns on the extent of sentences for particular crimes and petty offences. Questions are raised such as whether the Polish criminal law is effective, just and\or severe. The discussion focuses on the need to make the existing provisions stricter, especially those concerning the most frequent crimes. The general question of punishing perpetrators of offences is regularly undertaken in the media, especially with every subsequent criminal case that receives extensive coverage. One such occasions the same question is raised again: does the criminal law need amendments? Today we are witness to a crime drop and improvement of safety in Poland, nonetheless questions to do with penal policy remain the same. It is therefore worth checking what opinions Poles currently express about this very issue. This research is aimed at checking what Poles think of the criminal law currently in force and what the attitude is to increasing the severity of punitive provisions. For this purpose, in July and August 2018, on the commission of the Institute of Justice, three independent opinion surveys concerning penal policy were conducted. The following were chosen for this purpose: Kantar, CBOS and Ipsos. Every survey was conducted by means of the Omnibus Method, which guarantees the completion of research on a nationwide representative sample of Polish residents. In all the surveys discussed in this study, a clear majority of respondents were of the opinion that in order to limit crime and improve the safety of citizens it is necessary to make the provisions of the Penal Code stricter, with harsher punishments for offences. Over half of respondents in every survey took the position that punishments should be made more severe only in cases of serious offences. The remainder (approximately 30% in every survey) answered that was necessary to introduce more severe punishments for all crimes. In the light of a preference for tougher penal laws, of particular interest was Poles’ stance on the age from which juveniles might be held criminally liable just as adults. The majority of respondents were of the opinion that the age of criminal responsibility for juveniles (15 years) should not be changed, while those who thought otherwise most often suggested increasing this threshold.

In the second decade of the 21st century, Poland manifests a high level of ‘safeguarding’ of people in numerous aspects of their life, while, simultaneously, the crime rate is decreasing and the sense of security is increasing. Paradoxically, it is these ‘safe’ conditions that should induce us to have a closer (or rather more thorough and more focused) look at these issues so as to not miss the possible new sources and types of threats. The article analyses the results of a survey concerning the attitudes, experiences, and fears exhibited by the inhabitants of Poland’s largest city, Warsaw. The scope of the analysis determined in this way allowed the authors to make important comparisons as well as to attempt to diagnose both the ‘old’ (previously analysed and described) and new sources of threats and forms of responding to them.

Przedmiotem tekstu jest porównanie współczesnej charakterystyki czynu i sprawców kradzieży z ich obrazem sprzed transformacji w Polsce. W tym celu zestawiono wyniki dwóch badań aktowych spraw sądowych kradzieży – z 2017 r. oraz z 1979 r. Zabieg ten umożliwił porównanie przedmiotu kradzieży, sposobu ich popełnienia, sylwetek sprawców, a także zastosowanych środków reakcji karnej. Zebrany materiał ukazał zarówno zmiany, jak i prawidłowości w porównywanych sprawach.