Changes in Crime Rates and Family-Related Values in Selected East European Countries

Abstract

Observations and longitudinal comparisons of emerging trends within formerly socialist East European countries offer a unique opportunity to observe some of the social policies typical of the capitalist and socialist systems and their influence on society. Some of the emerging trends in the Czech Republic, former East Germany, and Russia pertaining to general areas of public health, family, and crime are described. Effects of these changes are discussed within the framework of a recently proposed multiple regression model of criminal behavior in which criminality is attributed to the confluence of gross inequalities in the distribution of wealth and to the disintegration of the traditional family. The changes should be considered in the conduct of research.

Syphilis as a Social Disease: Experience from the Post-Communist Transition Period in Estonia

“…In our study, birth rate showed negative correlation with county syphilis rate, but we found no correlation between the changes in syphilis rate and birth rate across the periods. Similar population downturn has been noted in Eastern European countries and in the Russian Federation 21 . The decrease in live birth rate in Estonia was steeper during the first half of the 1990s (1st period of observation) but the decline in fertility has slowed down since 1993.…”

Pastoral Counselor Training in Russia

“…Other salient social problems include declining life expectancy (Shkolnikov, Mesle & Vallin, 1995;Stafford, 2003), declining population size (Antonov, 2001), a deteriorating health care system (O'Connor, 2000;Usher, 2000), a deteriorating educational system (Bestuzheva-Lada, 2001), alcoholism (Belyakova, 1998;Bobak, McKee, Rose & Marmot, 1999), drug use (Curtis, 1998), the spread of AIDS (World Health Organization, 2001), domestic violence (Horne, 1999), growing materialism (Halstead, 1994), and increased crime rates (Krus, Nelsen & Webb, 1997).…”

Current Issues of Criminal Law Protection of Transport Security

“…The history of Russian legislation on liability for traffic crimes shows that approaches used to determine the range of criminal offenses, establish responsibility for them and solve other important issues were different in different historical periods. The problem of crime prevention and combating it in transport is of wide interest among foreign researchers [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10].…”

“…Considering that vehicle operation while intoxicated entails criminal liability in accordance with Article 264-1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, it is necessary to establish criminal liability for violation of traffic safety and vehicle operation rules by intoxicated drivers causing light or moderate injuries to the health of other people. 4. Crimes violating railway, air, sea and inland waterway transport and underground safety rules should be referred to acts that infringe on public safety.…”