Orzecznictwo karno-administracyjne w walce z alkoholizmem w okresie gomułkowskim

• Authors: Marcin Łysko

Title variants

EN

A CRIMINAL-ADMINISTRATIVE ADJUDICATION IN A BATTLE WITH ALCOHOLISM IN GOMUŁKA’S PERIOD

• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

The problem of alcoholism in a postwar Poland constituted a consequence of society demor- alization, caused by years of occupation and negligence of the communist authorities within the scope of an educational work with young people. Alcoholism grew into a social problem after taking over the power by Władysław Gomułka in 1956, who conducted an anti-alcohol campaign mainly by means of repressive methods. A criminal-administrative adjudication played an im- portant role in the policy of fighting with alcoholism. Hence, the anti-alcohol acts in the second half of the 1950s predicted strict penalties of arrest and fine for crimes committed under the in- fluence of the alcohol. A repression of the offenders of this type of crimes was tightly connected with an anti-hooligan campaign initiated by the authorities as the predominating majority of hooligan crimes lied in alcohol abuse. That is why the notion of an alcohol-hooligan offence was created for the use of the practices of a criminal-administrative adjudication, treating the state of intoxication as circumstances deciding upon a hooligan nature of the crime. As a result, the cases concerning crimes from the anti-alcohol act were dealt with in summarily, specially introduced in order to punish the hooligans severely. The hooligans were among others persons addicted to alcohol, arrested for a maximum period of time alcohol or given high fines in exchange for substitute custody. In relation to alcohol addicts custody practically played a role of a means of a solitary nature, the usage of which served the purpose of hiding lacks in a detoxification treat- ment of people addicted to alcohol. A criminal-administrative adjudication also served a repres- sion of people belonging to the so called social margin as the law did not predict the punishment for pathological cases such as prostitution, begging or vagrancy. Criminal-administrative bod- ies, on the basis of the construction of an alcohol-hooligan offence, inflicted the punishment of the main and substitute custody on people having no permanent place of residence and regular incomes. A criminal-administrative repression was used in a wide range by Gomułka’s authori- ties instead of making an attempt to prevent such social problems as drunkenness, prostitution, vagrancy or begging.

Keywords

EN

PEOPLE’S POLAND; ALCOHOLISM; CRIMINAL-ADMINISTRATIVE ADJUDICATION

• Publisher: Uniwersytet Śląski
• Journal: Z Dziejów Prawa
• Year: 2011
• Volume: 4(12)
• Pages: 249-281

Contributors

author

Marcin Łysko

• Wydział Prawa i Administracji Uniwersytetu w Białymstoku, Ul. M. Skłodowskiej-Curie 14, 15-097 Białystok pok. 308