Młodociani w świetle prawa i badań kryminologicznych

• Authors: Paulina Wiktorska

Title variants

EN

The young adult offenders in the light of law and criminological studies

• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

The article discusses the problem of young adult offenders in the light of provisions of current Polish criminal law and of criminological studies on this category of convicts over the years. Polish criminal code of 1997 in the article 115 paragraph 10 defines a young adult offender as a person 21 years old who commits a crime or a person under 24 years who is tried in a court of first instance. Two basic issues are involved in the notion of a young adult offender. First the age limits of the subject, second the character of penal measures to be used towards this particular category of offenders. Both issues are discussed at length in the article, particularly with respect to the fact that criminal law makes use of scientific findings from sociology, psychology and medicine to create normative regulations concerning conditions of liability of young adult offenders for their unlawful acts. As an example, one may discuss particular normative directives of the sentence provided for a young adult offenders as the court is obliged to, most of all, educate and resocialise. Educational and resocialisation aspect of the punishment does not mean that young adult offender are treated leniently, sometimes it may indicate a longer time of resocialisation and, at the same time, a longer imprisonment sentence to execute this objective . While sentencing a young adult offender, the court should decide in such a manner so that the liability of the accused is directed more into educational model than repressive one, yet this does not denote resignation from administering the penalty of unconditional imprisonment. Still, it needs to be admitted that in the Polish legal system there are few concrete provisions of law which define in detail how a young offenders should be treated which, according to the author, is somehow concerning. There are significant differences in criminal execution law. First, as a rule, young adult offenders should be imprisoned separately from adult ones. This is understandable because of susceptibility of young people to influence and pressure from adults. Moreover, young adult offenders are subject to system of programmed educational and resocialisation measures during imprisonment, which on one hand seems right, on the other evokes a series of questions and reservations. Discussion of normative situation of young adult offender are illustrated with selected criminological studies carried out so far concerning this category of offenders. Reported results of research show that young adult offenders have typical features characteristic for the whole group. Information on dysfunctional families and alcohol problems are always present. It is accompanied by low education level of their parents and their unemployment. Problems in the behavior of such offenders appear already in kindergarten age and increase during school education while the education process itself leaves a lot to be desired.

Keywords

PL

młodociani przestępcy; polityka kryminalna; polityka penitencjarna; young adult offenders; criminal law; młodociani przestępcy; polityka kryminalna; polityka penitencjarna; young adult offenders; criminal law

EN

young adult offenders; criminal law

• Publisher: Instytut Nauk Prawnych PAN / Institute of Legal Studies PAN
• Journal: Archiwum Kryminologii
• Year: 2012
• Issue: XXXIV
• Pages: 135-155

Dates

published

2012-01-01

Contributors

author

Paulina Wiktorska

References

• T. Szymanowski, Młodociani w polskim prawie karnym i penitencjarnym, Warszawa 1967
• M. Kreutz, Rozwój psychiczny młodzieży, Warszawa-Wrocław 1948
• E. Erikson, Dzieciństwo i społeczeństwo, Poznań 1997
• A. S. R. Manstead, M. Hewstone, Psychologia społeczna, Warszawa 1996
• B. Hołyst, Kryminologia, Warszawa 2001
• Z. Majchrzak, Nieletni, młodociani, dorośli zabójcy i mordercy. Gdzie kończy się norma a zaczyna patologia, Warszawa 2004
• C. Czapów, Młodzież a przestępstwo, Warszawa 1962
• J. Warylewski, Kara. Podstawy filozoficzne i historyczne, M. Melezini (red.), Kary i środki karne. Poddanie sprawcy próbie. System Prawa Karnego, tom 6, Warszawa 2010
• S. Szelhausa, Przestępczość 100 młodocianych recydywistów w okresie od 18 roku życia do ukończenia 25–28 lat (wyniki badań katamnestycznych), „Archiwum Kryminologii”: 1965
• S. Szelhaus, Z. Straszewicz, Młodociani recydywiści, „Archiwum Kryminologii” 1960
• D. Wójcik, Młodociani sprawcy rozboju, „Archiwum Kryminologii” 1972
• H. Paszkowska, Młodociani sprawcy przestępstw przeciwko mieniu, „Archiwum Kryminologii” 1982
• K. Badźmirowska-Masłowska, Młodociani sprawcy zabójstw w Polsce, Kraków 2000
• A. Szymanowska, Więzienie i co dalej, Warszawa 2003
• L. Berkovitz, The frustration – agression hypothesis, “Psychological Bulletin”, 95/1989
• D. Wójcik, Środowisko szkolne a nieprzystosowanie szkolne i przestępczość młodzieży, w: J. Jasiński (red.), Zagadnienia nieprzystosowania społecznego i przestępczości w Polsce, Wrocław-Warszawa-Kraków-Gdańsk 1978
• H. Kołakowska-Przełomiec, Przestępczość i nieprzystosowanie społeczne nieletnich w genezie przestępczości dorosłych, Warszawa 1977
• P. Wiktorska, Czekając na wokandę. Warunkowe przedterminowe zwolnienie młodocianych, Warszawa 2010

Identifiers

DOI

10.7420/AK2012D