Legal measures to counteract professional crime in Russia in the pre-revolutionary period 

Kristina A. Zarubina, Lecturer of the sub-department of theory and history of state and law of the faculty of law, South-West State University (94 50 let oktyabrya street, Kursk, Russia), Kris1996z@mail.ru

Background. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia has undergone radi-cal transformations in the socio-economic, political and cultural spheres of society, which resulted in the deterioration of the criminal situation. The establishment of capitalist relations, the breakdown of the socialist way of life led to a decrease in social control, as well as to the penetration of particularly dangerous criminal elements (primarily professional criminals) into all spheres of public life. In this regard, the study of the legal experience of combating the most dangerous types of crime (such as professional) at different stages of the historical development of the Russian state becomes particularly relevant. This will not only enrich the criminal law sphere of scientific knowledge, but also develop practical recommendations for the modernization of modern domestic legislation. The purpose of this study is precisely to identify individual criminal law measures to combat professional crime in Russia in different historical periods and to analyze the effectiveness of their actions in the historical conditions of pre-revolutionary times. Materials and methods. To achieve this goal, general scientific and special methods of cognition were used, such as analysis, synthesis, generalization, formal legal and comparative legal methods. Methods of generalization, analysis and synthesis were used to systematize the acquired knowledge, and formal legal and comparative legal methods of scientific research allowed to identify the main trends in the evolution of domestic criminal legislation aimed at combating professional crime. Results. The study draws attention to the strengthening of punishment for the repetition of criminal activity in the prerevolutionary period in Russia, the punishability of certain, the most “professionalized” types of crimes at that time. Conclusions. The conclusion is made about the insufficient effectiveness of the preventive impact of the criminal law and its individual institutions aimed at combating the intensively spreading professional crime in prerevolutionary Russia.  

professional crime, criminal fishing, repetition of crimes, criminal liability, criminal law

Zarubina K.A. Legal measures to counteract professional crime in Russia in the pre-revolutionary period. Izvestiya vysshikh uchebnykh zavedeniy. Povolzhskiy region. Obshchestvennye nauki = University proceedings. Volga region. Social sciences. 2024;(2):70–80. (In Russ.). doi: 10.21685/2072-3016-2024-2-6