The Work of the Internal Affairs Bodies on Preventing Juvenile Delinquency in Late 20th-Century Russia

Abstract

Currently, juvenile delinquency prevention is one of the areas of activity of Russia’s law enforcement system that require qualitative improvement. In this regard, it is necessary to turn to the multifaceted historical experience of various agencies that were involved in the educational and preventive work with children, adolescents and young men exhibiting deviant behaviour. The many years of law enforcement practice indicate that the bulk of the tasks in this area has been undertaken by the internal affairs bodies. This article, from the standpoint of modern historical science, studies certain aspects of the organization and implementation of operational activities of those services and divisions of the internal affairs bodies that were involved in the prevention of juvenile delinquency under specific historical circumstances, namely, during the establishment of the new Russian statehood. This period was characterized by a radical transformation of all spheres of society and highly dynamic economic, social and political processes, as well as by ideological, spiritual and moral uncertainty, growing crime rates in the country and, as a consequence, a significant increase in the level of illegal activity among the younger generation. The author applied the general scientific and general historical methods, which ensured that the results obtained are reliable, comprehensive and concrete. The use of diverse historical sources, both published and archival, allowed the author to draw well-founded conclusions about the place and role of Russia’s internal affairs bodies in the system of child neglect and juvenile delinquency prevention, as well as about the effect of the preventive measures implemented by the public security and criminal police units on the adolescents at risk of delinquency.