Involving minor into criminal activity: psychological determinants

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the analysis of psychological determinants of involving minor into criminal activity. It is applied to intensity of minor criminalization, because minor unlawful behavior recently obtains the active manifestations of aggression, impudence, cruelty and cynicism. It is denoted that in the surroundings of minor the new types of offences and crimes that are native only to the adults are spread; the number of such acts that were accomplished by minor or with their participation during 9 months of 2012 is 5,1 % in Ukraine. In accordance with the valid criminal procedural law each fact of minor participation in committing a crime together with the adult requires the clarification of possibility of singling out a separate proceeding on the stage of pre-trial investigation. Considering such position of legislator, it is denoted the necessity of giving attention to determinantsof involving minor into criminal activity as during pretrial investigation as during a trial. The reasons and psychological determinants of involving minor into criminal activity are determined and analyzed:increased conformality, tendency to perceive the suggestive influence, emotional instability; a presence of rejections in psychical development of some teenagers, their pedagogical neglect; excessive tendency to the group activities, lack of ability to predict the course of events in particular those which are related to own behavior; increased suggestibility; passivity; inability properly to orientate themselves in the new situation etc. It is mentioned that changes which take place in a criminal environment require the improvement of prophylactic measures for the involvement of minors into criminal activity.