Russian police and transition to democracy: lessons from one empirical study

The paper discusses public experiences of policing in today’s Russia, public attitudes towards police resulting from such experiences and wider social implications of those attitudes. At the basis of the discussion is an empirical study which has been carried out by the author. The study has found abundant evidence of distrust towards – and fear of – police by contemporary Russians. It is argued that the corrupt, brutal and unaccountable police who lack legitimacy in the eyes of citizens trigger public responses that may help to deepen social inequalities, subvert the process of establishing the rule of law and impede the Russian transition to democracy. Moreover, if citizens view the police as illegitimate – indeed, believe that the very state agency designed to protect them actually presents threats to their security – the legitimacy of the entire state structure is at risk

The public image of the contemporary Russian police : impact of personal experiences of policing, wider social implications and the potential for change

Purpose – The paper aims to discuss the perception of the police by members of the public in post‐Soviet Russia following their personal experiences of policing, identify broader social implications of the contemporary public image of the Russian police and assess the potential for changing the current situation. Design/methodology/approach – The discussion is conducted on the basis of findings derived from an empirical study carried out by the author which involved qualitative interviews with members of the public who had personal experiences of policing, and with police officers. Findings – Findings indicate a very negative perception of the police by members of the public. Personal experiences of police misconduct appear to affect negatively citizens' general evaluations of the entire institution. Research limitations/implications – The study was small, and only those who have had personal encounters with the police were interviewed, so the findings should not be treated as necessarily representing attitudes of the population in general. Practical implications – The negative public image of the police revealed by this study has numerous dangerous consequences: people feel insecure and unprotected, lose trust towards legal authorities and refuse to cooperate with the police. Social implications – Distrust towards the police generates a situation where citizens have to be self‐reliant in protecting themselves against crime. Many of the strategies adopted towards this end are problematic. Originality/value – The paper presents a unique insight into public perceptions of the Russian police. It may suggest implications for policy and practice that could help enhance support of citizens for the police, or at least prevent further deterioration of the existing situation

Integrating the restorative and rehabilitative models: lessons from one family group conferencing project

The article will examine the relationship between restorative justice and offender rehabilitation on the basis of the evidence collected in the course of an empirical study. The study was conducted in a family group conferencing project which aspired to pursue the restorative and rehabilitative goals simultaneously. The article will highlight problems, tensions and dangers which may arise in the process of integrating the two models and suggest possible explanations for some of the difficulties

Coping with the failure of the police in post-Soviet Russia: findings from one empirical study

This paper discusses various adaptations and strategies developed by post-Soviet Russians in response to the failure of the police. It does so based on findings derived from an empirical study carried out by the author. A number of survival techniques utilised by citizens to compensate for dysfunctional policing is outlined, and dangers triggered by these coping strategies are highlighted

Restorative justice : aspirations of proponents and experiences of participants in family group conferences

Proponents of restorative justice aspire to create a radical alternative to the 'traditional' way of thinking about - and responding to - crime. This thesis will examine many of the key aspirations of restorative justice advocates. It will do so on the basis of critical analysis of restorative justice literature and the evidence collected in the course of an empirical study, which involved interviews with participants in family group conferences. The thesis will ask:- How realistic are the aspirations of restorative justice campaigners?- What happens when restorative justice ideals are pursued in practice?- Can restorative justice, as practised within one restorative justice project, claim the mantle of a victim-centred, lay-oriented, empowering, voluntary justice and present a true alternative to the existing paradigms of justice?- What insights can lay participants in restorative justice interventions bring into the debate about restorative justice?- Are there problems, tensions and dangers - highlighted by this empirical study - inherent in the current development of restorative justice?This thesis will demonstrate the existence of a significant gap between aspirations of proponents and practical realities of restorative justice. It will suggest that this gap is unlikely to be minimised, unless restorative justice advocates radically re-consider and alter the direction in which restorative justice is presently evolving. Some suggestions will be made indicating what could be done to minimise the gap.This thesis will critically analyse some important debates among restorative justice advocates. A particular focus will be on the debate concerning the relationship between restorative justice and the criminal justice system. The implications of the reliance of restorative justice on the state justice system will be examined in the light of empirical data, and it will be argued that the dependence of restorative justice on the criminal justice system is very problematic and needs to be avoided. It will be suggested that some of the present debates concerning the relationship between restorative justice and the state justice system need to be re-focused and new ones need to be opened.In the light of empirical findings and on the basis of theoretical arguments, the thesis will criticise the tendency of certain restorative justice advocates to pre-define the objectives of restorative justice, in particular, make restorative justice operate in the name of reparation of harm. Dangers inherent in restricting the focus and goals of restorative justice will be examined.Through empirical analysis and theoretical reflections, the thesis will identify some other serious dangers and problems inherent in the current development of restorative justice. One major danger is that at present restorative justice may serve to individualise, neutralise and quickly and effectively expunge from the society conflicts with social-structural roots, and thereby prevent a possibility of challenges to social inequalities and injustices. Another major danger is that restorative justice employs its techniques of power to enable the state to govern its subjects at a distance, in a masked fashion, and, consequently, to minimise resistance to the state power and maximise regulatory efficiency. This thesis will suggest radically changing the direction in which restorative justice is developing, which might help avoid some of the present dangers

Restorative justice in the Basque peace process: some experiments and their lessons

This paper contributes to the literature that analyses application of restorative justice in transitional societies. It examines recent attempts to employ restorative justice in the Basque peace process following ETA’s ceasefire. Using the Basque experience, it discusses some of the hidden dangers and tensions which arise when attempts are made to utilize ‘traditional’ restorative justice approaches and assumptions underlying them in transitional settings. One of the initiatives under discussion used a well-established restorative justice method of mediation between individual victims and offenders and attempted to transplant it without alteration from the context of ‘ordinary’ crime to the context of ‘political’ crime. It is argued that the scale and complexity of the conflict that looms behind individual offences in question renders certain assumptions and practices of ‘traditional’ restorative justice questionable both ethically and politically. Several other initiatives that have emerged recently in the Basque peace process are discussed which do not take the ‘classic’ form of restorative justice, yet values underpinning them fit well with the restorative justice philosophy. They might suggest a more promising direction for the development of restorative justice in the aftermath of mass violence

Los estudios catalanes, gallegos y vascos en las universidades rusas: historia y actualidad

El estudio de las lenguas y culturas minoritarias de España en Rusia no tiene una tradición tan larga como la hispanística en general. El interés científico por la lengua catalana se remonta a finales del siglo XIX y se arraiga en los estudios de la historia y literatura de Cataluña. Las primeras publicaciones sobre el gallego como una lengua independiente aparecen más tarde, a mediados del siglo XX, y el interés en el vasco surge gracias a la teoría jafética de Nikolai Marr en los años 20-30 del siglo pasado. Una nueva etapa en los estudios ibéricos empieza en 1941, año de publicación de la obra del académico Vladimir Shishmariov Ensayos sobre la historia de las lenguas de España, la cual brindó un impulso considerable al estudio de las lenguas y culturas regionales de la Península Ibérica.nEn los años 70 y sobre todo 80, la temática catalana, gallega y vasca pasa a ocupar un puesto importante en los distintos ámbitos de los estudios filológicos y culturológicos, desarrollándose en el contexto de las investigaciones ibéricas en dos centros principales: las universidades de Moscú y San Petersburgo. En las últimas décadas, el interés por las dichas lenguas y literaturas está en expansión. Prueba de ello es el número creciente de alumnos que optan por estudiar estos idiomas, así como un notable aumento de tesinas, tesis y otros tipos de investigaciones basados en el material de las lenguas y culturas autonómicas de España

Gender Differences in American Children\u27s Oral Narratives

Gender differences exist among different aspects of children\u27s development (such as social, cognitive, and emotional). Children\u27s narratives have been used as a common assessment tool (Libby & Aries, 1989; Wang & Leichtman, 2000) to learn more about gender differences. Knowledge of existing differences enables educators to individualize their teaching for boys and girls in order to benefit their development. The present study focused on gender differences in the following areas of American children\u27s oral narratives: characters, emotional tone, structure, content, and language. The participants of the study were 14 kindergarteners and first-graders (7 boys and 7 girls) between ages 6 - 6.5, recruited from a university laboratory school and public elementary school in the Midwest. Each subject was presented four oral story starters during two individual interviews (two story starters each day). Findings of the study indicated that boys tended to tell significantly more stories that reflected a threatening atmosphere, while girls told significantly more stories that involved an aggressive mood. Among other findings of this study, which were not found significant, were boys\u27 tendencies to tell more imaginary stories and girls\u27 tendencies to tell more stories with stronger links to reality. In terms of structure, girls\u27 narratives were found to be longer and included more simple sentences