Archiwum Kryminologii (Archives of Criminology)

39-61

Authors: Mary Corcoran

The pandemic presented a uniquely unrestricted bonanza in many countries for opportunistic profitmaking at the public expense. In the United Kingdom, this took the form of collusion between senior political figures and business associates in purchasing medical supplies which, allied to the suspension of procurement governance, led to irregular, even fraudulent, contracting practices. Analyses of corruption often stress the combination of system abuses by officials and ill-functioning governance as factors in undermining public trust. Whilst these held true in the case of procurement corruption in the UK, this article focuses on the relationships between populism and de democratising trends aimed at disarming critical opposition to elite misappropriation and profiteering in the context of a crisis. Operating under the cover of emergency pandemic planning, the UK government presides over historical levels of state facilitated misappropriation while largely deflecting political accountability or sanction from those responsible.

91-126

Authors: Zbigniew Lasocik

This article is devoted to the issue of awareness of human trafficking and forced labor among Poles. The analysis is based on the results of social opinion polls conducted in Poland between 1998 and 2020. Although there have been several such surveys, there is so far no summary or commentary on them in the Polish literature. There is extensive empirical material, however, some of the studies raise serious methodological doubts. Finally, interpretation of the results sometimes causes considerable controversy. In professional writing, the problem of social awareness of human trafficking has been discussed much less frequently than such issues as the scale of this phenomenon, the effectiveness of prosecution or the situation of the victims. The narrative axis of this article is Amitai Etzioniʼs concept of an active society. This author argues that a sense of community comes down to the development of optimal responses to emerging social needs. Therefore, questions have to be asked about whether Polish society perceives the problem of human trafficking as important, and whether it has developed the kind of readiness that guarantees that it will "deal" with it in the best possible way. In light of the data collected, and the analysis carried out, the proposed answer is decidedly negative. The article demonstrates that a low level of awareness from citizens became one of the factors that negatively affected the process of building an effective system of eliminating modern slavery in Poland. A poorly informed, passive, and most of all undemanding society turned out to be a “convenient” partner for the state apparatus, which never considered human trafficking to be one of its priorities. Even more, the state has almost completely neglected its duty to build a collective awareness of the danger of this crime, or to support societal responsibility for its victims.

151-194

Authors: Ewa Dawidziuk, Kamila Kotowska

The article describes the use of the Skype electronic communicator in maintaining contact between prisoners and their relatives. The data collected by the Office of the Polish Ombudsman shows that penitentiary units have appropriate the technical capabilities to use the discussed form of social communication. Online meetings of inmates with their families have gained particular importance during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The publication indicates the possibility of using electronic means of communication by convicts, as well as the difficulties in accessing these tools by remand prisoners. Attention was also paid to general access to websites by prisoners.

243-266

Authors: Paulina Wiktorska

The text includes a description and analysis of selected changes in the approach to controlling domestic violence, taking into account the latest legislative proposal. The text focuses on the most important, selected amendments and successively introduced institutions and procedures which on the one hand increase the scope of state interference in relations between close relatives, and on the other hand increase the possibility of persons affected by violence utilising the available protection. The individual amendments have aroused, and their proposed provisions are still arousing a great deal of controversy of a legal, social, cultural and ethical nature.

315-345

Authors: Dominik Wzorek

The aim of the research was to investigate which elements of actions of criminal trial participants lead to criminalizing offenses and labeling offenders as “criminals.” The research was based on labeling theory in criminology and Goffman’s dramaturgical analysis and his perspective of social role. In-depth interviews with professional lawyers and analysis of recordings of court hearings available on YouTube were conducted. The findings of the research project allow answering the question: how lawyers define the strategies for negotiating the status of a criminal during the criminal trial. There were distinguished five strategies: objectivization of opinions, the weight of arguments, “doubts creating,” referring to the authority, and highlighting professionalism.

375-397

Authors: Paweł Dziekański

In recent years, Poland has observed an increase in the number of people in pre-trial detention. At parallel, crime rates are not high and are on declining trend. There is therefore a tendency which defies the logical, natural justification that the number of pre-trial detentions should increase in line with the growth of crime, especially the most serious types of crimes. The article discusses purposes and functions of detention in Polish criminal procedure. The analysis of them indicates that the illegal use of non-procedural functions, which is facilitated by certain factors, may lead to overused pre-trial detention in Poland.

429-457

Authors: Karolina Trzeskowska-Kubasik

During the German occupation, the prison in Pińczów was the largest prison in the Kreishauptmannschaft Busko area. At the same time, the prison in Pińczów together with the Wełecki Forest near Busko-Zdrój was the largest place of execution of the inhabitants of Kreishauptmannschaft Busko. Its activity in 1939-1944 is poorly described in Polish historiography. There are also no articles about personnel losses in its territory. The goal of the article is to characterize prisoners from Pińczów and to discuss German crimes committed on its territory.