Punishing Juvenile Offenders in Russia

Abstract

The current literature onjuvenilejustice in Russia is limited and tends to focus on the former Soviet Union. Using newly transled data we exunine the police and cowt dispositions ofjuveniles tested forseriousoffenses in Russiaduringthe period 1990-1999. Thetotal crime rate forjuveniles increased dramatically during this period, as did rests and convictions. Mostjuveniles were arested for theft. There was, however, a unexplained ptn of significantly lower rests and convictions for rape. About half of serious juvenile offenders arrested dwing this period were convicted of some offense. More than half ofthose who were convicted were sentenced to some form of incacton. The use of certain punishments, such as confnement to labor colonies, as well as the use of amnesties, declined during this period. We discuss implications of the findings and suggest additional research.