CURRENT TRENDS IN THE PREVENTION OF RECIDIVISM

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of prevention and combating recidivism. The author analyzes theoretical, legislative and law enforcement issues related to the prevention of recidivism and presents their practical significance in the process of law enforcement. When formulating and implementing appropriate measures to prevent recidivism, the author emphasizes the need to take into account the current situation of crime prevention in the State, and the positive experience of certain foreign countries with a view to highlighting effective modern directions of recidivism prevention.

The purpose of this study is to identify, based on a thorough analysis of the features of recidivism, effective modern directions of its prevention.

It is noted that each punishment imposed for a committed offense should be balanced, individual, fair and, most importantly, proportionate to the harm caused as a result of the criminal offense. After all, the proportionality of the harm and the punishment imposed affects the criminal law institution of serving a sentence and trust in justice in general.

The author also draws attention to the need to take into account absolutely all factors relating to a new intentional criminal offense committed, the determinants which generated and contributed to it, and in general, the psychological characteristics of a recidivist, his/her previous criminal offenses, the procedure for serving his/her sentence, etc.

The article also presents the results of the analysis and summarization of statistical data on recidivism for the period 2017 – May 2024, namely, on the commission of criminal offenses by persons who have previously committed criminal offenses, and formulates specific proposals for changing existing and developing new measures to prevent recidivism.

The article emphasizes that there is a need to develop and adopt a separate Program for the Prevention of Recidivism, which should provide for the areas of prevention, principles, and a system of preventive actions at the level of the State and local self-government bodies to prevent recidivism. Effective ways to prevent recidivism require the justice system to cooperate in a coordinated and effective manner with other bodies and organizations to eliminate the main causes and conditions of recidivism. That is, along with the use of punitive measures, it is necessary to apply and implement modern prevention and deterrence programs that will include an analysis of all factors that influence the recidivism of criminal offenses. This also means that agencies and organizations that interact with offenders and victims should be involved in the implementation of preventive programs to prevent recidivism to ensure their effectiveness and efficiency.