Consideration of the characteristics of juvenile delinquency in police prevention activities

The article points out the shortcomings in the activities of the police for the prevention of group offenses of minors. Among them are the following: prevention does not take into account the changing subject of activity of groups of juvenile offenders depending on social processes in society, as well as the changing system of communication links in these communities, the transition from real contacts between group members to virtual communication using digital technologies; prevention is focused mainly on small and unstable groups of juvenile delinquents, the specifics of communication links and the subject of criminal activity of stable criminal groups are not taken into account; police bodies do not interact enough with other subjects of general and special prevention of juvenile delinquency, primarily in terms of information exchange; police activities are focused mainly on supervising the activities of members of groups consisting of on preventive accounting; low activity of police officers to identify adults who involve underage members of groups in committing crimes and antisocial actions. These shortcomings in the activities of the police predetermined the relevant proposals to improve the prevention of group crimes of minors, which include the following. 1. Police officers should take into account the subject of activity of groups of juvenile offenders changing under the influence of social processes in society in order to determine the priorities of preventive impact. 2. The police should be focused not only on working with ordinary groups of juvenile offenders (unstable and small in number), but also with stable criminal groups that are focused mainly on committing mercenary crimes and that are resistant to preventive effects. 3. Police bodies should interact more intensively with other subjects of general and special prevention of juvenile delinquency, primarily in terms of information exchange. This allows the police to more fully present the properties of groups of juvenile offenders who are an independent and specific object of prevention, to implement preventive measures agreed with these subjects. 4. The activities of the police should not be limited to registering groups of juvenile offenders, supervising their participants who are on preventive registration, and conducting preventive conversations with them. It is necessary to use all forms of preventive influence provided for by Article 17 of Federal Law No. 182-FZ of June 23, 2016 "On the basics of the system of crime prevention in the Russian Federation" within the limits of their powers. 5. Police officers need to step up their activities to identify and bring to criminal responsibility adults who involve underage members of groups in committing crimes and anti-social actions.