Projects / Programmes
Social control, criminal justice system, violence and the prevention of victimizations in the context of high technology market society
January 1, 2015
- December 31, 2021
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 5.07.00 |
Social sciences |
Criminology and social work |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| S160 |
Social sciences |
Criminology |
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 5.04 |
Social Sciences |
Sociology |
criminology, criminal law, victimology, penology, social control, genetics
Researchers (26)
Organisations (1)
Abstract
The research group will try to explain how the changes in post-industrial society affect penal and surveillance systems. The investigation will start by analyzing the ideological shifts in our understanding of deviancy. The research group will then describe the way those changes influence the institutions in charge of discipline and surveillance. Finnaly, the investigation will analyse the effect these changes have on the level of violence and victimization in our society today.
In the first part of the research, special attention will be given to the "naturalization" of the social sciences. We will analyse the way criminology and law in recent years turned to biology. In particular, we will look at the role of genetics and neuroscience in explaining deviance. We will critically address genetic determinism as well as analyse how it influences the perceptions of free will and individual responsibility. The research project will also analyze the impact of new digital technologies on controlling people in modern society, and encourage the respect for privacy in the collection of various forms of personal information.
In the second part of the research, we will focus on a detailed analysis of how ideological changes in the post-industrial society affect the changes in the criminal justice system. Special attention will be given to the analysis of white-collar crime, corruption and economic crime. Slovenian legal order and punitive practices will be compared with the European and global trends. We will encourage a more rehabilitative penal policy and judicial practice that is less ignorant of the psychological factors which play an important role in judicial decisions.
The third part of research will look at the new forms of violence and victimization in today's society. Family violence will be especially analysed. However, the research group will also examine the way people in their private lives deal with the strengthened social control and increased victimisation. We will take into consideration that today's conflicting demands often lead to cases of depression, anxiety, and even self-inflicted harm. There is also a considerable increase in cases of psychosis. The research group will try to determine whether these processes give rise to a new form of fear-ridden, obsessively controlled, and ultimately passive subjectivity.
Significance for science
The research programme (RP) will have direct impact on several academic fields at national, European and global levels. The group will achieve this by 1) publishing findings in top quality national and foreign academic journals and books published by prominent international publishing houses; 2) organising and participating at national and international academic events and, 3) actively participating in relevant international associations.
The RP will importantly impact:
criminology and criminal law, especially theoretical criminology and criminological research, surveillance and social control studies, corruption, white-collar crime, cybercrime, juvenile justice, punishment, sentencing and penology. The analysis of Slovenian cases promises new insights relevant for the European and global academic community due to its specific position in terms of punitiveness (comparatively still along Scandinavian countries, but with an emphasised punitive trend in the last two decades). The empirical parts of the RP will foster the development of national theory, while also generating further national and international comparative studies. The study of new types of evidence, e.g. digital, neuro-scientific and other technologically mediated evidence will impact criminal procedure. The RP will confront various principles and ethic standpoints, theoretical findings and practical orientations that reveal the reality of criminal procedure “in action”. This will enable a transfer of comparative legal solutions in our legal culture and foster self-reflection of Slovenian criminal procedure theory and practice. The impact of the RP on criminal substantive law will be most poignant through a systematic analysis of the economic and white-collar crime, studied in light of the repressive and protective functions of criminal law. The analysis of case law related to corruption and the collection and dissemination of a set of exemplars of corruptive acts will lead to a clearer distinction between different incriminations;
law: the study of different and often opposing ethical directions in social reactions to crime will impact legal philosophy. The RP will address constitutional questions, e.g. by analysing new police powers, the protection of privacy and economic and social liberties, and (personal) data protection law, e.g. by addressing the EU data protection reform and legal decisions of the Slovenian Data Protection Authority.
psychology: judicial decision-making is clearly charged with crucial psychological notions as decision-makers enter the process as whole personalities, with particular abilities, beliefs. The RP will study psychological processes that are at work in the courtroom.
The RP will indirectly impact security studies, sociology (of deviance), political science and political philosophy. It will foster an intensive collaboration of its members in international academic networks and enable their engagements in Horizon 2020, ERC and COST programmes.
Significance for the country
The Research Programme (RP) will reflect on the political, legal and moral guidelines for the social-economic and cultural development of Slovenia. The public is greatly concerned with the proposed research topics, such as corruption, and the RP will generate theoretical insights of these phenomena in Slovenia and beyond. It will also demonstrate that we live in an era of global competition of ethical attitudes, which will create a more adequate and more nuanced framework for discussion on the future directions of development of Slovenia.
Criminal justice system represents a significant financial burden for the state. Insights in the penal policy will offer foundations for replacement of the expensive imprisonment sanctions and the excessive security policies by a more effective rehabilitation approach. Analysis of individual forms of crime, such as corruption, will allow for a more transparent use of the public funds, while an analysis of judicial decision-making will lead to more efficient court proceedings.
The RP will address a number of social policies and legislative powers of the state administration and judicial system. The existing RP has already contributed to development of penal policy that was an exemplar of the lowest incarceration rates in the world together with high level of security for citizens, and this sort of policy needs revival. Findings of the RP will strengthen the constitutional directions on the rule of law and the welfare state and will contribute to the prevention of violence and reduction of other forms of victimization. The overall objective of the RP is to contribute to a crime policy based on the respect for human rights, social solidarity and tolerance, to increase perceptions of security, enhance the quality and impartiality of court decisions, and to augment legal certainty and legitimacy of the judiciary.
The RP will achieve this by developing foundations of the criminal and police law regulations, which will take into account the balance between protection and guarantee function of the criminal law. This will indirectly impact the emergent case law. The RP will also consider relevant European developments, for example new forms of collaboration in the form of European Public Prosecutor.
The RP will establish new and strengthen existing stakeholders’ networks in the fight against crime. This will include co-operation with: 1) domestic and foreign academic institutions in order to increase the flow of knowledge, facilitate cultural exchange and at the same time strengthen the possibility of joint participation in research projects, and (2) state authorities, where we expect exchange of knowledge in educational programs for judges, prosecutors, lawyers and other practitioners. Research findings will be disseminated at the university programmes.
By the above-mentioned multi-level impacts the RP will furnish a significant effect on the reputation and position of Slovenian social science in Europe and beyond.
Most important scientific results
Annual report
2015,
interim report
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Annual report
2015,
interim report
