Criminality of persons with punishment suspended due to pregnancy or young children

Criminality of pregnant women and people with children under 14 is considered as part of criminality as a whole and has certain peculiarities. In this regard, its study depends on the objective data on crime in general. The criminality of the category of people stated above is peculiar due to their having children who can suffer potential negative effect in case their parents are granted a deferred sentence. To study this aspect of criminality the author has analysed the statistics on the number of people registered with the probation departments, identified the subjects of the Russian Federation accounting for the largest and the smallest numbers of convicts with deferred sentences, determined the structure of their criminality and criminal characteristics of their personalities. The official statistics of the All-Russian Research Institute of Information Technologies of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia show that the convicts who are granted a deferred sentence due to pregnancy or young children constitute only 2% of the total number of convicts registered in probation departments. Their number is gradually decreasing (with 8,091, 8,036, 7,193, 6,486 from 2013 to 2016 respectively) due to a decreased total number of convicts registered with the probation departments. The statistics analysis identified the subjects of the Russian Federation with the largest and smallest number of registered convicts whose sentences were suspended, which showed a direct correlation between the general level of criminality and the number of registered people in a particular region. The structure of crimes committed by people from the category under analysis is predominated by acquisitive crimes (26.7% accounts for theft, 9.8% for fraud). Then come crimes related to illicit trafficking in narcotics, psychotropic substances and their analogues (22.8%). Particular attention is paid to convicts who committed crimes during the probation period. Their average percent from 2013 to 2016 remains stable (0.7%). In almost half of the cases the repeated crimes are committed by convicts with previous criminal records. Almost 40% of them commit serious and extremely serious crimes. Considering the specificity of the probation institution, the current situation can hardly be called positive. The following work should be carried out so that the convict might justify the trust rendered by the court in the upbringing of the child. First, when taking a decision on a deferred sentence, it is necessary to conduct a more careful analysis of the convict’s personality and to consider his or her previous criminal records. Second, the bodies exercising control over the convicts should establish effective work to remedy them and prevent them from criminality.

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