Organised Crime & Crime Prevention - what works? - Scandinavian ...

NSfK’s 40. forskerseminar, Espoo, Finland 1998
GenovaitëBabachinaitë, Head of the Department of Criminology
Lithuanian Law Academy
Ateities 20, 2057 Vilnius, Lithuania
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Comparative Survey of Criminality in Lithuania
This paper compares the main indicators of criminality in Lithuania with that of the other
countries - primarily the Baltic states. The neighbouring Baltic states, Latvia and Estonia,
began their independent social development from the same social conditions as Lithuania, but
in a slightly different time. All three states are yet in a transitional period, so the comparison
of their criminality is especially important during all the period of independent development.
But before this it is important to discuss shortly the main crime indicators at the time when
the three countries were still incorporated into Soviet Union, but beginning their moves
towards independence.
Table 1. Criminality in the Baltic Republics during 1985-1989
Year
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
Registered crimes
Lithuania
21 363
20 628
20 037
21 337
31 238
Latvia
25 303
22 307
21 502
22 991
29 676
Estonia
14 828
12 500
11 465
12 167
19 141
Crime rate per 10 000 inhabitants
Lithuania
59,8
57,5
55,9
58,7
84,9
Latvia
97,6
85,3
81,4
86,2
110,6
Estonia
96,9
81,1
73,7
77,4
121,1
The period of revival in the Baltic countries began in 1988. Gorbachiov’s “perestroyka”
began earlier. Limited private economic activity was then allowed, but on the basis of
socialistic economy in essence. All of these and other (unmentioned here) social - economic
changes have influenced on criminality in the Baltic states, which was already especially
striking in statistical accounts by 1989. This is shown in table 1 where the data of registered
criminality is presented. During the five years before restoring independence, as indicated in
table 1, the crime level in Lithuania was constantly smaller than in the other Baltic republics.
In 1985 it was 1,7 times smaller than in Latvia and Estonia, whose crime levels were
approximately equal in 1985. In 1988 the crime level in Lithuania was 1,5 times smaller than
in Latvia and 1,3 times smaller than in Estonia, so the gap in crime levels decreased not in
Lithuania’s favour.
In 1989, criminality in the Baltic republics increased significantly: in Lithuania the number of
registered crimes increased by 9901, in Latvia - by 6685, and in Estonia - by 6974. So, in total
numbers, the greatest increase of registered crimes was in Lithuania. According to the