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Czechoslovakia General Crime
Gypsies (especially in Slovakia) and young people were viewed
as the primary perpetrators of crime, and alcohol was seen as a
major factor. In Slovakia, for example, 65,869 offenses and petty
offenses were registered between January and November 1983; this
number was 52 percent more than in the same period of 1982.
Gypsies reportedly were responsible for about 20 percent of these
crimes, even though they made up less than 3 percent of the
population of Slovakia
(see Ethnic Groups
, ch. 2). "Economic
crime," a wide category including shoplifting and vandalism,
accounted for Kcs116 million worth of damages. Losses due to
burglary went up 37 percent between 1981 and 1985. In 1985, in
the Czech Socialist Republic alone, the value of goods stolen was
reported as Kcs43 million. Burglaries were a special problem in
large cities, especially Prague. Property was inadequately
protected, although security devices (such as security locks)
were available in the stores.
In the mid-1980s, statistics were not available for rape and
other violent crimes. In the 1970s, when statistics were
published, the number of court cases involving rape and child
abuse fluctuated between 1,623 and 2,475 a year, peaking in 1973.
Rapists "on the prowl" appeared to be a common phenomenon, and
young girls were warned not to hitchhike. The penalty for rape
was three to eight years' imprisonment, which increased to
fifteen years if death occurred. The penalty for child abuse was
from one to eight years and up to fifteen years if death
resulted.
Juvenile delinquency was on the rise in the 1980s and usually
involved children from broken homes. Parents were held
responsible for their children and could be prosecuted for
allowing their child's truancy. Juveniles were believed
responsible for about 21 percent of all crime, often vandalizing
state-owned property. Youth gangs were not unknown; and drug
abuse and alcoholism were major problems. Children convicted of
crimes served terms in juvenile correctional and training
facilities, apart from adults. They might also be placed in the
protective custody of the state, but there was a shortage of
institutions to provide such care.
The most common offense in Czechoslovakia was nonpayment of
mandatory child support. In a country in which divorce was
commonplace, this abuse had become a serious problem. In 1985
approximately 3,800 child support cases were prosecuted in the
Czech Socialist Republic alone. In general, convicted parents
were given the maximum sentence and were often sent to work
camps.
Black-market money changing was also common in
Czechoslovakia, as it appeared to be in all East-bloc economies.
The black-market changer might be a taxi driver or someone on the
street corner waiting for foreign tourists who needed
Czechoslovak currency or for Czechoslovak citizens who needed
hard currency. Such a money changer would exchange hard (Western)
currency for Czechoslovak korunas at a far better rate than the
State Bank of Czechoslovakia, often doubling that figure. This
"speculation" was highly illegal, and the papers carried reports
of such transactions. On occasion, these money changers were
agents of the government who tried to entrap foreigners in a
crime.
Data as of August 1987
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