Prophylaxis and Prevention of Extremist Activity of Informal Youth

Organizations

Zhabskiy Valeriy Aleksandrovich

, Zalivina Natalya Nikolaevna

and Lez'er Victoria

Moscow University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia named after V.Ya. Kikotya, Russia

International Center for Culture and Cognition, Brignoles, France

Keywords: Criminal law, crime prevention, extremism, youth, prophylaxis, discrimination, extremist organizations.

Abstract: Modern extremism has become a multifaceted socially negative phenomenon that threatens the security of

mankind. In this regard, the issues of prophylaxis and prevention of extremist activity are constantly being

improved at the legislative level. It is the existence of the legislative framework that covers all illegal actions

related to extremist activity that makes it possible to prevent the emergence and development of extremism

in Russia and abroad. Preventive anti-extremist measures can only be successful if they are carried out within

the framework of state policy. The purpose of this article is to identify problems in the prevention, detection,

suppression and solution of extremist offenses committed by minors. The state is especially concerned about

informal youth groups of extremist orientation. A successful fight against them presupposes the involvement

of the entire population, the institutions of civil society. On this account, the propaganda of the ideology of

extremism counteraction is of a great importance. In the article, the authors, on the basis of the analysis,

considered the types of measures aimed at preventing, detecting and suppressing extremist activity, as well

as the institutions of the extremism prevention on the territory of the Russian Federation. The authors identify

the reasons and conditions supporting the formation of informal youth organizations, and announce a number

of factors that are necessary, in our opinion, for work organization in order to prevent the illegal activity of

extremist youth formations. During writing the article, the methods of materialistic dialectics, legal

hermeneutics, special legal, comparative legal methods, a sociological approach and a forecasting method

were used.

1 INTRODUCTION

Extremism has become one of the most pronounced

threats to modern Russia. Expressed in terrorist acts,

state power defamation, xenophobic sentiments

formation, it assumes an ever-larger scale.

Attention is drawn to the strategic approach of

extremists, which, among other things, consists in the

involvement of minors in the formation of

corresponding orientation. Young people are

attracted because of their immaturity and inability in

the background of unresolved social issues and

national hostility.

All these issues make the problem of preventing

juvenile extremist offenses especially urgent. And the

internal affairs bodies play an important role here.

2 MATERIALS AND METHODS

The materials for the preparation of this article were

the works of representatives of the sciences of

criminal law and criminology, as well as the current

legislation on extremism counteraction. During the

research, both general scientific and specific

scientific methods of cognition were used. In

particular, the methods of materialist dialectics,

comparative legal methods, a sociological approach

and a forecasting method were applied.

3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

In our opinion, the main reasons for the formation of

extremist-minded youth organizations include:

- insufficient individual prophylaxis;

- shortcomings in the systematic identification of

groups;

340

Zhabskiy, V., Zalivina, N. and Lez’er, V.

Prophylaxis and Prevention of Extremist Activity of Informal Youth Organizations.

DOI: 10.5220/0010641400003152

In Proceedings of the VII International Scientiﬁc-Practical Conference “Criminal Law and Operative Search Activities: Problems of Legislation, Science and Practice” (CLOSA 2021), pages

340-343

ISBN: 978-989-758-532-6; ISSN: 2184-9854

- limited methods of treatment of the group;

- insufficient attention to the adolescent violator at

the place of residence, study, work, leisure,

strengthening of his ties in aspirational groups;

- and others.

The social disorder, as well as the low level of

economic development of the country are significant

factors for the entry of young people into various

formations of extremist orientation. At the territorial

level, the involvement of minors in the organizations

of extremist orientation, in addition to this, is

facilitated by spending leisure time outside cultural

and educational institutions, the activation of

religious and other extremist organizations, the

influence of modern communication capabilities and

other reasons (Zykov, Lekomtsev, Samoshin, 2015).

The law quite broadly defines the range of

organizations of extremist activity counteraction:

federal government bodies, government bodies of the

constituent entities of the Russian Federation, local

government bodies within their competence.

In particular, the police are obliged to take, in

accordance with federal law, measures aimed at

preventing, detecting and suppressing the extremist

activities of public associations, religious and other

organizations, and citizens. The measures specified in

the law include:

- adoption of prophylaxis measures aimed at

preventing extremist activities, including the

identification and subsequent elimination of the

reasons and conditions facilitating the

implementation of extremist activity;

- identification, prevention and suppression of

extremist activity of public and religious associations,

other organizations, and individuals.

Speaking directly about the organization of the

prevention of extremist targeted activity of youth

formations, a number of features should be

emphasized. Firstly, one should take into account the

specifics of offenses of extremist nature. They are

unlawful acts that threaten the interests of individuals,

society and a state. Therefore, it is extremely

important to carry out work to prevent the formation

of such groups, the removal of minors from their

followers and the suppression of their functioning

(Khodusov, Khodusov, Zhabskiy, 2020). After all,

this activity is primarily characterized by a certain

established ideology, caused by obvious discomfort

and supported by necessary propaganda. It is quite

difficult for a minor to become captivated by

extremist sentiments and even more harder to realize

them in specific illegal actions. Thus, during work

organization in order to prevent the illegal activity of

extremist youth formations, the following factors

should also be taken into account:

- the presence of dissatisfaction with external

conditions and constantly encouraged motivation;

- the presence of like-minded people and constant

communication with them;

- information and organizational support, which

includes a base for forming a group, a meeting place,

technical means of informing or providing events,

transport, etc.;

- the presence of ideological or spiritual leaders,

usually adults;

- access of group members to weapons or

explosives and devices, and in some cases the

presence of special, tactical and physical training.

In this regard, preventive measures against

juvenile members of extremist groups should be

carried out in two main stages:

- before joining the group,

- if there is a group.

Prevention should be carried out in a

differentiated manner. It should depend on the type of

group and the individual characteristics of the

participants (their psychological, moral and social

state).

In the presence of an already formed group, one

should simultaneously carry out preventive measures

both in relation to the group as a whole and in relation

to its individual members (Lez'er, Sevalnev,

Cherepanova, Zhabskiy, 2020; Borshcheniuk,

Semeryanova, Filatova, Zhabskiy, 2019): both

leaders and young people who are not sufficiently

motivated or in doubt.

Such work should be carried out jointly with other

bodies. They are, first of all, divisions of the internal

affairs authorities formed to combat extremism. Joint

activity implies a constant volume of information of

interest, its objective analysis and the adoption of the

necessary measures within their competence, or the

timely transfer of this information to authorized

bodies (Boyarinov, 2016).

General preventive work should be carried out in

the following directions:

- gathering of information about offenses and

events of extremist orientation with the further

registration of these persons with a mark of “youth

extremism”;

- checking of identified persons (including

registered ones) for involvement in extremist acts

commission in the regions of the Russian Federation;

- identification of leaders, ideologists and active

participants of extremist organizations on the territory

of the region;

Prophylaxis and Prevention of Extremist Activity of Informal Youth Organizations

341

- identification of persons involved in violent

manifestations of extremism, including members of

an organized criminal group and enjoying authority

among young people on the territory of the district;

- monitoring of manifestations of racial, ethnic

and religious discrimination. Analysis of offenses that

is inherent in such manifestations;

- together with officers of the criminal

investigation department, cooperation with religious

and other institutions in order to increase the volume

and quality of criminal intelligence information on

the illegal activities of religious centers and

associations of extremist orientation (Mironov, 2011;

Shkabin, 2018);

- together with the criminal investigation units,

conducting of explanatory conversations with

students of schools, lyceums, colleges about the threat

of extremism to the interests of people and society, as

well as about responsibility for extremist acts

commission;

- together with the criminal investigation

department, carrying out measures to prevent and

suppress terrorist acts in objects of special

importance, schools, kindergartens, secondary

specialized educational institutions, through the

illegal trafficking of weapons, ammunition,

explosives and firing devices;

- together with the employees of the divisions of

the passport and registration services, conducting

inspections of compliance with labor and migration

legislation in the enterprises of the region in order to

identify conflict situations based on ethnicity, the

difference in national customs and lifestyles;

- carrying out complex targeted measures aimed

at preventing and suppressing of the extremist

offenses commission by minors, both before and

during the period of mass events.

Separately, at the regional level, programs are

being developed to counter extremism, to strengthen

the personal role of senior officials of the constituent

entities of the Russian Federation. In order to attract

the public to the problems of preventing extremism,

xenophobia, and the formation of tolerant behavior, it

is necessary to involve religious confessions, to

organize work to form citizens’ law-abiding behavior,

spiritual and moral principles, a healthy lifestyle and

consolidation of efforts in the fight against crime

(Tyutyunkov, 2014).

In addition, a number of other institutions with

authorities in this area can be distinguished. Thus, the

committee on legality, law and order, and security

regularly sends information to the prosecutor’s office

about all planned socially significant public events,

the organizers or participants of which are public

organizations (associations) of extremist orientation.

4 CONCLUSIONS

The timeliness and promptness of the provision of

information allows the prosecutor’s office to

coordinate the work of all law enforcement agencies

to ensure proper protection of public order and safety,

as well as to warn potential violators about the

inadmissibility of antisocial behavior. In addition to

those above mentioned comments, as the main

remarks to the work to suppress the commission of

offenses of extremist nature by minors, one can point

out the lack of a systematic approach to the

prevention, detection, and solution of crimes of

extremist orientation, the inconsistency of the

preventive measures carried out with the field

conditions, the absence of any purposeful work to

identify the facts of spreading in the media, including

the Internet, extremist ideas.

As we can see, extremism is a dangerous and

multifaceted phenomenon. In this connection, the

problem of fighting with it is acquiring more and

more new features. The internal affairs bodies are

entrusted with a wide range of responsibilities in this

area, including a work with minors. This group of

tasks is extremely important. And for their successful

implementation, a thorough and comprehensive

approach to the problem is required. Correct

prophylaxis is the main tool in the fight against the

participation of minors in extremist formations and in

preventing them from committing crimes in the

future. At the same time, the main principle is a work

concentration on prevention, that is, on identifying

potential participants, preventing the involvement of

new members in youth groups, and influencing

leaders.

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