Policing Post-communist Societies

2003 Law

Author : Niels A. Uildriks
Release : 2003
Genre : Law
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 992/5 ( reviews)

Book Synopsis Policing Post-communist Societies by : Niels A. Uildriks

Download or read book Policing Post-communist Societies written by Niels A. Uildriks. This book was released on 2003. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Eastern European countries have been involved in a complex transition towards more democratic forms of government. Since the demise of communism, the building up of an independent judiciary and a general reorientation of the police role within society have been key-issues On the basis of three country studies in Russia, Lithuania and Mongolia, this book analyses the present state of policing in a variety of post-communist societies in terms of police-public violence, democratic policing, the rule of law and human rights. It is also complemented by recent comparable and previously unpublished police data for Romania, Bulgaria and Poland. Those studies have been carried out amongst the rank-and-file of the uniform branch in Lithuania and Russia which were commissioned by the Soros Open Society Foundation. They were specifically concerning views and experiences concerning police-public violence and current policing problems in general. A third study was carried in Mongolia amongst criminal investigators, and sought to explore (violent) investigative practices. This book seeks to combine a thorough theoretical analysis with unique empirical data. It analyses the different problems of transition of post-communist societies towards more democratic forms of government with unique data from both outside and inside the police.

Police Reform and Human Rights

2005 Human rights

Author : Niels A. Uildriks
Release : 2005
Genre : Human rights
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 499/5 ( reviews)

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Book Synopsis Police Reform and Human Rights by : Niels A. Uildriks

Download or read book Police Reform and Human Rights written by Niels A. Uildriks. This book was released on 2005. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the demise of communism in the early nineties, police reform and human rights have become important topics in post-communist societies striving for more democratic and human rights based forms of governance. In spite of the introduction of new constitutions, the ratification of human rights treaties in many such countries, as well as the introduction of new criminal law and procedure codes, policing realities overall have proved remarkably intransigent. In this volume diverse experts from different countries discuss both impediments to and opportunities for the development of a more democratic and human rights-oriented police. As such, this volume is of importance to students and academics, as well as practitioners interested in acquiring an insight into the viability of different approaches to improve the quality of democratic and human rights-oriented policing in post-communist societies and beyond.

The Politics of Police Reform

2018-03-01 Political Science

Author : Erica Marat
Release : 2018-03-01
Genre : Political Science
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 509/5 ( reviews)

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Book Synopsis The Politics of Police Reform by : Erica Marat

Download or read book The Politics of Police Reform written by Erica Marat. This book was released on 2018-03-01. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There is a Russian saying that "police mirror society." The gist of this is that every society is policed to the extent that it allows itself to be policed. Centralized in control but decentralized in their reach, the police are remarkably similar in structure, chain of command, and their relationships with the political elite across post-Soviet nations--they also remain one of the least reformed post-communist institutions. As a powerful state organ, the Soviet-style militarized police have resisted change despite democratic transformations in the overall political context, including rounds of competitive elections and growing civil society. While consensus between citizens and the state about reform may be possible in democratic nations, it is considerably more difficult to achieve in authoritarian states. Across post-Soviet countries, such discussions most often occur between political elites and powerful non-state actors, such as criminal syndicates and nationalistic ethnic groups, rather than the wider citizenry. Even in countries where one or more rounds of democratic elections have taken place since 1991, empowered citizens and politicians have not renegotiated the way states police and coerce society. On the contrary, in many post-Soviet countries, police functions have expanded to serve the interests of the ruling political elites. What does it take to reform a post-Soviet police force? This book explores the conditions in which a meaningful transformation of the police is likely to succeed and when it will fail. Departing from the conventional interpretation of the police as merely an institution of coercion, this book defines it as a medium for state-society consensus on the limits of the state's legitimate use of violence. It thus considers policing not as a way to measure the state's capacity to coerce society, but rather as a reflection of a complex society bound together by a web of casual interactions and political structures. The book compares reform efforts in Ukraine, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan, finding that bottom-up public mobilization is likely to emerge in the aftermath of transformative violence--an incident when the usual patterns of policing are interrupted with unprecedented brutality against vulnerable individuals. Ultimately, The Politics of Police Reform examines the various pathways to transforming how the state relates to society through policing.

Policing Soviet Society

2005-08-02 Political Science

Author : Louise Shelley
Release : 2005-08-02
Genre : Political Science
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 459/5 ( reviews)

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Book Synopsis Policing Soviet Society by : Louise Shelley

Download or read book Policing Soviet Society written by Louise Shelley. This book was released on 2005-08-02. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since its creation immediately after the Russian revolution,the militia has had a broad range of social,political and economic functions necessary to direct and control a highly centralized socialist state.However,as the communst party lost its legitimacy the militia was increasingly thrust into the front line of political conflict.A task it was unsuited to perform.Despite the efforts of perestroika to reform it,the collapse of the Soviet state also led to the collapse of morale within the militia. Louise Shelley provides a comprehensive view of the history,development,functions,personnel and operations of the militia from its inception until after the demise of the Soviet state.The militia combined elements of continental,socialist and colonial policing.Its functions and operations changed with the development of the state,yet it always intervened significantly in citizen's lives and citizens were very much involved in their own control.Over time the militia became more removed from politics and more concerned with crime control,but it always remained a tool of the party. This is the first book to analyze the militia,which was one of the most vital elements of control within the Soviet State.It will be a crucial aid to understanding the authoritarianism of the communist system and its legacy for Russia and the successor states. Louise I.Shelley is Professor at the Department of Justice,Law and Society and the School of International Service at the American University,Washington D.C.

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