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If You Have Issues Viewing Or Accessing This File Contact Us at NCJRS.Gov If you have issues viewing or accessing this file contact us at NCJRS.gov. " .. , . " ' .. 78598 U.S. Department of Justice National Institute of Justice This document has been reproduced exactly as received from the person or organization originating it. Points of view or opinions stated in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the National Institute of Justice. .. ' Permission to reproduce this ell\!') ri!jblgol material has been granted by Public Domain/NIJ U.S. Department of Justice to the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (N.CJRS). Further reproduction outside 01 the NCJRS system requires permis­ sion of the ~ owner. u. S. Department of Justice National Institute of Justice - • International Summaries A Series of Selected Translations in Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice NCJRS ~ neJI'S National Criminal Justice Reference Service A. QiQ U;i S~i::r aQ N ~ NCJ-78598 -~ I Recidivism'in Polish <Lriniinal Law Recidivism is a serious issue in the criminal justice systems of most nations.· This article examines relevant Polish law to give insight into legal responses to this common problem. By Andrzej Spotowski INTRODUCTION offense was repeated within a short time after the comoletion of a sentence. Poland, like other Socialist countries, views recidivism as a particularly dangerous phenomenon that Enacted after Poland regained its independence, must be combatted through appropriate legal sanctions. Article 60 of the Polish Penal Code of 1932 dealt with Since the measures taken against recidivism in Poland ._ recidivism in general terms. Recidivists received differ from those taken in other countries, they may be stricter sentences if ·the following conditions were of interest to foreign lawmakers. One generally speaks fulfilled: (1) the new crime was of the same type as the of recidivism when a person with a criminal record com­ earlier offense or the offender acted out of the same mits another crime. This is recidivism in the crim­ moti ves; (2) the offender had served at least one-third inological sense of the word, but its legal meaning is of the earlier sentence; and (3) the new crime was com­ different. This paper will consider the characteristics mitted within 5 years of completing the previous and consequences of recidivism as they are defined in sentence. In such cases, the court could impose a Polish crimir.al law. sentence exceeding the maximum penalty for the crime in question by up to one-half. (It is worth noting, how­ HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT ever. that the courts did not make use of this pro­ vision.) If a sentence called for confinement, the Penal For hundreds of years, Polish law has provided Code of 1932 required that this confinement take place in stricter penalties for offenders, who repeat certain a penitentiary rather than in a local jail; the minimum crimes, such as larceny. According to statutes enacted penalty would be 6 months rather than the previous by King Kazimierz Wielki in the 14th century, a third penalty of 1 week. Furthermore, a court was not allowed conviction of larceny evoked the death penalty. The laws to substitute probation or parole in such cases. of the Polish Monarchy of 1818 followed the model of the Napoleonic Code in dealing with recidivism. In the Code, The penal laws of the Peoples' Republic of Poland, la;'1s were very casuistic and detailed. Distinctions were which were drawn up in the 1950's, dealt much more made according to the seriousness of the repeated sevel'ely with recidivists. This was especially true for offenses. In general, a recidivist received a stricter the laws protecting nationalized r roperty, which un­ penalty no matter how much time had elapsed since the conditionally required heavier penalties for repeat previous conviction or how much of the earlier sentence offenders. had been completed. PRESENT LAWS (PENAL CODE OF 1969) In periods of foreign occupation of parts of Poland, Types of Recidivism Polish citizens were subject to the legal sys,tems of other countries: Austrian, Russian, German, and Russian ~any regulations in the Penal Code of 1969 pertain again. The last foreign system imposed on Poland, the to recidivism. Generally, the Code defines different Russian Penal Code of 1903 (introduced in 1915), allowed kinds of recidivism and calls for appropriate penalties extra penalties for recidivism only if the same type of for each. A distinction is made between general re­ cidivism and '>pecial recidivism. General recidivism "Der Rueckfall im potnischen Strafrecht" (NCJ 60855) originally refers to new offenses by a person who had been pre­ appeared in Zeitschrift fuer die gesamte Strafrechtswissen­ viously convicted for different offenses; the offenses do • schaft, 90 Band, Heft 2, 1978. (Walter de Gruyter &: Co., not have to be related. Special recidivism involves the Genthiner Strasse 13, 1000 Bertin 30, West Germany) Transtated repetition of similar offenses and takes into considera­ from the German by Sybille Jobin. tion the amount of time since the offender had been - prison, for the court can assign him to probation The same study demonstrated that the amount of • officers or even order his placement in a center for punishment received is considered an important factor in social adjustment. These measures art: intended to pre­ the assessment of an offender'S rehabilitation. Other vent him from committing new offenses after completing important factors are overall behavior, attitUde toward his sentence, and they are put into effect when an work, escape attempts, and alcohol abuse. The directors assessment indicates that he is prone to do so. For considered the rehabilitation process effective for 37 simple special recidivism, the decision is left up to the members (21.8 percent) of the study group, but only one courts, but for multiple special reCidivism, the negative recidivist was released from the center after the 2-year prediction is automatic and the assignment to probation minimum period required by law. officers is a legal requirement. Probationary super­ vision runs from 3 to 5 years and begins immediately upon Recidivism laws and court ractica. The law requires release. The recidivist must not change his place of 'penal measures or special recldlvism that are quite residence without court approval, and he is required to severe. However, the strict application of the laws can appear before the court whenever summoned in order to sometimes lead the courts to pronounce sentences that receive the court's instructions. He may be forbidden to they consider excessive and, therefore, unjust. In order stay in certain places, or he may be ordered to remain in to avoid such situations, the criminal code (Article 61) a location of the court's choice. allows the courts to refrain from applying recidivism regulations in cases where the personal circu mstances In the event that probationary supervision seems (motives, personality, social environment) of the inadequate for preventing a multiple recidivist from offender, rather than the circumstances of the offense, committing new crimes, the court can assign him to a must be taken into consideration. This regulation gives center for social adjustment. This assignment can also the court an opportunity to handle each case individual­ be imposed if his probationary obligations are not ful­ ly, and emphasizes the preventive function of punishment. filled or if the probationer refuses to cooperate. The application of Article 61 means that the court can Committing an offender to a center for social adjustment impose partial confinement or fines rather than is intended to achieve the following goals: (1) an imprisonment. The Polish Supreme Court has ruled, additional rehabilitating effort in a situation of though, that the other recidivism provisions of the limited freedom, (2) a test of the offender's capability . criminal code must remain in effect. for leadiQg a law-abiding life, and (3) the protection of. society from any further criminal activities. 2 The A controversy that sometimes arises is whether a period of commitment is not determined in advance; how­ recidivist's offense may be considered as "insignifi­ ever, it may not exceed 5 years. After 2 years, the cantly dangerous,,4 to society and thus go unpunished in court can order the offender's release if there is reason accordance with Article 26 of the' criminal code. In • to suspect that he will refrain from criminal activities. practice, cha.rges against recidivists have been dismissed relatively often for this reason, usually in cases in­ At the centers, work f,or the benefit of society is volving the theft of objects of less than 500 Zioty in viewed as the most effective means of social reintegra­ value. Such a theft actually constitutes a petty offense tion. The offender is required by law to work. The to be dealt with by administrative agencies. A petty workers are compensated at standard rates, and enjoy the offense is sent to the courts only if the offender re­ most important rights granted to the normal working peats his crime; then, the offense is considered a delict population: they are entitled to paid leave and receive and the courts must use the applicable sections of the all social security benefits and any other benefits criminal code in determining a punishment, including dependent upon the length of employment. These rights those which deal with special recidivism. In order to are intended to facilitate the transition to ordintU'y avoid serious consequences for a minor theft, the courts working life after release. often dismiss the case. The result is that the repeat offender may go unpunished, while the first-time offender The Correctional Code (Chapter XU) deals with an usually receives a heavy fine from the responsible offender's rights and duties in the centers and deter­ administMtive authorities.
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