During the last thirty years, under Communist rule, the East European states have attempted to eradicate activities that are deemed deviant from the point of view of the government. But despite all efforts, such activities as prostitution, murder, robbery, private profiteering and even political dissidence continue to flourish. In this book, five s

Examines the meanings and sources of various social currents - intellectual dissent, feminism, religious activism, the formation of independent youth cultures and movements, and trade unionism - in seven communist countries.

First published in 1997. This work provides a criminological introduction to the current situation of criminal justice systems in the politically changing Central-Eastern Europe after 1989. It explores concrete problems which the countries are facing, such as the release of political prisoners and those sentenced excessively under the communist regime. The concluding part illuminates the case studies in the previous sections from the point of view of their possible interaction into a cohesive and coherent criminological discipline.

This study of the "independent life of society" (dissent) in Central and Eastern Europe examines the forms of independent activity at work today. Included are autonomous family life, religion and nationalism, the second economy, "samizdat" communications, the second culture and social deviance.