Criminological System of Ukraine: Features, Concept, Structure
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21564/2414-990X.171.341776Keywords:
criminological system, complexity, complex approach, system, system features, system structureAbstract
The relevance of the article lies in the study of a specific and underexplored systemic object in criminological science – the criminological system of Ukraine. The research findings are based on both empirical and theoretical levels of scientific cognition. The research methodology includes the dialectical method, the systems method, and a number of general scientific methods. The purpose of the article is to examine the essence and structure of the criminological system of Ukraine to broaden the understanding of complexity as an integral systemic attribute. The paper identifies several essential features of the criminological system of Ukraine, such as integrity, complexity, hierarchy, interaction, dynamism, complication, emergence, nonlinearity, openness, and purposiveness. It is emphasized that the feature of complexity reflects both the quantitative and qualitative parameters of the criminological system. Complexity enables the comprehension of the content and completeness of such a systemic formation. Taking into account the identified characteristic properties of the criminological system, the concept of the criminological system of Ukraine is developed in both broad and narrow senses. The structure of the criminological system of Ukraine is proposed, which consists of the following complexes (levels): criminological doctrine, criminological legislation, criminological policy, criminological worldview, criminology as an academic discipline, and criminological activity. It is substantiated that the criminological system makes it possible to expand the epistemological boundaries of the scientific interpretation of complexity, which has not only an external-system (interdisciplinary) but also an internal-system expression. The significance of the criminological system of Ukraine is highlighted for criminological science as well as for the theory and practice of crime prevention. The article also outlines promising directions for further scientific inquiry into the problem of complexity in general and the criminological system in particular.
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