The connection between economic conditions and crime appears in somewhat a different way in countries with a planned economy, particularly in countries with a socialist structure. This is the prevailing characteristic in many of the new developing countries. The term socialist offers different types of interpretation.

En temps préindustriels les rapports des hommes en société étaient immédiats, directs et personnels. Dans leurs statuts relatifs, les hommes vivaient dans une organisation bien définie et correspondaient entre eux selon les lois du statut auquel ils appartenaient. Avec le développement économique les barrières qui séparaient les statuts d'antan s'évanouissent et tendent à disparaître. L'unique statut qui émerge dans la société dite moderne semble être celui qui repose sur les biens matériels. L'homme cherche et trouve son assurance et surtout son prestige toujours plus dans ses réussites économiques. Ceci a sa répercussion sur la criminalité. En temps préindustriels, le délinquant attaquait dans tous les cas la société du dehors. En société moderne le criminel économique dirige ses attaques du sein même de la société, sans se placer en dehors, quoique la direction des attaques soit orientée contre cette même société. Si le délinquant en matière de criminalité économique réussit dans ses méfaits il peut arriver qu'il soit non pas déprécié, mais apprécié, qu'il gagne même en prestige. C'est ici que réside l'immense danger social de la criminalité économique.

Dès les premières études criminologiques, l'Ecole socialiste a soutenu que c'est le régime capitaliste qui produit la criminalité. Celle-ci n'est qu'une réaction contre l'injustice sociale. Dans une société collectiviste, il n'y aurait plus de criminalité, les actions en opposition avec le bonheur de la société ne seraient que l'effet des maladies. Le socialisme scientifique de la fin du XIXe siècle a continué à voir dans la criminalité un phénomène d'anormalité sociale déterminé par des influences économiques. La théorie économique de la criminalité a été poussée à son point le plus extrême par le Hollandais W. Bonger dans son ouvrage célèbre: Criminalité et conditions économiques (Amsterdam, 1905).

This paper has been prepared upon request for the XIIIth International Course on Criminology jointly organized by the National Center for Social and Criminological Research of the United Arab Republic and the International Society of Criminology. Within its restricted limits the paper tries to demonstrate: a) that the present approach to the problem of juvenile delinquency is in need of revision; b) that the adoption and transplantation of the basic assumptions concerning policies and methods still prevailing in the field of juvenile delinquency are inappropriate for developing countries; and c) that although to a considerable extent what has been done in this field by other countries may be used in the developing countries, it corresponds to the latter through a direct appraisal of national realities, needs and ways and by original research to evolve their own policies on the prevention and treatment of juvenile delinquency.

The following notes are presented in schematic form to help provide the background for the two lectures. Consequently only headlines with short explanatory paragraphs are given, and the bulk of the arguments will be developed in the actual lectures and resulting discussions.

Similar to the outline of the first lecture, this section will deal with the statistical aspects of the incidence of juvenile delinquency in the various developing countries (based on several UN publications) (1,23) and on the difficulties of defining delinquency in some countries, for instance, where different views are taken about stealing to prevent hunger as distinct from habit, degrees of permissiveness and lack of it in various communities according to anthropological findings.

The President signed into law in September 1961 an important piece of legislation designed to provide leadership and assistance from the Federal Government to communities working to solve this problem. I would like to quote from the preamble to this law, which defines this difficult situation which faces so many communities in all parts of the United States.

In a brief expose of a big subject it is always preferable to outline the material under a worked-out classification of headings. Tentatively, we think that the study of the problem of narcotic drugs could be approached from three angles: International, individualistic and social.

In studying the problem of prostitution, the research worker is always aware of the fact that he is dealing, not with a single problem, but with a cluster of problems centered around the phenomenon of venal sexual gratification, and touching social life from different aspects-economic, medical, cultural, moral and penal. What makes the problem of prostitution all the more complicated is the fact that it owes its existence to one of the most fundamental urges in man. The sex urge is correctly described as a natural desire or an appetite. In general, “appetite” is associated in the public mind with the physical need for food or drink, and it follows therefore that the gratification of the sex appetite is comparable with the fundamentally necessary satisfaction of hunger and thirst. This conception furnishes the immediate background for the justification of the existence of prostitution in all societies through the ages. Therefore it has been rightly described as the oldest profession in the world.

Members of the XIIIth International Course in Criminology who are representing 24 nationalities wish to express the feeling at this dosing session of the Course on the 10th of July, 1963 that this course has ended just as it started nineteen days ago, within a purely scientific framework and in an atmosphere of fraternity and sincerity. The members wish to thank the host Government of the U.A.R. for the tremendous efforts it has exerted in organizing and preparing for this course and for the way in which it gave aid on the scientific, technical, and administrative levels which helped greatly towards the attainment of a happy end. They acknowledge with appreciation the honour conferred upon them by Sayed Ali Sabri, Chairman of the Executive Council and Member of the Presidential Council, who opened the proceedings of this course by a valuable address in which he convoyed the greetings of President Gamal Abdel Nasser to the members of the course.

Members of the XIIIth International Course in Criminology who are representing 24 nationalities wish to express the feeling at this dosing session of the Course on the 10th of July, 1963 that this course has ended just as it started nineteen days ago, within a purely scientific framework and in an atmosphere of fraternity and sincerity. The members wish to thank the host Government of the U.A.R. for the tremendous efforts it has exerted in organizing and preparing for this course and for the way in which it gave aid on the scientific, technical, and administrative levels which helped greatly towards the attainment of a happy end. They acknowledge with appreciation the honour conferred upon them by Sayed Ali Sabri, Chairman of the Executive Council and Member of the Presidential Council, who opened the proceedings of this course by a valuable address in which he convoyed the greetings of President Gamal Abdel Nasser to the members of the course.

Depuis la rédaction du dernier rapport (Annales internationales de criminologie 1962, 143-147) on ne peut constater des changements importants de la situation de la criminologie en Allemagne, pourtant quelques initiatives nouvelles bien fondées promettent de bons résultats pour le proche avenir. La situation présente peut être esquissée rapidement en évoquant les facteurs suivants: la législation, la pratique et les recherches se poursuivent toujours aux chemins plus ou moins séparés. De la part de la pratique on constate cependant un vif intérêt à une collaboration intensive aux recherches criminologiques. Les différents instituts de criminologie, dont le nombre accrût par de nouvelles fondations aux universités de Heidelberg (Prof. Dr. Leferenz) et de Tübingen (Prof. Göppinger) sont encore plus ou moins isolés entre eux. D'entreprendre des enquêtes et une formation criminologique centralisée, revient de plus en plus en mains des organisations officielles et officieuses. Le focus des recherches se trouve aux domaines de la délinquance juvénile et de la réforme du droit pénitentiaire. Sur le domaine de la formation, les universités ne peuvent satisfaire complètement aux besoins des étudiants et des praticiens par manque de professeurs possédant une formation criminologique. Correspondant à cette situation on n'a pas pu réussir à entrer la phase des recherches empirique, dépassant la méthode d'analyse des dossiers. La connexion aux sciences humaines voisines est encore assez légère, abstraction faite de la collaboration de la psychiatrie.

Desde el año 1958, hasta la fecha, la Republica Argentina, presenta una serie de progresos y de iniciativas que es interesante consignar ya que tienen que ver con lo penal y lo criminológico, sin olvidar la psiquíatrico forense. Agradecemos aqui, al señor profesor Jean Pinatel, la deferencia que ha tenido de invitarnos a efectuar esta breve sintesis con destino a la prestigiosa revista: «Anales Internacionales de Criminología».