Homicides in Serbia within the context of social transition and war

Abstract

Notably deplorable phenomenological changes of homicides in Serbia at the beginning of 1990’s proceeded along with the dismantling of SFRJ, wars and unsuccessful starting of social transition: within the turbulent and almost extreme social context it had been generated an increase of all types of violence as well as crime in general. Restrictive social conditions economic deprivation, social disorganization and deregulation are apprehended as factors of facilitation of risks of violent abreactions in the form of expressive homicides and also of risks of instrumental violence under the high structural pressure toward illegal alternatives and weak formal crime control at the same time. The crises of external and internal security coincided amplifying one another and succeeded by economic declension, deregulation and revived cultural definitions that extended the ‘legitimacy’ of violence. The plenty of cycles of structural and behavioural violence were initiated during the 1990s in Serbia: a holistic approach to violence as one complex phenomenon that extends from ‘invisible’ violence to homicides is the strategy which should be considered as perspective one regarding both the exploration and prevention of homicides. Key words homicide, violence, expressive homicides, instrumental homicides, social transition, Serbia.

Keywords

• homicide
• violence
• expressive homicides
• instrumental homicides
• social transition
• Serbia