Penal Policies of (Former) Yugoslav Republics

• In Event: Comparative Approaches to Prisons and Incarceration

Abstract

The Yugoslav penal policy was exceptional in the sense of leniency but by no means uniform in its implementation. This study addresses the differences in implementing the penal policy of former Yugoslav republics (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia) in the last 70 years. A comparative analysis of the development of penal policy in the observed states, supported by analysing crime, conviction and prison population trends, exposed significant differences. Disparities between countries in the socialist era were observed predominately in the form of crime characteristics, the number and type of convictions, and the length of prison sentences. While differences in the implementation of penal policy between states in the socialist era were not profound, today, former Yugoslav republics are diverse as they can be, ranging from penal moderation to harsh penal policies. Findings indicate that regional diversity should be acknowledged in penal policy studies.

Authors

• Rok Hacin, University of Maribor

• Gorazd Meško, University of Maribor

• Marcelo F. Aebi, University of Lausanne

• Benjamin Flander, University of Maribor