Changing Patterns of Culture and its Organisation of the Police in a Society of Transition - Case Study: Hungary

The authors examine what happens to the police when a country is in transition toward a more democratic organization. They use Hungary as the main example, but also provide information about other Eastern European countries. First, they elaborate on the case of continuity-discontinuity. Transition i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal on criminal policy and research 2000-09, Vol.8 (3), p.271-300
Main Authors: Kertesz, Imre, Szikinger, Istvan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accountability
Case studies
Corruption
Criminal justice
Democracy
Democratic regimes
Democratization
Europe
Human rights
Hungary
Law enforcement
Militia groups
Organizational Change
Police
Policing
Political Change
Political Development
Political parties
Political power
Political systems
Post-communist societies
Regime transition
Social change
Society
Studies
Values
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Summary:The authors examine what happens to the police when a country is in transition toward a more democratic organization. They use Hungary as the main example, but also provide information about other Eastern European countries. First, they elaborate on the case of continuity-discontinuity. Transition is not a result of one movement; it is more appropriate to talk about the erosion of previous values & patterns having taken place for years or even decades instead of their sudden change. There is, however, an indisputable influence of politics on the police. In the course of the change of regime, not only the police but all the institutions that previously served (in varying degrees) the institutionalized control of criminality came to a crisis point, & their existence & functions became questionable. The authors deal with the vacuum of legitimacy & possible answers, such as auditing of the police, democratization, & several ways to establish accountability. Finally, a model of the democratic organization of the police (demilitarized, decentralized, & deconcentrated) is sketched. 56 References. Adapted from the source document.
ISSN:0928-1371
1572-9869
DOI:10.1023/A:1008725029045