Health and Welfare

In 2008 the Ministry of Justice in Greece announced the construction of six new prisons, as a plan for improvement of living conditions of prisoners-a decision which arises many questions, given that crime constitutes a major social issue that troubles both those involved in criminal policy and society as a whole.

Taking into consideration that the criminal policy of a country is an indicator of its legal, cultural and democratic status as it is important for the regular functioning of many fundamental institutions in the future, one must be very skeptical about the construction and operation of the six new prisons.

Moreover, provided that prison plays a central role in social control, as the second most severe form of punishment after the death penalty (if this can be considered punishment), many questions arise:

The article attempts to approach the importance of the criminological methods, the research objects and the role of the researcher in the light of a critical and reflexive review in order to reveal the framewok and the process via which they interact and structure both theory and data, contributing thereof to the development of Criminology.

""Με τον όρο έγκλημα μίσους προσδιορίζεται εκείνη η μορφή εγκληματικότητας που θεωρείται ότι διαφέρει έναντι άλλων, λόγω αφενός των κινήτρων του δράστη, αφετέρου των συνεπειών της στο μικρο (άτομο), μεσο (ομάδα) και μακροεπίπεδο (κοινωνία). Στην Ελλάδα σήμερα, τα εγκλήματα ρατσιστικού μίσους και η διαπιστούμενη κλιμάκωσή τους δημιουργούν το πλαίσιο όπου συναντώνται, με εξαιρετική ένταση, η παρούσα κρίση, το μεταναστευτικό ζήτημα, τα ανθρώπινα δικαιώματα και οι αξίες της δημοκρατίας.

Τhe hate crime is differentiated from other forms of criminality, both because of the motivations of the offender, and its effects on the micro (individual), meso (group) and macrolevel (society). In Greece today, racially motivated crimes create a framework that brings together the current crisis, migration issues, human rights and democratic values."""""

The text attempts to highlight different aspects of participative criminal policy in Greece by researching citizens’ attitudes towards the Local Crime Prevention Councils and restorative justice in low, median and high crime areas in Athens.

Το παρόν κείμενο επιχειρεί να αναδείξει επιμέρους όψεις της συμμετοχικής αντεγκληματικής πολιτικής μέσα από την εμπειρική διερεύνηση των στάσεων των πολιτών απέναντι στα Τοπικά Συμβούλια Πρόληψης της Παραβατικότητας και την aποκαταστατική δικαιοσύνη σε περιοχές με διαβάθμιση εγκληματικότητας στην Αθήνα.

The paper presents the tobacco black market in Greece, its structure and actors, and explores the financing and the financial management of illicit tobacco trade as a manifestation of organised crime. During the era of economic crisis (since 2008) there has been a significant surge in tobacco smuggling, especially in illicit cigarettes, either in illicit whites or counterfeit brands and legal brands. Additionally, hand-rolling tobacco (HRT) is the new trend and it is easily accessible, even online. Criminal organizations involved in tobacco smuggling are generally not confined by national borders, as they often create partnerships within and outside the EU either with individuals or with other networks. Their main and sometimes sole illegal activity is tobacco smuggling. They appear to be increasingly involved in the illegal market and they are divided into those that deal with the illegal importation and transfer of the tobacco from abroad to Greece or to other European markets, and those that deal exclusively with the selling of tobacco products in Greek markets. Finally, due to the increase of this transnational criminal phenomenon, the policy measures to tackle the tobacco smuggling must be oriented towards transnational cooperation.

The last 2 years, an unprecedented number of refugees and migrants entered the European Union (EU) countries. Greece, as a country of the EU’s southern periphery, is among the countries that face the refugee crisis. This article recognizes that it is just Europe’s turn to face the challenges emerging either from the size of the population on the move or from its origins. The EU and its Member States experience distinct challenges in three phases during the evolution of the refugee-migration phenomenon, i.e. during the creation, the reception, and the integration of the “newcomers.” This article mainly focuses on the European and Greek responses to the reception demands. It presents in detail the evolution of the recently established the Greek Asylum Service. The article concludes with the citation of ideas and recommendations concerning the European and the Greek management of the current refugee and migration flows.