Democratization, crime, punishment and public attitudes in the Czech Republic

This paper presents the partial results of three surveys of the Czech public regarding the issues of crime and punishment. As rising levels of crime have accompanied the democratic transition, so have rising calls for increased repression of criminal offenders, such as strong opinions in favor of reinstating the death penalty. At the same time, however, various other factors in Czech society, such as low levels of unemployment and a stable trust in government institutions, lead to the conclusion that the democratic and economic transition in 1989 was characterized by relatively low levels of anomie. The Czech public is therefore able to maintain an optimistic attitude toward future conditions in the new democracy.