THE CONCEPT OF ANOMY IN CRIMINOLOGY: THEORETICAL AND APPLIED ASPECTS

Abstract

In the concept of E. Durkheim, anomie means a state of society in which the old hier-archy of values is destroyed, and the new one has not arisen or cannot be consolidated. That is, anomie occurs when in a certain area of public life there are no generally accepted stand-ards that regulate the behavior of individuals. Anomie as a manifestation of social disor-ganization is a source of crime, suicide and other deviations. It is noted that it was the theory of E. Durkheim that laid the foundation for further study of the phenomenon of anomie. Further development of the concept of anomie is associated with the American soci-ologist R. Merton. Unlike E. Durkheim, R. Merton considered anomie as the result of a con-flict between "culture" and "social structures". Anomie expresses a disintegration in the cul-tural structure where there is a sharp discrepancy between cultural norms and the socially approved possibilities of people as members of certain groups to act according to these cul-tural norms. Supporters of the institutional theory of anomie put forward a hypothesis ac-cording to which an excessive emphasis on economic goals, coupled with the devaluation of non-economic institutions in society, leads to an increase in crime. The specifics of anomie in transitional societies, including Ukraine, are analyzed. Em-pirical indicators of anomie in the modern world are characterized. It is noted that the most important indicators of social anomie in its Durkheimian version are premeditated mur-ders, suicides and corruption. The intentional homicide index and the suicide index to-gether make up the violence index, which characterizes the extent of social pathology. Ac-cording to the index of violence, the worst situation in the world is recorded in Lesotho, South Africa and Guyana. Minimal social pathology in three Asian countries – Indonesia, Jordan and Brunei. Corruption is lowest in Western states and individual countries of East and Southeast Asia, and the highest is in some Muslim and African countries. The situation in Ukraine is rather difficult both in terms of the level of violence and the corruption index.