Country survey: Criminology, crime and criminal justice in Lithuania

Abstract

The article deals with the situation and development trends in criminology and criminal justice in Lithuania. The article emphasizes that both the science of criminology and the institutes of criminal justice were developing during a transitional period when, after the restitution of independence, Lithuanian society had started moving towards European standards. The article analyses crime and punishment trends during recent decades, as well as the structure and functions of the main institutions of criminal justice in Lithuania. Special attention is paid to attitudes among the public towards criminal justice, namely the political discourse of criminal justice, opinions of law enforcement institutions, and the representation of the crime situation in Lithuanian mass media.