Czech criminology: History and the present day

This review paper outlines the development of Czech criminology that began, thanks to the initiative of some lawyers such as Josef Prušak, judge and professor at Charles University, during the end of the 19th century. The book-length study Suicide as a Social Mass Phenomenom of Modern Civilization, written by Tomaš Garrigue Masaryk in 1878, represented the emerging interest of sociology on this topic. The concept of criminology was quite common even in the first half of the 20th century. However, after 1948 the development of criminology was suppressed. Only one research institute established in 1960 continued to advance in criminological research. After 1989 criminology no longer seemed restricted by artificial factors such as ideological barriers of vulgarized marxisme. High quality criminological evidence was deemed necessary, especially considering the drastic increase in the number of crime rates. Due to this factor, crime became a primary concern. Ideological barriers broke down at long last, and Czech criminology began quickly absorbing international evidence and establishing contacts abroad.