Criminology characteristics of hooliganism

The article provides a criminological characterization of hooliganism, criminal liability for which is provided for in Article 296 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. It is noted that hooliganism refers to criminal offenses against public order and morality and is expressed in clear disrespect for society, accompanied by particular insolence or exceptional cynicism. Hooliganism can consist of causing bodily injuries, beating victims, damaging other people’s property, and interfering with the normal functioning of public institutions. The author notes that there is no exhaustive list of hooligan actions, therefore the presence of specific illegal actions is decided in each specific case. A criminological characterization of hooliganism was carried out on the basis of criminological indicators (quantitative and qualitative indicators: level of crime and criminal record, dynamics, structure; personality of the criminal; gender; time of committing the criminal offense). The author used statistics provided by the Office of the Prosecutor General indicating the number of registered criminal offenses qualified under Art. 296 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine for 2023. It has been established that the number of registered cases of hooliganism has increased 12.5 times since the beginning of 2023. Statistical data on hooliganism, which were analyzed for the first four months of 2024, concluded that there has been a constant dynamics of growth of this offense in the current year. After researching such a crime as hooliganism, four categories of persons were distinguished: persons who previously committed criminal offenses; a group of persons who have committed criminal offenses; persons who committed hooligan acts while intoxicated; minors involved in criminal offenses. The most alarming situation is with persons who commit hooliganism while under the influence of alcohol: a constant increase indicates that a high percentage of illegal actions are committed under the influence of alcohol. On the basis of the conducted research, we created a portrait of the criminal hooligan’s personality. This is a male person aged from 18 to 30 years old, who has a secondary education, is unmarried, has no previous convictions, is unemployed, is not financially secure, is dissatisfied with his social status, has a superior and contemptuous attitude towards others. It was concluded that today, hooliganism is one of the most common criminal offenses against public order and morality, which threatens society and requires special attention from law enforcement agencies.