Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Social Sciences, Humanities and Education
Year: 2024
DOI:
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In Search of Lost Times: Cultural Self-Representation of Professional Criminals in the Transitioning Hungarian Society
László Huszár, Titanilla Fiáth
ABSTRACT:
Over the past two years, 51 interviews were conducted with adult male prisoners in Budapest Prison and Detention Centre. During the interviews we wanted to find out how the previously convicted (recidivist) prisoners, who are familiar with the world of Hungarian criminals, perceive the changes in criminal subcultures in recent decades. What typical categories of offenders do they identify, how do they characterise the prototypes, what do they say about the changes that characterise not only the criminal profile but also social relations, ways of relating and values? Once verbatim transcripts of the audio recordings had been made, they were coded and subjected to extensive thematic analysis. Our main findings are as follows: according to Hungarian offenders, the typical crimes of the regime change decades and the millennium – blackmail, extortion, drug trafficking – and the associated personality traits and lifestyles – conspicuous prestige consumption, ruthlessness, unscrupulousness – have declined since 2010 for various reasons. The increasing strictness of the penal code, the possibility of plea bargains, the confessions of former famous gang leaders broadcast by the media, and the increased surveillance by the authorities as a result of technological developments have, according to the narratives, contributed to the erosion of solidarity in criminal groups and the devaluation of the prohibition of cooperation with the authorities. The exclusive or frequent use of violence is now most often associated with poverty, hopelessness and the notion of ‘crime for a living’. Loyalty to the criminal organisation is no longer based on family/pseudo-family ties, but primarily on manipulation. The successful criminal of the 21st century has been identified as a highly cautious and intelligent economic offender or drug dealer with excellent social connections (businessmen, decision-makers, law enforcement agencies), who is able to use digital technology, and who has the ability to manipulate others in order to achieve his goals.
keywords: criminal networks, drug trafficking, self-classification, solidarity, violence