What about Crime?

[KarlMarx1989]

How would crime be dealt with in a Socialist society? Would there be a police force?

I don't really care how much the people here hate police. I want to know facts, here.

[ArrowLance]

I'm sure there would be some association that acted as the 'police.' And justice would best be served, I feel, through re-education and labour camps.

[Искра]

What do you mean by socialist society? Is is socialist state or communism?

In Socialist state there's police force which serves Party. There's also, secret police, army etc. and their main function is to protect the system, to take a care of law. They are one organ of repression.

In communist society there are no police forces and all their job in protecting community from psychos, killers, rapists etc. is done by community itself. Of course, one we reach communism there would be less "crimes" since most today are forced into crime because of their living conditions under capitalism.

[KarlMarx1989]

Yeah, perhaps I must rephrase the question. Using the word 'society' has become a habit for me...

How would crime be dealt with in a Socialist state?

[Muzk]

Jurko pretty much covered everything, although me, as some kind of more libertarian communist would like to see communities with their own kind of "people's army" right after the revolution, or the police would just be exchanged for another organization with a monopoly on violence, and we don't need another disaster with a degenerated state capitalist society...

Or do we? Better make it impossible to happen rather than try another time.

[Spawn of Stalin]

Like ArrowLance said, education and labour, personally I'm an advocate of the death penalty but only for the lowest of the low. Most petty crimes could be dealt with by sending offenders to mandatory classes on society, crime, etc. at a local school or college, not really a punishment at all if you ask me, but it would certainly rehabilitate at least some criminals. I definitely think repeat offenders should be sent to work, it's no good for them to be rotting away in some cell while the upstanding citizens are trying to build a new society.

[Catbus]

Most petty crimes could be dealt with by sending offenders to mandatory classes on society, crime, etc. at a local school or college, not really a punishment at all if you ask me, but it would certainly rehabilitate at least some criminals.

Not to mention that the majority of petty crimes are caused by the conditions that are inherent in a capitalist society, so in a society in which there isn't devastating poverty, there won't be a need to commit crimes in order to survive.

[Stranger Than Paradise]

A worker militia would be put in place which would represent the community. However crime would largely not exist in my opinion. The basis of crime originates from Capitalism and competition.

[Искра]

A worker militia would be put in place which would represent the community. However crime would largely not exist in my opinion. The basis of crime originates from Capitalism and competition.
There's no point in having "workers militias" all the time.
They are needed during the revolution and shortly after revolution.
But, as we go more into communism there's no need for "workers militias", as organised armed force of working class. They'll be disformed and workers will take care of their own community.

G.P. Maximoff wrote in his essay "My stands" about how working class could organise their own "police" when its needed.

[CELMX]

Could there possibly be voluntary 'police' like in cuba? I don't think there should be a formal police force like in a capitalist state.
Also, the reason why there can be a voluntary police, or even no police at all, is because crime will be greatly reduced in a communist society.

[Comrade Anarchist]

Well in a socialist society the state still exists so the police would probably still exist. In an anarchist or commuinst society the people would act as police probably through voluntary associations.

[Nwoye]

i don't think it's a good idea to put forth notions of justice which developed under specific historical conditions (prisons, death penalty, etc) in order to describe a future society which is qualitatively different then our own. Sure we can speculate but I think it's a fruitless and ultimately dangerous endeavor.