APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200110015-7
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FIGURE 11. Trends in sales of consumer goods (U/OU)
were promised a greater opportunity to choose their own activities and to form organizations outside the jurisdiction of the government and party. The Husak regime, while also acknowledging the need to attract the support of youth, has abrogated most of these reforms and consequently has had little success in securing the cooperation of youth.
The regime has been particularly concerned about the marked increase in crime since 1968 and is taking a tougher approach to the problem. Underlining this concern is a shift in the ideological approach to the problem. Dismissing the traditional dogma that a socialist society is by definition devoid of "imperfections" that could lead to crime, the regime now quotes the more realistic Marxist philosophy that the transitional stage between capitalism and socialism contains many of the "birthmarks" of capitalism from which "antisocialist behavior" stems. While much attention is being given to encouraging more public cooperation in regard to illegal activities, the regime is espousing Lenin's theory that punitive measures based on the certainty of punishment more than its severity are the best deterrent to crime. In particular, officials have been critical of the traditional practice of suspending sentences for first offenders.
The measures to toughen law enforcement procedures have included a thorough realignment of the judicial system. The wholesale removal of "liberal" judges in 1970 resulted in a nearly complete turnover in the top judicial organs, including the Supreme Court. A revised judicial law provides for summary dismissal of judges. New legislation has also been enacted widening the definitions of criminal activities and authorizing the courts to impose harsher sentences. Economic offenses such as black-marketing and smuggling have come under heavy attack. In late 1970 the Czech and Slovak Republics were divested of much of their responsibility for law enforcement and those powers restored to the federal Ministry of the Interior, which had gone into eclipse under Dubcek. According to Czechoslovak statistics, the result has been an increase in the number of convictions in criminal court cases; in both 1970 and 1971, for example, about 95% of all such cases resulted in convictions.
Alcoholism is a serious social problem. The consumption of alcohol has increased at an alarming rate since the early 1960's. According to the Czechoslovak press, the number of persons prosecuted for crimes committed under the influence of alcohol had risen to 39,888 by 1971. In 1970, 22% of the juveniles who committed criminal offenses did so while under the influence of alcohol. Moreover, the
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APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200110015-7
