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La migration, un véritable phénomène de société à impact criminogène : réalité présente et futures

Nicoleta-Elena Hegheș and Carmina-Elena Tolbaru
The phenomenon of migration has always existed, over time taking various forms, depending on the economic, social, political and cultural reality. The approach to this issue aims to identify the factors that contribute to the emergence and propagation of the phenomenon of migration, in its complexity, focusing on the opportunities for criminal exploitation of the vulnerabilities of migrant persons. Illegal migration for the purpose of human exploitation constitutes the main link in the network of organized crime, human trafficking and migrant trafficking representing forms of cross-border crime that are difficult to fight in the absence of an adequate legislative framework. The criminal dynamics vary according to the generating factors. Considerable proportions are registered regarding the female dimension, followed by the age dimension. Victims are subjected to multiple forms of exploitation, such as sexual exploitation, labor exploitation or begging exploitation, of which sexual exploitation is the one that represents the largest share. The present study consists in analyzing the vulnerabilities of migrants in the context of crisis or emergency situations, such as the armed conflict in Ukraine and the regional crisis generated by it.

Les potentiels effets bénéfiques de la danse comme pratique sportive et artistique chez les femmes victimes de violences sexuelles

Zoé Roman Zorzetto
The aim of the study is to determine whether sport and artistic dance have positive effects on women who have been victims of sexual violence. A subsidiary objective is to establish whether or not there is a distinction between these potential effects of sport and artistic dance and those of dance and movement therapy. The sample consisted of 6 Belgian dancers who had been victims of sexual violence. This is an exploratory qualitative study conducted by means of semi-structured interviews and participant observation. Sport and artistic dance have positive effects on female victims of sexual abuse. These include a renewed sense of confidence and ownership, the creation of a sense of community, improved self-perception and self-improvement, all thanks to a non-verbal mode of expression. But it also sets in motion a healing process, as well as a series of learnings and an impact on the participants’ mental health. Finally, its effects are distinct from those of dance and movement therapy. As the study is exploratory and qualitative, with few participants, it cannot be generalized. It does, however, demonstrate the importance of a non-verbal mode of expression, and the therapeutic function that dance sport and art can have.

Article court : Cartographie des chiffres nationaux sur la récidive en Europe : résultats d’une enquête dans les pays du Conseil de l’Europe

Eric Maes and Luc Robert
Currently, there are no European recidivism statistics, nor are there national statistics that allow for a comparison between recidivism rates in different countries. In fact, a survey conducted in 2005 in all European countries showed few countries dispose of recidivism statistics (Wartna & Nijssen, 2006), but since then, a new state of affairs remained absent. This observation is the starting point of the current contribution. In this contribution, we present the results of a survey conducted in 2023 in the member states of the Council of Europe, with the aim of making a new state of affairs. This survey builds upon the previous survey by the WODC and on the work of an informal working group on national recidivism rates that has met in recent years as part of the activities of the European Society of Criminology and other meetings. This survey focuses on national recidivism rates, with an additional emphasis on the presence of research on criminal careers in these countries. Results were obtained for 40 countries that can be analysed. These results are briefly presented and compared with the situation in 2005. The situation has changed considerably over the last two decades. In addition, several countries have also indicated that there is now evaluation research that draws on recidivism, studies on recidivism and profiles of those concerned and about criminal careers and/or on developmental and life-course criminology. We discuss these results and draw some lessons for the future.

Article court : À qui appartient la criminologie ? Présentation au 18e colloque de l’Association internationale des criminologues de langue française

Ismehen Melouka
Criminology, as an academic discipline, often reflects the institutional and social dynamics in which it is embedded. At the École de criminologie de Montréal, trends in student production, notably theses and dissertations (μ=408), illustrate this reality: a predominance of conventional criminological perspectives and the low inclusion of marginalized populations in academic work. This short article summarizes the presentation at the 18th Congress of the Association internationale des criminologues de langue française (AICLF), where data from the study (Rouleau et al., 2024) were presented.

Article court : Les enjeux d’accès aux terrains criminologiques au Nouveau-Brunswick : le cas de deux projets en milieu (semi) rural

Madeline Lamboley, Marie-Pier Rivest and Véronique Chadillon-Farinacci
This article explores the challenges of accessing criminological research fields in New Brunswick through two distinct research projects. The first project investigates sex work in the province, while the second examines social cohabitation issues in Moncton, one of the fastest-growing cities not only in the province of New Brunswick, but also, in all of Canada. New Brunswick, a predominantly rural province and one of the poorest in Canada, presents unique challenges for criminological researchers, particularly regarding participant recruitment and data access. Challenges include the sensitivity of the topics studied, geographical difficulties, and stakeholder distrust. These obstacles required innovative methodological strategies to overcome barriers and obtain reliable data. The article highlights the importance of adapting research approaches to local contexts and addressing the specific realities of the studied populations.

Article court : Les proches face à la transformation de leur relation avec une victime de violence conjugale

Anne-Marie Nolet, Sam Forget-Proulx, Marie-Marthe Cousineau, Madeline Lamboley, Suzie Levasseur, Laurette Wissler, Hayfa Ben Miloud and Annick Brazeau
CWomen’s chances of leaving a violent relationship and reducing its psychological, physical and material impact are strongly influenced by their relationships with their family, friends, neighbors, colleagues and any other people they consider significant. In this context, however, the victim’s network is put to the test. The aim of this article is to gain a better understanding of the transformations in relationships between victims and the members of their entourage, from the latter’s point of view. Using survey data (n=324) and semi-structured interview data (n=19), bivariate quantitative analyses and thematic analyses were carried out. The results show that the frequency of contact and the quality of relationships decrease during the violent relationship and increase after the break-up, without however returning to levels similar to the period before the violent relationship. In general, the people around them are sensitive to these transformations, aware of the control strategies employed by the aggressor, and understanding and respectful of the women’s need to choose for themselves. Faced with certain situations, however, they sometimes have to distance themselves, underlining the relevance of developing new services dedicated to them.

Article court : Analyse des processus cognitifs de justification morale chez des auteurs incarcérés d’infractions à caractère sexuel sur mineurs selon la reconnaissance (totale ou partielle) ou le déni des faits

Mathilde Hautot, Serge Garcet and Anne Massin
Acting out among perpetrators of sexual offenses (AICS) against minors mobilizes cognitive processes, such as moral disengagement mechanisms (MDM). MDMs help reduce moral dissonance between the act and internal or external norms and are based on cognitive distortions that are erroneous representations regarding sexuality. The research aimed to identify the MDMs present in these AICS and to consider individual and inter-individual variability in their use. The study also aimed to compare the use of MDMs according to the recognition (total, partial) or not of the facts. 18 AICS were interviewed within the same penitentiary establishment as part of individual semi-structured interviews. After a thematic analysis that identified 325 corpora, 3 evaluators then individually classified them according to the classification of 8 MDMs proposed by Bandura. The study revealed a significant presence of MDMs associated with cognitive distortions regarding sexuality. Individual and inter-individual variability is also significant both in terms of the number of MDMs mobilized and the frequency of occurrence of each of these MDMs. There is an overall tendency towards external attributions which refer to the links between the action and its effect. AICS who do not recognize the facts mobilize more frequently MDMs related to the perception of transgressive behavior and less frequently MDMs referring to the victim.

Article court : La collecte des données criminologiques dans une ville d’Afrique centrale : une expérience d’accès difficile d’un terrain policier

Désiré Karume Lugerero
While it is broadly acknowledged in Western police studies that penetrating this secretive organization is challenging, empirical research conducted in Africa reveals that this issue is not confined to Western police forces. Indeed, similar dynamics are observed across the continent, often exacerbated by the specific contexts of the study environments. In the case of our fieldwork, the ongoing security crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo over the past three decades has fostered deep mistrust towards security institutions, including the police. This article delves into the challenges encountered when entering the police field in this context, which compelled the researcher to develop specific strategies to navigate around administrative barriers, circumvent official channels, and avoid well-trodden paths.

Terrains de recherche en contextes autochtones : récits d’hommes ayant mis fin à la violence conjugale

Philippe Boucher, Mylène Jaccoud and Renée Brassard
The prevalence and persistence of domestic violence is a major concern in Indigenous communities. However, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the cessation of conjugal violence among Indigenous men, which this study seeks to address. The aim of this paper is to share research experiences in Indigenous contexts and to offer an overview of the healing journeys of Innu and Innu-Naskapi men. The analysis focuses on the contexts surrounding violence, the bifurcations and the spheres of changes that punctuate the processes of ending violence among Indigenous men.Qualitative interviews were conducted in Innu and Naskapi communities with six men who had experienced conjugal violence. The results show that most of the men identified colonial, community and family contexts as sources of violence. The intersection between a context of exhaustion and destabilisation creates an environment conducive to a process of bifurcation towards ending the domestic violence. Often accompanied by various sources of support, men resolve the sources of violence to alleviate their suffering and thus react differently to distressing experiences.