THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON CRIMINALITY

Abstract

The coronavirus, which started in Wuhan, China and spread throughout the world, has in a short time affected many social phenomena; undoubtedly one of these social phenomena is crime. The phenomenon of crime, which is as old as humanity, is an important social problem. Since the outbreak of KOVID-19, which brought life to a standstill, crime rates in many countries have changed significantly. As the COVID-19 pandemic has evolved into a global health, humanitarian and economic crisis, criminals have been quick to seize opportunities to generate significant profits.While measures have been taken in the framework of KOVID-19, including the call to "stay at home", many types of crime (theft, murder, smuggling of migrants) have decreased, while some (computer crime, domestic violence) have increased. In addition, some types of crime (eg drug trafficking) were observed to develop new strategies. This study aims to analyze the phenomenon of crime in the world, but with an emphasis on the Republic of North Macedonia, in the process of a pandemic both theoretically and statistically. The theoretical framework is based on the theory of criminal opportunities. According to this theory, criminals are individuals who assess the opportunities around them and make rational choices. It is expected that COVID-19 will cause significant changes in several types of crime. This research offers a different perspective on the situation with Covid-19, within the crime phenomenon.