Features of the situation of crimes against life and health committed by members of youth informal groups (associations)
Authors: Shcherbyna S. O. 
Published: November 2024

The article emphasizes that the circumstances of crimes against life and health committed by members of youth informal groups (associations) are no less important elements of forensic characteristics than the trail picture and methods of their commission, because it allows obtaining objective forensically significant information , which contributes to more effective detection and investigation of criminal offenses.
It is worth noting that the circumstances of committing the investigated crimes largely determine the overall mechanism of criminal activity of informal groups (associations) and are somewhat different from the circumstances of other types of crimes. the study of criminal proceedings (cases) made it possible to establish that crimes against life and health are committed by members of youth informal groups (associations), as a rule, in public places, in the time period from 18 to 24 hours. The date of the crime may be different and may be affected by the socio-psychological climate in the middle of the youth informal group (association), i.e. it may be in the evening from 18.00 to 24.00, or it may be at another time considering that sometimes such crimes occur spontaneously, are not planned in advance and can be committed under the influence of alcoholic beverages, psychotropic substances, narcotic drugs, etc. Also, delinquent behavior of representatives of informal groups can be provoked by spontaneous aggression towards representatives of other informal youth groups (associations).
The commission of the researched type of crime can be associated with state, religious, cult holidays, dates of ceremonies and other important events for a certain informal youth group (association), as well as crimes can be committed on days of mass events, including sports events, rock concerts, festivals, etc. The practice of investigating crimes against a person’s life and health committed by members of youth informal groups (associations) shows that as tools and means in most cases criminals use metal sports equipment, rods, sticks, metal pipes, broken bottles, chains, military belt buckles, cold and firearms, etc. In addition, the places where informal youth commit crimes are mostly public places - roads and highways, underpasses, bus stops, premises of shops and entertainment establishments, residential areas located near houses, the same entertainment establishments and shops, recreation areas, including parks, parks, stadiums, concert halls, etc.
Analysis of processed criminal proceedings indicates that crimes of the specified category are committed, as a rule, in conditions of obviousness (about 80%).
The key factor for the specified category of crimes is that the situation of crimes against life and health committed by members of youth informal groups (associations) depends, first of all, on the type of youth informal group (bikers, skinheads, rockers, football fans, etc. .); secondly, from the degree of organization, hierarchy and structure of the group itself; thirdly, from other factors that immediately preceded the crime (drinking of alcoholic beverages, use of psychotropic or narcotic substances, etc.).