Georgia's war on crime: creating security in a post-revolutionary context

摘要

Since the Rose Revolution of 2003, the Georgian Government has made criminal justice reform a cornerstone of its political agenda. A big part of this was the fight against organised crime. This article looks at the use of anti-mafia policies and police reform to create domestic security in the post-revolutionary period. This article provides an account of collusion between the state and organised crime actors known as thieves-in-law prior to the revolution and levels of victimisation and insecurity amongst ordinary Georgians in this context. This article then details the anti-mafia policy and the criminological situation in Georgia since the Rose Revolution. It argues that Georgia has witnessed a huge crime decline and increases in security. In conclusion, this article suggests that the Georgian Government now 'governs through crime' and that this model might emerge in other countries of the post-Soviet region.