ABSTRACT
The course of urbanization in the USSR differs from that observed in most other countries. The unique process of Soviet urbanization has produced crime patterns that are different from those observed in other societies. The impact of urban growth on crime is evident not only in terms of broad national figures but also in regions that have experienced particularly rapid and intensive urbanization. The elaborate mechanism needed to control the movements of the entire Soviet population was initiated in the early 1930s with the introduction of the internal passport. Moreover, the centralized planning of the industrialization process often results in new urban settlements that are overwhelmingly male or female, thereby reducing social opportunities for the young and nubile work force. The research on urban crime was conducted by scholars who not only had access to available data but were authorized to collect the data necessary for their analysis.
