Criminal groups in Russia have their own specifics. A characteristic feature is such a thing as a thief in law. Nowhere in the world is there such a status as in our country, therefore, from the point of view of crime, the only thing that distinguished Russia from other countries is crime.
Thieves in law in the early 30s - the elite of the underworld, who had certain rules of conduct and life "by definition." A thief could not be called a simple pickpocket. This title had to be earned.
History
According to the old rules, the thief should not have something personal, he belonged to the underworld and directed it. Thieves in law in Russia in those years could not start a family or have affection for someone. In addition, cooperation in any form with law enforcement officials was considered a shame and betrayal on his part .
However, during the war in 1945, these rules and traditions of the criminal world faded into the background for the reason that there was an urgent need to protect not only themselves and their environment, but also the whole country. In the future, after the end of World War II, such people returned to prisons, where an unspoken war broke out between them and the new thieves, as well as their close ones.
For those newly coming to power, it was unacceptable to join the ranks of the military and go shoulder to shoulder with them, as officers and soldiers were equated with the police.
New rules arose that were so different from the old that thieves in law could be crowned not only for some special reasons and due to merits to the criminal world, but also for a lot of money.
But a few years earlier, only those who had a criminal record were crowned, and also earned respect both within groups and outside them. Those who did not receive proper respect in the criminal environment would not be proclaimed a "thief in law" even for money.
The procedure took place under the strict guidance of existing thieves in law during the so-called gatherings. Usually, two authoritative thieves in law attended the coronation.
"Sick thief." Sanctions
Only a thief who could not fulfill his direct duties due to health reasons could refuse to coronation. In the event that he was diagnosed with a medical institution, that is, officially, the gathering solves the issue of admissibility to let the thief go to rest. In this case, they say - “thief in the crown”, that is, the title remains, but at the same time the thief himself does not participate in the affairs, gatherings and the rest of the life of the groups.
If the thief violated any taboos or traditions that were perceived as betrayal, other thieves in law decided the question of his life or health. Criminal Russia knows quite a lot of cases when some respectable citizen ended up committing suicide or got into a fatal accident.
They tried to fine-tune such murders in such a way that in the future the law enforcement agencies did not even have a shadow of doubt about leaving their lives independently.
Demolition thief
However, death is not the only punishment for people like thieves in law in Russia. For minor offenses, they could slap during a gathering or hit on the ears. A slap was given for an unmotivated insult to another thief, and a blow to the ears denoted demotion for deceiving and violating thieves' laws, as well as for cooperating with the police or killing a thief in law.
Contrary to popular belief, a local gathering (according to location) can also be scattered. Regional could solve the issues of coronation and the death penalty.
Thief in the colony
Thieves in law in Russia are in a special position among prisoners in the colonies. They are the ones who regulate the situation within the institution among their own. Only a thief can decide whether a person is right or is trying to cheat. According to the prisoners themselves, a just thief will never impose punishment in vain.
Coronation in the colony is more respected than at large. The adoption of the crown means that the thief agrees to abide by the law and be fair. The law here is not one that is respected by most of the inhabitants of Russia, but thieves.
In correctional institutions, as well as at large, the thief monitors the “common fund” - money, criminal cash registers. His duties include, in addition, communication and maintaining communication in any way with thieves and criminals of other regions and with foreign "colleagues."
Modern authorities
However, today, little is left of the old thieves' customs, and modern thieves in law live by their own laws. Now you can crown for a lot of money, even if the future "thief in law" has never served time in a colony.
During the “showdowns” and “gatherings,” few people already resolve the issue by degrading physical punishments — money rules the criminal world that modern criminal Russia has created. Thieves in law, whose incidents are decreasing, are trying to solve problems remotely, hiring specially trained people for especially “dirty” work. For example, if before a thief could have killed another thief for a significant fault, now killers are most often involved who are able to “find out relations” between authorities for a certain amount.
Modern thieves have become more cunning, but also more vulnerable. If earlier it was strictly forbidden to communicate with representatives of the police and other people who wear uniforms on duty, now everything is different - criminal “concepts” have become closer, and “criminal” authority can be seen sitting next to the police colonel ...
Legends of the underworld
In total, there are about four thousand thieves in law, many are no longer alive. However, not only those whom they controlled will speak about thieves of the old school for a long time with great respect.
Legends: Grandfather Hassan (killed in 2013), Shakro Molodoy, Sasha Sever (corroded in 2014), Jap (killed in 2009) and others, no less famous. All of them served time in Russian colonies, as well as in correctional institutions of the countries of the former USSR, each for 20-30 years in total.
According to thieves 'laws, not only representatives of the family clan, but also numerous groups gather on the day of the funeral of an authoritative thief, crowned in compliance with all the traditions of the thieves' world.