Archive: Society | Crime Crime
President vetoes controversial banishment bill
Czech President Václav Klaus on Tuesday vetoed a controversial bill which
would give towns the power to banish repeat offenders without permanent
residence from their territory for up to three months. Authors of the
legislation say it will provide a much needed tool to fight petty crime and
misdemeanours. But the president sided with the bill’s critics and said
it might be in breach of the constitution. More
Imprisoned MP calls attention to sorry state of Czech prisons
Deteriorating conditions in Czech prisons have elicited plenty of criticism
in recent years and much has been said and written on the subject. However
no one has addressed the issue more vocally or found a broader platform for
his complaints than the former governor of central Bohemia, MP David Rath
–the country’s most famous prisoner who is in custody awaiting trial on
corruption charges. More
Billboard vandal temporarily released from prison
A former public transport worker – found guilty of defacing public
property – was released from prison on Thursday, 67 days short of his
100-day sentence. The justice minister had filed a complaint in the man’s
favour in the hope that the court would determine once and for all whether
defacing a campaign poster constitutes a crime or just a misdemeanour. His
release may only be temporary, pending the decision. More
Woman gets life sentence for murder of her four children
A 37-year-old Czech woman has been sentenced to life in prison for
murdering her four children. The Regional Court in Hradec Králové, in
eastern Bohemia, on Friday rejected the woman’s claim she suffered from
memory loss, and convicted her of the murders. She became the fourth woman
to receive a life sentence since the fall of communism in the country. But
the woman collapsed during the reading of the verdict and the court will
now decide whether the defendant will be brought to court again. More
Czechs top global addictions index, says Bloomberg - nonsense, say health workers
The news agency Bloomburg has given the Czech Republic the inglorious
distinction of first place on its Global Vice Index – a combined list of
alcohol, drug, cigarette and gambling prevalence in 57 countries. While
Czech primacy in beer consumption may be incontestable, the index also
cited the country as 12th in the world in gambling, 5th in cigarette
smoking and 2nd on the planet in drug use. What’s more, the amalgamated
information from the World Health Organisation, the UN Office on Drugs and
Crime and others, gave the Czech Republic a damning six point lead on the
second most depraved country, Slovenia. Humbug, say public health workers,
among them Dr. Tomáš Zábranský from the Centre of Addictology. More
Magazine
In this edition of Magazine: a security guard hand-cuffs himself by
accident; a man is arrested after failing to notice that his passport
contains an inconceivable expiry date and Brno tests a pissoir for dogs. More
Czech top court caps lucrative debt collecting business
The Czech Constitutional Court has delivered a breakthrough verdict which
aims to put an end to a much-criticized yet lucrative business that in
recent years has plagued the Czech Republic. The verdict dramatically
lowers the ceiling on the costs law firms can charge for collecting small
debts. That means they will no longer will able to inflate their fees which
often far exceeded the original debts. More
Survey: Nearly one in two Czech women have experienced domestic abuse
A fresh survey suggests that nearly one in two Czech women at one point in
their life have become victims of some form of domestic abuse. The poll,
published by the NGO proFem, also concludes that about a third of those
affected are afraid to speak up. One of the authors of the survey,
sociologist Kamil Kunc, explains its conclusions, what can be done to
improve the situation and how the data was gathered. More
Controversial Prague lobbyist charged with bodily harm; may face further charges connected to wire tap scandal
Prague police have charged the controversial lobbyist Roman Janoušek with
menacing behaviour due to intoxication as well as grievous bodily harm. On
Friday, Mr Janoušek crashed his Porsche into another car in Prague 4, then
hit its driver as he attempted to flee. The news came as the construction
tycoon already found himself in the headlines due to scandal over leaked
wire taps of conversations between him and former mayor of Prague Pavel
Bém. More
Study: Obesity, smoking and drug abuse on the rise among Czech adolescents
Czech researchers from the University of Olomouc made a significant
contribution to the latest Health Behavior of School-Aged Children Research
Study. Sadly, its conclusions point to a worrying trend: Czech adolescents,
and their counterparts across Europe, are living an increasingly sedentary
lifestyle. As a result, obesity, drug abuse and smoking among those aged 18
and under are on the rise. We spoke to one of the Czech researchers
involved in the international study, Michal Kalman. More
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