Journal of Legal Research

Journal of Legal Research

Prevention of Violent Crimes in Tribal Communities: Challenges and Solutions

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Vahid Bazvand 1
Farid Mohseni 2
1 PhD Student in Criminal Law and Criminology, University of Judicial Sciences and Administrative Services, Tehran, Iran.
2 Professor, Department of Criminal Law and Criminology, University of Judicial Sciences and Administrative Services, Tehran, Iran.
10.48300/jlr.2024.462273.2667
Abstract
The distinctive cultural characteristics and complex social structure of Iran’s tribal communities have created conditions that pose significant challenges to the implementation of preventive policies aimed at addressing violent crimes. Among the most important of these challenges are certain traditional and cultural values conducive to retaliatory or violent practices, local power structures that at times operate in tension with the formal legal system of dispute resolution, and limited public awareness of legal rights and obligations within local communities. Such characteristics often reduce the effectiveness of broader crime-prevention policies when implemented in tribal and local contexts. Adopting a descriptive-analytical methodology, this study seeks to explain how these challenges contribute to the emergence of tensions between the traditional values governing tribal communities and the country’s formal legal order. The article further examines how such tensions may encourage individuals to rely on local and informal mechanisms of dispute settlement, many of which can assume violent or retaliatory forms. The study therefore attempts, first, to analyze and clarify the principal challenges confronting crime prevention within tribal social structures and, second, to evaluate various forms of non-penal preventive measures in order to propose practical and enforceable solutions capable of addressing these challenges. In doing so, the article emphasizes the importance of adopting culturally informed and community-oriented approaches to crime prevention that are capable of reconciling local customs with the requirements of the official justice system.
Keywords
Violent Crimes
Preventive Criminology
Tribal Communities
Tribal Culture
Traditional Dispute Resolution Mechanisms
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Journal of Legal Research
Volume 25, Issue 65
Spring 2026
Pages 505-541