NCJ Number
74060
Editor(s)
N Bishop
Date Published
1980
Length
94 pages
Annotation
These papers examine the various forms of criminality in Scandinavia, including domestic violence, economic crimes, and drug offenses, and discuss approaches to crime control by focusing on sentencing practices, capital punishment, and features of the police organization.
Abstract
An analysis of theft in Scandinavia from 1970-78 notes that such crimes can be reduced by increasing social and economic status and thus reducing strong contrasts within society and the stigmatization of those persons at risk for the commission of crime. A common terminology for economic criminality is developed by examining its specific characteristics in order to promote criminological research in this area. Additionally, the various forms of violence in Scandinavia are reviewed, including such topics as violence by State authorities, violence between and within ethnic groups, assaults and threats, robberies, rapes and sexual assaults, and traffic and labor accidents. The effect of fear of crime on society is also briefly noted. Crimes against women and alcohol and narcotic-related crimes are also examined; the reports show how the women's movement has influenced perceptions of wife abuse and how extensively drug consumption are criminality are linked. A discussion of features of police organizations in Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway during the 1970's points to the tendency in all four countries for an increase in appropriations for the police department, and supports the belief that police have achieved improvements in operational effectiveness over the decade reviewed. Additional papers focus on the concept of punishment in Scandinavia; the use of sanctions, including the conditional sentence as an alternative to imprisonment and the indeterminate sentence for dangerous offenders; and a discussion of capital punishment from a global perspective. Also included is the annual report for 1979 of the Scandinavian Research Council for Criminology, with details of all the council's activities. Tabular and graphic information, footnotes, and references accompany most reports, and a list of research council members and officials are appended.