NCJ Number
215193
Date Published
2006
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This article reports on crime trends in Finland from 1995 through 2004
Abstract
Survey results indicate that the number of homicides in 2004 was slightly higher than the 10-year average. During 2000 through 2004, alcohol was involved in 64 percent of homicide offences. Assaults and attempted homicides reported to police increased in the mid 1990s but remained stable through the early 2000s. Robberies decreased in the mid 1990s and increased only slightly by 2004. The number of forcible rapes increased during the study period, as did the number of sexual offenses against children. Theft offenses decreased during the 1990s and early 2000s, which is in contrast to the increases in thefts experienced during the 1980s. Juvenile thefts also declined during the study period while thefts of motor vehicles increased during the 1980s and then began declining in 1993 before increasing again through the end of the 1990s. Embezzlement in Finland declined during the 1990s and then increased slightly during the early 2000s while rates of credit card fraud remained stable during the early 2000s following significant decreases in the early 1990s. Tax offenses and other economic crimes increased about 3 percent between 2003 and 2004. The crime of vandalism increased during the mid 2000s, as did the crime of driving while impaired. Following a period of expansion during the 1990s, narcotics offenses in Finland stabilized during the 2000s. Studies on female involvement in crime both as victims and perpetrators of crime indicate that women in Finland experience violence as often as men and comprise approximately 80 percent of all domestic violence victims. The number of foreigners with residence in Finland who are suspected of committing criminal offenses increased 60 percent since 1996 and mainly involved the drug market. Fear of crime among the Finnish population declined in 2003 compared to the 1990s. Figures