NCJ Number
76674
Date Published
1980
Length
56 pages
Annotation
Prepared as a background paper by Canada's Strategic Planning Committee for its deliberations on the long-term future of the Correctional Service of Canada, this report outlines the characteristics of Denmark's criminal justice and correctional systems.
Abstract
Denmark's criminal justice system is described in the areas of philosophy, administration, operations, sentencing, sanctions, and trends; the correctional system is outlined under the topics of philosophy, policy, administration, conditions, operations, evaluation, and trends. The Danish correctional system takes a realistic approach to the handling of offenders. It is aware of what prisons can and cannot accomplish. Social problems, not necessarily criminal, are viewed as being better handled by socioeconimic measures unconnected to the criminal justice system. Incarceration and social readjustment are seen as contradictory. Although the Danish system is humane in its treatment of offenders, certain weaknesses exist in the application of social control, such as the use of mental institutions for those considered habitual status offenders. The Danish prison system is not without unrest, particularly in closed institutions, where inmates complain about low wages, mandatory work, and discipline procedures. Humane and lenient imprisonment is pursued essentially as a moral rather than a practical policy since it cannot be shown to reduce recidivism or the crime rate. Appended are statistics, a list of external factors affecting the criminal justice system, organizational charts, reform proposals, and an update. Eleven references are provided. The identical report in French is also provided.