NCJ Number
132369
Date Published
1991
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This booklet summarizes statistics on serious offenses and offenders for Sweden from 1750 through 1984.
Abstract
The data presented constitute summaries from the first five chapters of the 1985 publication "Crime and Punishment. Historical Criminal Statistics 1750-1984." This handbook is intended for persons who desire to acquaint themselves quickly with the basic data on crime development in Sweden. Graph data and narrative information address homicide, assault, rape, theft, repeated theft and robbery, total convictions for crime, convictions for serious crimes, and persons convicted of serious crimes. The latter data pertain to sex, age, citizenship, and prior records. The data show that today Sweden is characterized by a historically high, but no longer increasing, conviction rate for youth. Convictions of women, often involving minor crimes, have increased. There is a significant number of foreign citizens among persons convicted of serious crimes, and there is a group of chronic offenders characterized by extensive criminal activity and a high risk of apprehension. Empirical evidence indicates that traditional Swedish criminal policy measures -- imprisonment and probation -- have not produced the desired effects of protecting citizens and reforming criminals. This study concludes that one of the most important tasks for criminal policy in Sweden is the promotion of new, nonpenal measures for reducing crime among criminalized groups. 21-item selected bibliography and 15 figures