NCJ Number
222998
Journal
Journal of Scandinavian Studies in Criminology and Crime Prevention Volume: 9 Issue: 1 Dated: 2008 Pages: 2-30
Date Published
2008
Length
29 pages
Annotation
This paper presents trends in expressive crimes in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania from 1993 to 2000 and examines how demographic, socioeconomic, land use, and institutional factors relate to their geography in 2000.
Abstract
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania had significantly higher homicide rates than other European countries, but lethal violence was the only expressive crime analyzed that had been in decline in the 1990s. Causes of relatively high homicide rates in the Baltic countries include differences in their demographic composition, increasing anomic conditions, life-style, and conflicts between organized crime groups. While homicide rates have shown a decline, victimization crime surveys indicate that there have been no significant changes in crime levels and composition. Results also indicate that indicators of regions’ social structure, such as divorce rate, more strongly predict the variation of 2000’s expressive crime ratios than other indicators. The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have experienced striking but not identical increases in the number of reported offenses during the last decade offering interesting case studies for scientific and policy-related research into the geography of crime. These Baltic States have experienced profound political, economic, and social changes with little known about their crime levels and geography. This paper aims to address this gap by improving the knowledge base regarding the levels and spatial distribution of expressive crimes in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania between 1993 and 2000. Figures, table, references, and appendixes 1 and 2