NCJ Number
169796
Date Published
1996
Length
33 pages
Annotation
Data from cases handled by district and town courts in Sweden from the beginning of the 17th century until 1840 formed the basis of an analysis of the nature, functions, and changes in local justice systems from the beginning of the 17th century until 1840.
Abstract
The data came mainly from the town of Linkoping and the county district of Gullberg in southern Sweden, the town of Harnosand and the county district of Sabra in northern Sweden, and the Gota Court of Appeal in the province of Ostergotland. Results revealed a gradual centralization of justice as the central government grew and increasingly regulated local areas. In addition, penalties gradually shifted from compensation to the injured party to greater reliance corporal punishment and the subsequent growing use of prisons combined with hard labor. The results also revealed a decline in homicide rates and other over the period. This decline was associated with a change in how people preserved their honor; people shifted from using fist fights in the 17th century to using court litigation in the 19th century. The decline in homicides also resulted from a decrease in weaponry among the citizenry, an increase in church discipline, and the increasing peacefulness of society at large after the warlike 17th century. The results also indicated that female criminality was greater in the towns than in the countryside. Findings indicated that the developments in specific geographic areas resulted both from specific circumstances and from common trends, including changes in economic and social factors. Reference notes