NCJ Number
241493
Date Published
2004
Length
42 pages
Annotation
This chapter discusses Denmark, and the fact that it does not have a juvenile justice system.
Abstract
Denmark, strictly speaking, does not have a juvenile justice system. The age of criminal responsibility is 15. Offenders younger than that are dealt with by social welfare authorities. Offenders aged 15 and older are dealt with in regular criminal courts under the same laws, procedures (with a few exceptions), and circumstances as adults. In practice, the divide is not so sharp. Social welfare authorities can place children in secure institutions, though they seldom do so. Offenders under age 18 benefit from a number of sentencing policies and options not available for adults. These include shorter sentences, diversion to the welfare authorities, and special sentencing options. Crime rates generally and for young offenders were stable or declining throughout the 1990s. Criminal justice policy generally and concerning young offenders has become increasingly politicized, and tougher laws and policies have been enacted. Owing, however, to the influence of international standards, renewing confidence in rehabilitative programs, and Danish skepticism about incarceration of young offenders, punishments for young offenders in the 1990s did not become markedly harsher, as enforcement of prison sentences declined. (Published Abstract)