NCJ Number
86464
Date Published
1981
Length
47 pages
Annotation
Check forgery has been reduced in Stockholm, Sweden, as a result of macrolevel changes which affected both the opportunity structure and the social controls against this crime form.
Abstract
At its height in 1970, the extent of check forgeries in Sweden amounted to 40,000 incidents. The accelerating rate of check forgeries was due to a bank guarantee, by which the recipient of a stolen and falsely endorsed check of up to 300 kroner was indemnified by the drawee bank without having been required to verify the identity of the person passing the check. Despite resistance from the banking sector, in 1971 police-recommended crime prevention policies were adopted, and the bank guarantee was abolished, while shopkeepers became responsible for requiring proof of identity from all persons paying by check. A study of the effects of this measure examined Stockholm crime trends 2 years prior to the new policy (1969-1970) and for two subsequent periods (1972-1973, 1974-1975). The number of forgeries dropped dramatically -- down by 80 percent from 1970 to 1972. Burglary incidents and other forms of theft over the same periods did not supply clear evidence of any crime switching resulting from the new policy. In addition, the criminal histories of check forgers convicted in 1970 were compared to those convicted of the same offense in 1975. The latter group evidenced more serious criminal involvement than the former, indicating that a relatively simple opportunity structure attracts criminals with milder records. Direct crime displacement was not evidenced, suggesting that check forgery was an attendant criminality associated with other primary forms of property offenses, particularly burglary, by which most checks were originally obtained. Other aspects of the study investigated drug-related crimes and recidivism of offenders involved with check forgery. Tabular data and 24 references are provided.