CRIMES TRENDS IN FINLAND 1950-1977

• NCJ Number: 57766
• Author(s): P TORNUDD
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 49 pages
• Corporate Author: National Research Institute of Legal Policy
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: Finland

Annotation

CRIME TRENDS IN FINLAND (ACCORDING TO POLICE CRIME REPORTS) ARE DISCUSSED FOR THE PERIOD 1950-1977 AND RELATED TO DEMOGRAPHIC, ECONOMIC, AND SOCIAL CHANGES IN THE COUNTRY AS WELL AS CHANGES IN CRIME REPORTING METHODS

Abstract

THE RATE OF MOST CRIMES HAS RISEN BETWEEN 1950 AND 1970. A TOTAL OF 7 ROBBERY OFFENSES, FOR EXAMPLE, WAS REPORTED PER 100,000 INHABITANTS OVER THE AGE OF 15 IN THE PERIOD 1950-1954, WHILE A TOTAL OF 53 PER 100,000 INHABITANTS WAS REPORTED IN THE PERIOD OF 1975-1977. CRIMES OF VIOLENCE AGAINST AN OFFICIAL, FORGERY, ASSAULT AND LARCENY, FRAUD, DRUG OFFENSES, AND DRUNKEN DRIVING SHOW AN EQUALLY DRAMATIC INCREASE DURING THESE YEARS. PART OF THIS INCREASE IN CRIME CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO A CHANGE IN CRIME REPORTING METHODS DUE TO NEW LEGISLATION IN 1968, BUT A LARGE SEGMENT OF THE INCREASE IS REAL. SEVERAL FACTORS ARE DISCUSSED AS RELATED TO THE CRIME INCREASE: (1) URBANIZATION AND INDUSTRIALIZATION WHICH INCREASED THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR CRIME AND AT THE SAME TIME DISSOLVED MUCH OF THE ESTABLISHED SYSTEM FOR SOCIAL CONTROL, (2) ECONOMIC WEALTH CONCENTRATED PARTICULARLY IN URBAN AREAS WHICH RESULTED IN LARGER NUMBERS OF TARGETS AND INCREASED MOBILITY OF OFFENDERS SINCE MOST PERSONS CAN NOW AFFORD AUTOMOBILES, (3) THE LARGE AGE COHORT BORN AFTER THE WAR THAT REACHED THE AGE OF CRIMINALITY IN THE 1960'S (4) UNEMPLOYMENT WHICH PARALLELS CRIME RATES IN BOTH DECLINES AND UPSURGES BUT DOES NOT NECESSARILY CORRELATE WITH THEM AND (5) ALCOHOL LEGISLATION, LIBERALIZED IN THE 1960'S AND AGAIN IN THE 1970'S; ALCOHOL BY BOTH THE OFFENDER AND THE VICTIM IS A FACTOR IN THE MAJORITY OF HOMICIDE AND ASSAULT OFFENSES COMMITTED IN FINLAND. THESE FACTORS ARE ANALYZED. AN ANALYSIS OF LARCENY AND ASSAULT OFFENSE TRENDS AND THESE FACTORS IS PRESENTED, WITH BRIEF NOTES ON OTHER OFFENSE CATEGORIES AND ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, AND DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS. STATISTICAL TABLES AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. FOR SUMMARY OF ABSTRACTS IN INTERNATIONAL SUMMARIES VOL IV SEE NCJ 59507 (DAG)