NCJ Number
201531
Journal
Journal of Scandinavian Studies in Criminology and Crime Prevention Volume: 3 Issue: 2 Dated: 2002 Pages: 135-153
Date Published
2002
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This study explored homicide and infanticide cases in Stockholm during the period between 1920 and 1939 in order to gain insight about present day homicide.
Abstract
The author examined 45 cases of homicide and infanticide in Stockholm District Court from 1920 to 1939 and compared them with homicide cases in Sweden during the 1990’s. An understanding of past homicides can lend knowledge to present-day homicide. Conversely, the author asks what the contribution of many years of homicide research can offer to an understanding of inter-war period homicide. Results of the comparison revealed similarities in the category of domestic homicide and of the involvement of alcohol in many types of homicides. Infanticide has decreased dramatically since the inter-war period, leading to the speculation that social development has decreased the incitement to this type of homicide. The comparison also revealed that drunken brawls have remained the same in character, but have increased over time. The author posits that the free access of alcohol and the financial means of a large population of young people are responsible for the increase in drunken brawl homicides. The way in which society viewed criminal responsibility during the inter-war period was found to depend upon the offenders’ gender and whether alcohol was involved. In conclusion, the results underscore the seriousness of domestic violence as a long standing and pervasive social problem. The historical involvement of alcohol in the commission of criminal behavior is also telling and should hold implications for policy and social change. References