NCJ Number
177934
Journal
European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research Volume: 7 Issue: 1 Dated: 1999 Pages: 23-42
Date Published
1999
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This article analyzes juvenile crime trends in West European countries during the post-war period (1950-1995).
Abstract
In the literature, two models -- routine activity and social control -- are most often used to explain a continuous upward trend in the number of juvenile offenders during the post-war period. In Sweden, contrary to what might be expected from these models, the number of juvenile offenders has been stable and may even have decreased over the last 25 years. A sensible way to begin a comparative study is to take advantage of the analyses already conducted by researchers in the relevant countries. Besides the official crime statistics, this study also uses alternative statistics, i.e., self-report studies and victim surveys. An obvious advantage of these surveys is that they are independent of the relevant country's judicial system and official statistics. The availability of data played an important part in the choice of countries to be included. In addition, contacts were established with researchers and research centers in most countries covered by the study. The study suggests that the usual accounts of post-war trends in juvenile crime do not fit well with the factual development. For the majority of the Western European countries, what needs to be explained is not a continuous upward trend in the number of juvenile offenders, but rather an initial increase followed by stabilization. 2 tables and 62 references