NCJ Number
129472
Date Published
1989
Length
70 pages
Annotation
Changes in the rate of reported theft in Finland between 1950 and 1984 were examined in terms of a time-series regression model focusing on the role of economic and demographic factors.
Abstract
The model assumed that a society's crime rate is determined by opportunities to commit offenses, the inclination of the population to commit crimes, and the definition or level of tolerance for crime. The number of potential targets of theft was assumed to depend on the general economic development, the production of goods, and consumption. The study hypothesis was that all these factors would be positively associated with thefts. A variety of analyses were performed. The results showed that overtime the level of theft has become even more strongly related to economic development, production, and consumption, while the influence of the age structure of the population seems to have decreased. Tables and 96 references