Crime and Punishment in Switzerland, 1985-1999 (From Crime and Punishment in Western Countries, 1980-1999, P 213-245, 2005, Michael Tonry and David P. Farrington eds. - See NCJ-241530)

• NCJ Number: 241536
• Author(s): Martin Killias; Philippe Lamon; Marcelo F. Aebi
• Date Published: 2005
• Length: 33 pages
• Sale Source: University of Chicago Press
• Publication Format: Book Chapter
• Publication Type: Statistics; Historical Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This chapter summarizes trends in crime and punishment in Switzerland between 1985 and 1999.

Abstract

A recurring question in criminology has always been how the "costs of offending" (the risk of being convicted and sentenced to custody) relate to offending rates. Langan and Farrington's and Cusson's studies have renewed interest in this question. Examination of victim surveys and police and court statistics over nearly two decades produces mixed conclusions. Some of the offenses considered (burglary, motor vehicle theft, robbery, assault, rape, and homicide) show substantial variation since 1985 and are better explained by opportunity theories than in terms of changing costs of offending. The odds of an average offender being convicted and imprisoned have, depending on the indicators used, remained stable over time, or changed erratically, in ways that are difficult to relate to crime rates as the "outcome." Crime rates appear to be better explained by changes in routine activities and other opportunities than by deterrence variables. (Published Abstract)