NCJ Number
221087
Date Published
2007
Length
121 pages
Annotation
Drawing on the second sweep of the International Self-Report Delinquency Study (ISRD), this report describes the contemporary patterns of delinquent behavior in the five Nordic capital cities--Copenhagen, Helsinki, Oslo, Reykjavik, and Stockholm--and reviews the history of the Nordic self-report tradition.
Abstract
Core findings on the prevalence of delinquency found that adolescents in Copenhagen had the highest prevalence of alcohol and drug use. Shoplifting was equally prevalent among the five cities, and bicycle theft was more prevalent in Copenhagen. Lifetime weapon-carrying and group fighting were the most prevalent in Copenhagen and Helsinki. Difference in assault and robbery among the five cities were insignificant. The prevalence of property destruction was highest in Copenhagen. Computer-related copyright offending was equally prevalent among the five cities. Regarding the frequency of cannabis use, Oslo and Stockholm users ranked the highest for the frequency of theft, Oslo had the highest average offense frequency. In all the cities, boys and girls participated equally in alcohol and drug use, and shoplifting patterns were also similar between boys and girls. In all cities, shoplifting was the offense with the earliest onset, with drug use being a late onset offense. Five percent of the 13-16 year-olds in the five cities reported contact with the police due to an offense. Data collection was conducted in all Nordic countries in 2006 as part of the International Self-report Delinquency Study Project, which involves most European nations and the United States. A review of the history of Nordic self-report research covers 50 years, from early enthusiasm for it, through a relative eclipse, to the current renaissance characterized by national indicator systems and joint ISRD participation. 41 figures, 14 tables, and 90 references