Crime is Part of the Problem: Contexts of Lethal Violence in Finland and the USA

According to Zimring & Hawkins, the exceptionally high level of homicide in the USA is unrelated to the nation's overall crime problem. In contrast to this statement, a critical review of their evidence suggests that criminal activity may explain a significant share of the excess levels of lethal violence in the USA. As a first step towards testing this hypothesis, we have created a uniform victim-level data file of information on the method and the situational context of homicide cases in Finland and the USA. In support of the hypothesis, we find that homicides that occur in the context of another crime are much more prevalent in the USA than in Finland. This difference accounts for 35% of the overall gap in the homicide rate between these two nations. Moreover, our research indicates that the effect of the criminal context cannot be reduced to the 'instrument effect', i.e. the fact that handguns are much more prevalent in the USA. In light of these findings, it would be premature, in terms both of theory and of public policy, to treat lethal violence as a problem entirely independent of other crime.     

In the National Interest? Political Control and Registration in Norway and Sweden

Dokument nr.15. Rapport til Stortinget fra kommisjonen som ble nedsatt av Stortinget for å granske påstander om ulovlig overvåkning av norske borgere. [Document no. 15. Report to the Norwegian Parliament from the Commission Appointed by Parliament to Examine Allegations of Unlawful Monitoring of Norwegian Citizens]. (The Lund Report). 28 March 1996. (Cit. LR 1996).

Säkerhetstjänstkommissionen. [The Commission of Inquiry into the Security Service]. (Cit. STK).

SOU 2002:87 Rikets säkerhet och den personliga integriteten. Betänkande av säkerhetstjänstkommissionen. [National Security and Personal Integrity. Report from the Commission of Inquiry into the Security Service].

SOU 2002:88 Politisk övervakning och personalkontroll 1945‐1969. Forskarrapport till säkerhetstjänstkommissionen. [Political Monitoring and Background Checks 1945–1969. Research report to the Commission of Inquiry into the Security Service].

SOU 2002:89 Politisk övervakning och personalkontroll 1969–2002. Forskarrapport till säkerhetstjänstkommissionen. [Political Monitoring and Background Checks 1969–2002. Research report to the Commission of Inquiry into the Security Service].

SOU 2002:90 Den farliga fredsrörelsen. Forskarrapport till säkerhetstjänstkommissionen. [The Menacing Peace Movement. Research report to the Commission of Inquiry into the Security Service].

SOU 2002:91 Hotet från vänster. Forskarrapport till säkerhetstjänstkommissionen. [The Threat from the Left. Research report to the Commission of Inquiry into the Security Service].

SOU 2002:92 Det grå brödraskapet—en berättelse om IB. Forskarrapport till säkerhetstjänstkommissionen. [The Grey Brotherhood—A Story of IB. Research report to the Commission of Inquiry into the Security Service].

SOU 2002:93 Övervakningen av SKP‐komplexet. Forskarrapport till säkerhetstjänstkommissionen. [The monitoring of the SKP‐Complex. Research report to the Commission of Inquiry into the Security Service].

SOU 2002:94 Övervakningen av nazister och högerextremister. Forskarrapporter till säkerhetstjänstkommissionen. [The Monitoring of Nazis and Right Wing Extremists. Research reports to the Commission of Inquiry into the Security Service].

SOU 2002:95 Forskarrapporter till Säkerhetstjänstkommissionen. [Research report to the Commission of Inquiry into the Security Service].     

The Relation Between Crime News and Fear of Violence

In this article, we explore the relationship between the use of crime news and fear of violence through multivariate analyses. Our main objective is to examine whether exposure to crime news is related to avoidance behaviour and fear of crime when personal and vicarious victimization experiences, as well as a number of other relevant factors, are held constant. Using the 2003 sweep of the Finnish National Victimization Surveys, we focus on two types of crime news exposure: exposure to crime‐related tabloid headlines, and the scope of exposure to different sources of crime news. Our main finding is that reading tabloid front pages is associated with both avoidance behaviour and with higher levels of worry about becoming a victim of violence. We also found that people who expose themselves to many sources of crime news are more likely to fear violence. As an interesting by‐product of our analyses, we observed that being unemployed was quite strongly associated with fear of violence.     

Editor's note

Abstract

In this article the author investigates the degree to which regional political relationships as well as domestic political stability have changed as a result of the Gulf War. As the countries of the former Warsaw Pact, Latin America, and elsewhere attempt to democratize, often with American support, the countries of the Gulf, at least on the governmental level, appear largely immune to this trend. This is belied somewhat by popular desires for political liberalization as well as cynicism about America's aims in the region. The political future and stability of this key part of the world is further complicated by the changing relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia who share a distrust for Iraq if little else. Thus, despite the Gulf War, many of the key issues that have traditionally influenced the Gulf region remain salient even after significant modifications in the status of the regional power‐holders.