this study focuses on patterns in the criminal career. In order to gauge whether its results are dependent on circumstances unique to Denmark, it is necessary to provide a brief introduction to Danish culture, crime trends, and criminal policy.

The time span of the current study is 1979 to 1992, so this description will center on the situation in the 1980s. Data on crime trends are derived primarily from police and court records, as the current study is based on official police filings, convictions, and other types of dispositions.

Since many of the studies referred to in the book are English or American, some comparisons will be made on the levels of crime and conviction in Denmark, England, and the United States.

General Information

Denmark is a comparatively small country both in size and population. It comprises only 43,000 square kilometers (an area twice the size of the state of New Jersey) and has had a relatively stable total population of 5.25 million inhabitants during the past two decades. One-fifth of the population live in the capital, Copenhagen, and another 9% live in the three largest cities in the provinces. Forty-five percent live in small cities of under 10,000 inhabitants or in the countryside. This situation was somewhat different just half a century ago, as agriculture remained one of the principal industries up through the 1950s.