Social Policies as Crime Control

Over four out of ten of all individuals previously convicted of a crime return to criminal activities within a few years’ time. To reduce the risk of recidivism and the resulting costs to society, it is important to identify what factors causally impact reoffending. This, in turn, offers the basis for more evidence-based criminal justice policies, as argued by economist Randi Hjalmarson in a new SNS report.

Organized crime is becoming a growing problem for Swedish companies. A new SNS report shows that the efforts to combat the mafia in Italy may offer us valuable lessons. In Italy, the so-called “three legs” – political commitment, adequate laws and civil society engagement – have played a key role in terms of successfully combatting the mafia, writes political scientist Carina Gunnarson.

Early interventions are important to prevent the onset of criminal behavior. But how much is it possible to affect the choices an...

Program based on behavioral science leads to young men committing fewer crimes and spending more time at school. This type of program is also more cost-effective from a socio-economic perspective compared to many other preventative measures. This is shown by influential American professor Jens Ludwig in a new SNS report.

Effective crime prevention requires identifying the effects of specific measures. Surveillance cameras seem to play a useful role in this regard, while more Swedish studies are needed on this topic, according to Mikael Priks in a new SNS report.

It is not clear what the Swedish legislation says with regard to using coercive measures to access digital information. This uncertainty could render criminal investigators less effective, writes Mattias Hjertstedt in a new SNS report.

There are frequent reports of criminals tricking their way into receiving money from the welfare system. Municipalities may be particularly vulnerable to such crimes, but this also applies to other public actors, according to Carina Gunnarson in a new SNS report presenting a broad overview of how organized crime exerts influence on the Swedish state and municipalities.