To Örebro University

Global evidence indicates minimal connection between immigration and crime. Nordic research, however, has been generally carried out on individuals and shows that immigrants are over-represented in crime. This has led to claims that high crime rates are due to immigration. We directed our study towards these claims by analyzing immigrant population prevalence, defined as the percent of foreign-born individuals, and violent crime in Swedish municipalities between 2000 and 2020. Nearly all municipalities had higher violent crime rates in 2020 relative to 2000. To discern whether drastic increases in municipality-level crime rates could be connected to municipality-level immigrant population prevalence, a retrospective case-control design was used to select 20 municipalities with the highest increase in reported violent crime rates and 20 municipalities with the lowest increase in reported violent crime rates. Immigrant population prevalence had little association with high rates of reported violent crime. The average association between immigrant population prevalence and violent crime rates calculated from all municipalities was also weak and non-significant (p > 0.05). Municipalities with a high increase in crime tended to have more crime correlates than municipalities with a low increase in crime. However, more research is needed on the impact of migration in small towns, especially those that have experienced economic and social stagnation.

Self-regulation is integral to human well-being. Previous research established associations between self-regulation and life outcomes, although mostly based on cross-sectional or longitudinal research with relatively short follow-up periods. We aimed to investigate associations between self-regulation during childhood and low education, psychiatric diagnosis, conviction for non-violent and violent crime, and premature mortality up to 50 years later. The sample consisted of boys born between 1943 and 1951 in Stockholm, Sweden, who were initially interviewed as part of the Clientele Study and followed up until they were 58-66 years of age as part of the Stockholm Life Course Project (N = 251). Our measure of self-regulation was indicated by five dimensions extracted from multiple sources and informants when study members were children. Information on life outcomes were extracted from Swedish national registry data available through 2009. Results from logistic regression and survival analyses showed that lower self-regulation during childhood was associated with a higher risk of conviction for non-violent and violent crime, receiving a psychiatric diagnosis and premature mortality up until late adulthood. Self-regulation was not associated with low education. Analyses were adjusted for intelligence and parental socioeconomic status. While based on a relatively small sample and measurement of self-regulation using data from the 1960s, our study supports the notion that self-regulation during childhood is central for well-being across the lifespan.

This study explores the characteristics of individuals affiliated with violent extremist milieus in Sweden, focusing on far-right, far-left, and Islamic extremist milieus. Firstly, by using a compilation of law enforcement and other Swedish population registers, we describe these milieus along a range of demographic, socioeconomic, criminal, mental health, and familial indicators. We then compare Swedish extremists to extremists globally. Our findings reveal that while demographic patterns, such as age and sex, align with international studies, significant differences emerge in areas like criminal activity, mental health prevalence, and socioeconomic factors. Compared to global data, Swedish extremists show higher levels of criminal involvement, particularly prior to radicalization, but lower prevalence of severe mental disorders. Additionally, violent Islamic extremists in Sweden exhibit a significantly higher likelihood of having extremist family members, suggesting a possible intergenerational transmission of extremist affiliation. Socioeconomic disparities are also evident, with violent far-right and violent far-left extremists displaying different educational and employment patterns compared to their international counterparts. By combining Swedish register data with international comparisons, this study highlights the importance of considering national contexts when analysing extremist profiles and emphasizes the need for comprehensive, context-based designs to prevent and counter violent extremism.

BACKGROUND: Intellectual disability (ID), schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD), bipolar disorder (BD), substance use disorder (SUD), and other mental disorders (OMDs) are associated with increased risks of criminality relative to sex-matched individuals without these conditions (NOIDMD). To resource psychiatric, addiction, and social services so as to provide effective treatments, further information is needed about the size of sub-groups convicted of crimes, recidivism, timing of offending, antecedents, and correlates. Stigma of persons with mental disorders could potentially be dramatically reduced if violence was prevented.

METHODS: A birth cohort of 14,605 persons was followed to age 64 using data from Swedish national health, criminal, and social registers.

RESULTS: Percentages of group members convicted of violence differed significantly: males NOIDMD, 7.3%, ID 29.2%, SSD 38.6%, BD 30.7%; SUD 44.0%, and OMD 19.3%; females NOIDMD 0.8%, ID 7.7%, SSD 11.2%, BD 2.4%, SD 17.0%, and OMD 2.1%. Violent recidivism was high. Most violent offenders in the diagnostic groups were also convicted of non-violent crimes. Prior to first diagnosis, convictions (violent or non-violent) had been acquired by over 90% of the male offenders and two-thirds of the female offenders. Physical victimization, adult comorbid SUD, childhood conduct problems, and adolescent substance misuse were each associated with increased risks of offending.

CONCLUSION: Sub-groups of cohort members with ID or mental disorders were convicted of violent and non-violent crimes to age 64 suggesting the need for treatment of primary disorders and for antisocial/aggressive behavior. Many patients engaging in violence could be identified at first contact with clinical services.

Background: Intellectual disability (ID), schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD), bipolar disorder (BD), substance use disorder (SUD), and other mental disorders (OMDs) are associated with increased risks of criminality relative to sex-matched individuals without these conditions (NOIDMD). To resource psychiatric, addiction, and social services so as to provide effective treatments, further information is needed about the size of sub-groups convicted of crimes, recidivism, timing of offending, antecedents, and correlates. Stigma of persons with mental disorders could potentially be dramatically reduced if violence was prevented.

Methods: A birth cohort of 14,605 persons was followed to age 64 using data from Swedish national health, criminal, and social registers.

Results: Percentages of group members convicted of violence differed significantly: males NOIDMD, 7.3%, ID 29.2%, SSD 38.6%, BD 30.7%; SUD 44.0%, and OMD 19.3%; females NOIDMD 0.8%, ID 7.7%, SSD 11.2%, BD 2.4%, SD 17.0%, and OMD 2.1%. Violent recidivism was high. Most violent offenders in the diagnostic groups were also convicted of non-violent crimes. Prior to first diagnosis, convictions (violent or non-violent) had been acquired by over 90% of the male offenders and two-thirds of the female offenders. Physical victimization, adult comorbid SUD, childhood conduct problems, and adolescent substance misuse were each associated with increased risks of offending.

Conclusion: Sub-groups of cohort members with ID or mental disorders were convicted of violent and non-violent crimes to age 64 suggesting the need for treatment of primary disorders and for antisocial/aggressive behavior. Many patients engaging in violence could be identified at first contact with clinical services.

This comment aims to contribute to agenda-setting for the study of interpersonal violence over the years to come. Interpersonal violence is a high-profile topic not only in the domain of criminology, but also in public health, medicine, and epidemiology, and across the social sciences (sociology; psychology; economics; and political science). However, interdisciplinary integration between the different perspectives is lacking. This comment takes up the question of how scholars and practitioners in the field of violence can work towards greater integration with other perspectives. It outlines five key priorities for the field going forward, which are intended to contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of interpersonal violence. Importantly, the view outlined here arose from a collaboration of researchers from a wide range of academic fields, and as such represents interdisciplinary consensus on the steps required to ensure that the study of interpersonal violence remains an effective and productive research field.

Vilken roll spelar bostadsområden för graden av brottslighet? Amber Beckley, lektor i kriminologi vid Stockholms universitet, och hennes team ville sätta tidigare forskning om utländsk bakgrund och brottslighet i ett nytt ljus. Resultaten överraskade. Studien ingår i "Det svenska tillståndet - en antologi om brottsutvecklingen i Sverige". Inspelat den 5 maj 2022 på Piperska muren i Stockholm. Arrangör: Institutet för framtidsstudier.

Much is known about the patterning of offending throughout life, but less about the patterning of victimization. In this study, we used data from the Stockholm Life-Course Project (SLCP), a longitudinal study that includes measures of childhood problem behaviour. We analysed offending (criminal conviction and police suspicion), inpatient hospitalization and outpatient care for violent victimization. We replicated the well-established age-crime curve amongst SLCP study members. We found that hospitalization for severe violent victimization was most likely to occur between 20 and 40 years of age. We additionally considered how childhood problem behaviour impacted overall risk and life-course patterning of offending and victimization. Childhood problem behaviour was associated with a greater risk of criminal conviction. But childhood problem behaviour showed inconsistent associations with risk for police suspicion. Childhood problem behaviour was generally associated with greater involvement in crime up to middle adulthood. Childhood problem behaviour was generally associated with a greater risk of victimization. However, we were limited in our ability to estimate the effect of childhood problem behaviour on life-course patterning of victimization due to the rarity of victimization. These results imply a need for larger studies on violent victimization and greater nuance in our understanding of childhood risks and their life-long outcomes.