Statistical presentation

Data description

The statistics on Recidivism form part of the criminal statistics. The criminal statistics include statistics on criminal cases from reported crimes and victims to convictions and also arrests and imprisonments.

The statistics on Recidivism are person-based statistics, which shed light on the extent and type of criminality committed during a follow-up period of two year by persons who have been released after serving in jail or have received a guilty decision during a calendar year.

More specific, the starting point is persons who, during a year:

1. Are released after serving in jail and/or
2. Are sentenced an unsuspended imprisonment which is served during remand and/or
3. Have preventive measures which are expired/abolished and/or
4. Have received a guilty decision, excl. unsuspended imprisonments

If a person meet more than one of the above conditions the occurrence with the earliest date is chosen as the starting point for the follow-up period.

All guilty decisions made the same or the following three years after the initial occurrence are regarded as potential recidivism occurrences. Decisions for three years are selected in the first instance despite only new crimes committed within two years are regarded as recidivism occurrences, cf. above. This is due to the fact that there can be a time-lag between the date of the offence and the date of the decision. If only decisions made within two years were selected, a number of offences committed within two years but not brought before the court within two years, would not be included in the statistics.

By linking to the charge with the same journal number and personal identification number the exact date of the crime is identified. All crimes committed within two years from the initial occurrence are regarded as recidivism occurrences.

Only persons who have been resident in Denmark through the entire follow-up period are included in the statistics. That implies, that persons who have died or emigrated during the follow-up period are excluded from the statistics.

As from the reference period 2008-2010 the statistics are supplied with information on educational level and as from the period 2009-2011 furthermore with information on criminality the five years before the actual calendar year.

In the published statistics the starting population is divided by index offence, index penalty, duration until recidivism, offence at first recidivism, offence at maximum penalty in the follow-up period, penalty at first recidivism, penalty at maximum penalty in the follow-up period, number of recidivism occurrences in combination with sex, age educational level and previous decisions.

Classification system

Grouping of the types of decisions and of codes of the criminal offences.

The criminal offences are divided into the penal code, the road traffic act and special law/legislation. The penal code is furthermore divided into four subgroups: Sexual offences, Crimes of violence, Offences against property and Other offences. The most special laws/legislation are referred to as single acts, while the rest are categorized as 'Other special laws/legislations'.

The applied grouping can bee seen in the annual publication Criminality in Crime.

Sector coverage

Not relevant for this statistics.

Statistical concepts and definitions

Previous convictions: Previous crime is defined as one or several guilty decisions five years prior to the actual year.

Recidivism: Recidivism is defined as a new crime committed within a follow-up period of two years after a release from serving in jail or receiving a guilty decision

Type of offence: Type of offence describes the kind of law violation which the index offence concerns and also the type of offence of the recidivism occurrences,.

The criminal offences are divided into the penal code, the road traffic act and special law/legislation. Violations of the penal code are grouped in sexual offences, crimes of violence, offences against property and other offences. The most special laws/legislation are referred to as single acts, while the rest are categorized as 'Other special laws/legislations'.

The applied grouping can bee seen in the annual publication Criminality in Annex 1.

Type of penalty: Type of penalty describes the kind of conviction that has been made. It includes unsuspended and suspended imprisonment, fines, withdrawals of charges, prosecution dropped, preventive measures, acquittals etc. A main distinction is made between guilty and not-guilty type of sentence. Acquittals and prosecution dropped constitute not-guilty type of sentence while all other type of sentence constitute guilty type of sentence. In the statistics on Recidivism only guilty type of sentences are included.

Statistical unit

The unit in the statistics on Recidivism is persons. One person are represented only once in the index population but can be represented with several recidivism occurrences.

Statistical population

The population covered by the statistics is persons, who have been released after serving in jail or have received a guilty decision, excl. unsuspended imprisonment. The statistics include persons who have found guilty in violation of the penal code, the road traffic act and/or the special laws.

Reference area

Denmark, except the Faroe Islands and Greenland.

Time coverage

The statistics covers the period from 2007 and onwards.

Base period

Not relevant to this statistics.

Unit of measure

Number.

Reference period

01-01-2020 - 31-12-2022

Frequency of dissemination

Annual.

Legal acts and other agreements

The Act on Statistics Denmark §6.

There is no EU Regulation related to the statistics on convictions.

Cost and burden

There is no response burden as the statistics are based on registers.

Comment

Recidivism have a Subject Page.