Rikollisuus ja Suomen suuret nälkävuodet 1866–1868
Avainsanat:
kriminologia, oikeushistoria, rikollisuus, väkivalta, varallisuusrikoksetAbstrakti
Criminality and the Finnish famine of 1866–1868
The article examines criminality and the use of the criminal justice system in Finland during the famine years 1866–1868. Additionally, the article provides a general description of the trends in crime and justice during the years 1842–1890. The latter half of the 19th Century brought a considerable increase in criminal convictions, mostly due to the emerging urbanisation of the country. City-dwellers were easier to monitor than those living in the sparsely populated countryside and sanctions for minor offences became more numerous. A clear transformation is also observed in the uses of the criminal justice system as the control of ”moral” regulations began to abate. Crimes such as profanity, adultery and breach of Sabbath slowly disappeared from the criminal courts towards the end of the Century.
The main objective of the article as regards the famine is to provide an insight on how and why it affected criminality. According to newly gathered but contemporary data, a significant increase in property crime took place during the years 1866–1868. At the same time, the levels of homicide and violent crime remained stable or decreased slightly. The author explains this phenomenon using theories of modern criminology, such as the anomy theory. Furthermore, the explanation is complemented with an analysis of individual, structural and cultural factors affecting hidden crime (i.e. crime not visible in court statistics). The conclusion of the analysis is that the stability (or slight decrease) of violent crime is probably a statistical illusion caused by a multitude of factors. It is likely that violence and homicides actually became more common during the time but the incidents did not end up in the criminal courts.
