| Show CRIMINAL statistics there has been some talk lately of the great criminal foreign element of the united states statistics from one foreign country norway do not bear out the statements cased based on this mis somewhat vague term official records prove that since the year 1840 1940 the number of criminals has been steadily decreasing while the population has been increasing in the year mentioned there were 1840 criminal cases in norway in 1850 1850 1755 in 1860 1638 in 1870 1401 in 1880 1092 in the period between 1885 90 it varied between and and in the last years it fell below the crimes committed we were all the way from murder to petit larceny theft being the most general the greatest number of criminals were found among the day laborers there are several causes for this decrease in criminality in norway the country has at various times been the scene of extensive religious revivals that have had a purifying influence over all classes of society great efforts have been made for temperance and particularly for a rational and regulation of the saloon business and above all aill justice has been administered with a moderation that in itself has had a humanizing influence on the people thus capital punishment la Is nearly always commuted to imprisonment at hard labor for life and other transgressors often obtain a pardon when after a term of years in of justice have been fully met the annual cost of the maintenance of a prisoner Is about and a large part of this sum he or she Is made to earn for the institution that keeps them |
