Criminal justice in a small Nordic country: The case of Iceland

AbstractCrime concerns have deepened in Iceland in the new millennium. The number of criminal court decisions increased until 2013, when it temporarily levelled off before reaching a new peak in 2019. This development has put pressure on the prison system, as a long list of convicts awaiting completion of their sentences has accumulated. This paper uses official data, previous research and media accounts to examine the response of Icelandic authorities to this trend. One of the main questions addressed in the article is whether the criminal policy adopted by Icelandic authorities suggests a movement toward punitive or non-custodial measures. As it turns out, the Icelandic prison system has undergone major changes to meet this penal challenge. A new modern prison has recently been built close to Reykjavik to replace three smaller, older facilities that have beenclosed. This suggests a punitive turn. Yet at the same time, non-custodial sanctions have been increasingly introduced and implemented in lieu of sentences to closed security prisons. These non-custodial sanctions include electronic surveillance, additional community service work and an increased possibility to serve time in open prison units. It is contended here that a combination of practical budget concerns and rehabilitation sentiments lies behind this criminal policy development.AbstractKriminaliteten i Island har skabt voksende bekymringer i det nye artusind. Antallet af strafferetlige afgorelser var stigende indtil 2013, hvor det fladede ud for en tid. Men i 2019 naede antallet nye hojder. Denne tendens har skabt et pres inden for faengselssystemet, der bl.a. viser sig i  ophobning af domfaeldte, der ma vente pa at afsone deres dom. I denne artikel undersoges de islandske myndigheders reaktion pa denne udvikling pa baggrund af officielle data, tidligere forskning og mediernes daekning. Et af de mange sporgsmal, der bliver stillet i denne artikel, gar ud pa hvorvidt den islandske kriminalpolitik gar i retning af mere eller mindre indespaerring. Det islandske faengselssystem har gennemgaet gennemgribende aendringer. Et moderne faengsel er for nylig blevet opfort i umiddelbar naerhed af Reykjavik, hvilket ville antyde en straffende tendens, mens tre mindre og aeldre faengselsinstitutioner er blevet lukket. Samtidigt har myndighederne i stigende grad anvendt ikke-frihedsberovende straffe som alternativ til de lukkede faengsler. Blandt de nye metoder er elektronisk overvagning, mere samfundstjeneste og ogede muligheder for afsoning i abne faengsler. Artiklen vil vise, at savel budget- som resocialiseringshensyn star bag denne udvikling i straffepolitikken. Artiklens danske titel er: Straf i et lille nordisk land: Tilfaeldet Island.