More sentences served

The statistics on prison population per 1 January indicate who is imprisoned at any given time. Of the 4 056 inmates at the beginning of 2015, 65 per cent were serving a prison sentence in an institution. Furthermore, 9 per cent were serving a different kind of sentence; either by electronic monitoring (5.5 per cent), preventive detention (2 per cent) or sentences for the non-payment of a fine (1.5 per cent). The remaining 26 per cent of those imprisoned were held in custody. As per 1 January 2015, 95 per cent of all inmates were men – a share which has remained stable in recent years.

The majority imprisoned for violence, drugs and alcohol

Statistics Norway’s new standard for offences 2015 contains a new classification of crime in Norway. As the imprisonment statistics now contain breakdowns by this new classification, all of Statistics Norway’s crime statistics have transitioned to the new standard, as detailed in the text box below. The statistics now presented for the period 2002-2015 contain far more detailed information on offences related to imprisonments in Norway.

According to the new classification on group of principal offence, 1 167 inmates were imprisoned for violence and maltreatment at the beginning of 2015. Furthermore, 1 160 were imprisoned for a drug and alcohol offence as the principal offence. Altogether, these made up a share of 57 per cent. For the principal offence, property theft and sexual offences made up 13 and 12 per cent of the prison population per 1 January respectively, as shown in the breakdown on types of imprisonment in figure 1. However, the figure also shows that the different types of imprisonment are applied to varying degrees for the different types of offences.

Maltreatment now made visible in the statistics

Following the implementation of the new classification of offences, the statistics on imprisonments now contain a significantly expanded level of detail for types of principal offence.

Maltreatment in close relations is an example of a type of offence that has not previously featured in Statistics Norway’s statistics on imprisonments. At the beginning of 2015, 150 people were serving a sentence for maltreatment in close relations as the principal offence. Among these, 139 were men and 11 were women, and two thirds were aged 30-49. Furthermore, more than three quarters of these were serving a prison sentence in a prison institution, while about one out of four were held in custody. In the new statistics, figures for this type of offence are republished dating back to 2006, which is the year the legislation on maltreatment in family relations came into effect.

Many new imprisonments for less serious offences

The offences of those who make up the prison population at the beginning of the year differs quite significantly from those imprisoned during the full year, as the groups of offence show in figure 2. This is partly due to shorter sentences and less serious offences making up bigger shares of all new imprisonments.

These differences are partly due to shorter sentences and less serious offences making up bigger shares of all new imprisonments. Among the 4 098 new imprisonments with a drug and alcohol principal offence, 43 per cent were imprisoned for driving under the influence, while narcotic offences made up 56 per cent. The corresponding figures for the prison population of 1 January were 7 and 92 per cent respectively.

More imprisonments of people aged over 30

Of all inmates with a known age, 68 per cent were aged 30 or over. The corresponding proportion of inmates aged under and over 30 was relatively stable between 2006 and 2012, but from 2013 and onwards, there has been an increase in the share of inmates over age 30.

A corresponding trend is also seen among new imprisonments and discharges, with an increasing share of inmates aged 30 and over. For example, in 2015 there were 579 fewer new imprisonments of those under age 25 than in 2012 – a decline of as much as 22 per cent. During the same period, the number of new imprisonments of persons aged 30 and over has increased, and the 7 160 new imprisonments in this age group were up 688 from 2014. For new imprisonments, these combined developments have contributed to an increase in the share of persons aged 30 and over: from 57 per cent in 2012 to 64 per cent in 2015.

Young and old imprisoned for different types of violence

The breakdowns by underlying groups and types of offence show a significant variation for the different age groups. For example, 45 per cent of the 2 693 new imprisonments for violence and maltreatment during 2015 were of persons aged 30 or under. Furthermore, this age group made up as much as 70 per cent of all new imprisonments for robbery as the principal offence, while the corresponding shares for murder and maltreatment in close relations were 29 and 13 per cent respectively.

Continued increase in use of electronic monitoring

Sentence by electronic monitoring (EM) is mainly used for complete shorter sentences, or as part of longer sentences. Of all those serving a sentence by electronic monitoring, 92 per cent had a sentence of less than three months.

The use of electronic monitoring has had a significant increase in recent years, as illustrated in figure 3. For example, there were 2 967 discharges from electronic monitoring in 2015. This was 488 more than the year before – an increase of 20 per cent – and the increase was evident in all age groups and nearly all offence groups. Altogether, just over one-third of all finished prison sentences in 2015 were fully or partially carried out through electronic monitoring.

Also more time served in institutions

Parallel to the big increase in electronic monitoring in recent years, there has been a decline in the number of sentences served in prison institutions. However, in 2015, the number serving a sentence in prison institutions has increased. In 2015, the 981 000 prison days served in prison institutions were up 39 000 from the year before.

Thus, the total volume of sentences served has seen an increase, as reflected in the 2015 increase of 390 commenced prison sentences compared to the year before.