Scandinavia, usually perceived as a peaceful area, has a long and well-documented history of criminal violence. With unusually precise demographic bookkeeping, the path of Finnish violence is traced here from the sixteenth century to the present day. Similarly, the striking stability of the Swedish homicide rate over the past 200 years is discussed and analyzed. Other topics included in this rare volume include the relationship between alcohol and violence; interpretation of victimization surveys; and the philosophical issues facing convicted murderers.