Crime is defined an act which is forbidden by the National Crimes Act and for which are specified specific penalties.
In Sweden approximately 70,000 persons per year are sentenced by the courts for crimes defined by the National Crimes Act.
Every year approximately 15,000 persons are sentenced to prison and 8,000 to probation. The Prison population in Sweden averages approximately 4,000 for every day of the year.
The Swedish Prison and Probation Service is directly responsible for the administration of 54 penal institutions of different security classes, 26 remand centers and 35 probation and parole centers. The Service is administratively organised into 38 local authorities and 6 regional authorities.
The Service is responsible for the care of persons incarcerated in prison or being detained in remand centers and for the support and supervision of persons sentenced to probation, community treatment orders, community work orders, home detention and persons released from prison on early release programs. As well as supervision the Prison and Probation Service is responsible for assisting offenders to live a life without crime through a variety of support programmes and regular contact with a case officer (probation and parole officer). The Probation and Parole Service is also rresponsible for making recommendations to the courts regarding appropriate sentencing.
Of primary importance for the Service is the war against drug and alchohol abuse. Approximately 2 out of every 3 persons incarcerated in Swedish Prisons suffer of some form of drug abuse and 1 out of every 2 persons in Swedish Prisons are sentenced for alchohol related offences.
The Prison and Probation Service employs approximately 6,000 persons and has an annual budget of around 3 billion Swedish crowns (approx $USD 400 million).
