Results of studies on the social background of 71 male, non-psychotic defendents charged with homicide in Copenhagen between 1959 and 1983 are presented and compared with the corresponding data for male prison inmates as a whole and with the general male population. Available data point to resemblances between homicide defendants and prison inmates-from a temporally static viewpoint as well as when time trends are considered. Comparisons with the general population indicate a widening of the social gap between the majority of the population and a growing group of criminal marginals.
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