Criminal justice

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In focus

In 2020 the number of juvenile convictions amounts to 20'611 cases according to the statistics on criminal convictions and enforcement of juvenile sanctions. Adult convictions fell by 11% to reach just over 95’000 convictions in 2020.

Conditional financial penalties continued to be the most common sentence (70%) in 2020. A total of 1 841 expulsions were issued in 2020. An expulsion was pronounced for 61% of convictions due to offences for which the legislator provides for compulsory expulsion.

At a glance

Adults

Key figures for adult criminal justice, 2020
	Convictions	Convicted persons
Total¹	95 330	86 771
By sex
male	*	71 311
female	*	15 460
By act
by SCC	34 075	30 600
by RTA	49 311	47 296
by NarcA (drug dealing)	4 777	4 594
by FNIA	13 930	12 080
Main sanction²
Custodial sentence	13 569	*
of which suspended	5 588	*
Monetary penalty	81 516	*
of which suspended	66 227	*
Fine	106	*
Single measure	69	*

Source: Criminal conviction statistics (SUS), state of the Register of Criminal Conduct: 07.04.2021

Juveniles

Key figures for juvenile, 2020
	Convictions	Convicted persons	Persons in external placement
Total	20 611	17 415	1 060
By sex
male	*	13 524	959
female	*	3 891	101
By act
by SCC	7 944	7 314	*
by RTA	3 483	3 669	*
by NarcA	4 513	4 091	*
Main sanction³
Custodial sentence	949	*	*
of which suspended	635	*	*
Personal work	6 487	*	*
of which suspended	1 321	*	*
Fine	5 692	*	*
Caution	6 898	*	*
Single measure	20	*	*
Exemption from punishment	565	*	*

Source: Juvenile detention statistics on preventive measures and sentencing (JUSAS), state of the database: 14.06.2021

¹ For adults only felonies and misdemeanours are included, because contraventions are only recorded in the register of convictions as an exception.
² One main sanction is established per verdict and this is the only one shown in the table. For this reason sanctions are ranked according to their severity and only the most severe sanction is shown. A custodial sentence is considered to be the most severe sanction for minors, followed by personal performance, fines, cautions and lastly exemption from punishment. For adults, custodial sentence is considered to be the most severe sanction, followed by financial penalties, community service, fines and measures.
³ For juvenile convictions felonies, misdemeanours and contraventions are taken into account.

SCC: Swiss Criminal Code
RTA: Road Traffic Act
NarcA: Narcotics Act
FNIA: Foreign Nationals and Integration Act

The statistics of criminal convictions of minors and the conviction statistics (adults) allow analyses to be made by conviction and by convicted persons. In addition to providing details on convicted persons, information is available on the offences and on the pronounced sanctions.

The statistics of criminal convictions of minors (JUSAS) and enforcement of juvenile sanctions record for 2020 all juvenile sentences that have been pronounced on the basis of criminal offences under the Criminal Code or other federal laws with criminal provisions for a violation of any federal law containing criminal provisions. In addition, in the JUSAS, all stays in an institution or in a penal facility are recorded statistically if they were ordered under the juvenile criminal law.
These include pre-trial detention, precautionary protective measures (institutional observation, open or closed placement), protective measures stated in the judgment (open or closed placement) and imprisonment. In the course of the criminal investigation and the completion of sanctions, a placed person can have the type of placement changed. The evaluations cover one year and identify each person once for each type of placement. Figures from the juvenile conviction statistics (JUSUS) are available for the years 1999-2019 and are limited to the juvenile sentences according to the most important laws.

The conviction statistics (SUS) shows all convictions of adults recorded in the register of convictions which were pronounced on the basis of a felony or misdemeanour. Contraventions are not taken into account as these are only rarely entered in the register of convictions. The conviction statistics has existed in its present form since 1984.

Principal results 2021

Minors: more offences under the Swiss Criminal Code, fewer under the Narcotics Act in 2020
A total of 20 611 convictions of minors were passed in 2020. Compared with the previous year, convictions of minors for offences under the Swiss Criminal Code (SCC) rose by 10%. Violent offences increased by 23%. In contrast, convictions for the consumption of drugs fell by 18%. The most frequent sanctions were cautions, personal work orders and fines. 553 procedures were closed through mediation, settlement or compensation. In 2020, 1060 young people were placed in foster care.

Validity of statistics

Criminality indicators
The figures in the conviction statistics for minors and adults only partially convey criminality. Many offences are not reported to the police, not all offences are solved or end in a conviction.
Furthermore, with regard to the conviction statistics, not all sentences are recorded in the register of convictions. If a verdict is the result of a serious offence (felony or misdemeanour), it is, on principle, recorded in the register of convictions and therefore included in the conviction
statistics. If, however, a conviction is made solely on the basis of a contravention, then this is only rarely recorded in the register of convictions.
The conviction statistics do not, therefore, cover all convictions but only those due to the perpetration of a felony or misdemeanour. Under which conditions a verdict regarding a contravention is recorded, is legally determined in Art. 3 of the ordinance of 29 September 2006 on the register of convictions (VOSTRA ordinance).

Evaluation of the development of criminality
The VOSTRA ordinance was revised in 1992 and 2007. On each occasion, the changes had an impact on the number of convictions recorded in the register of convictions. For this reason, it is difficult to evaluate the trend in adult convictions from 1984 to 2015. It was therefore decided - in particular with regard to time series - to only take into account the verdicts made due to the perpetration of a felony and/or misdemeanour.
Despite the restriction to only these convictions, the evaluation of the development of criminality over time is only possible to a limited extent with the data from the conviction statistics. Victims' reporting behaviour can change over time, therefore influencing conviction numbers. Furthermore, the intensity of police controls may rise or fall depending on the priorities set. In particular in the area of road traffic and drug offences, such factors can effect the number of crimes reported and
thus influence convictions. The impact of revisions of laws and new forms of criminality should not be ignored either.

Completeness of data
Convictions are only recorded in the register of convictions once they are final. This can - in particular with serious offences - take some time due to appeals that may be made. For these reasons it takes several years until all convictions occurring in a given year are recorded in the register of convictions and appear in the statistics. The juvenile conviction statistics also contains only final verdicts.
This should be taken into account when interpreting data from the most recent survey years, in particular with regard to serious offence.

Further information

Selection: Tables on total of convicted persons

Selection: Tables relative to the main laws

Selection: Tables relative to the sanctions

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Statistical sources and concepts

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