THE TOTAL NUMBER OF CRIMES REPORTED TO THE POLICE WAS ROUGHLY THE SAME AS THE 1977 TOTAL. SOME OFFENSE CATEGORIES, SUCH AS PROPERTY AND ROBBERY OFFENSES, DECREASED. A TOTAL OF 113 CASES OF COMPLETED HOMICIDE WERE REPORTED AS COMPARED WITH 112 IN 1977. THE RATE OF VIOLENT OFFENSES IN FINLAND IS SIMILAR TO THAT OF SWENDEN, BUT THE HOMICIDE RATE IS CONSIDERABLY ABOVE THAT OF THE OTHER SCANDINAVIAN COUNTRIES. THE DECREASE IN PROPERTY OFFENSES WAS LARGEST FOR AGGRAVATED THEFT WHICH DECREASED BY 13 PERCENT. TRAFFIC OFFENSES, INCLUDING DRUNKEN DRIVING AND SUCH TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS AS SPEEDING, CARELESS DRIVING, OR DRIVING WITHOUT A LICENSE, CONSTITUTED THE LARGEST OFFENSE GROUP. THE PROPORTION OF CLEARED OFFENSES COMMITTED BY YOUNG OFFENDERS, BOTH THOSE UNDER 15 AND THOSE BETWEEN 15 AND 20, DECREASED. THE RATE OF CLEARANCE OF OFFENSES HAS REMAINED FAIRLY STABLE. A TOTAL OF 311,434 PERSONS HAD CRIMINAL CHARGES BROUGHT AGAINST THEM IN COURT FOR 1977, THE MOST RECENT YEAR FOR WHICH COURT STATISTICS WERE AVAILABLE. OF THOSE SENTENCED TO IMPRISONMENT, 36 PERCENT WERE SENTENCED FOR DRUNKEN DRIVING, 21 PERCENT FOR THEFT, 9 PERCENT FOR THEFT OR UNAUTHORIZED USE OF A MOTOR VEHICLE, AND 6 PERCENT FOR AGGRAVATED THEFT. MEDIAN LENGTH OF ALL IMPRISONMENT SENTENCES PASSED N 1977 WAS 4.3 MONTHS. THE IMPRISONMENT RATE IN FINLAND IS CONSIDERABLY HIGHER THAN IN THE OTHER SCANDINAVIAN COUNTRIES. AT THE END OF THE YEAR, A TOTAL F 4,707 PRISONERS WERE SERVING A SENTENCE, 653 PERSONS WERE BEING HELD IN PRETRIAL DETENTION, AND 13 WERE BEING HELD FOR INVESTIGATION OF VAGRANCY.