Saving the young; Social workers' Perception of Juvenile Crime Prevention in Sweden

Abstract

This study sought to explore the juvenile crime prevention in Sweden which for the purpose of this report is seen as efforts towards preventing youth criminality and all forms of anti social behaviour by young people. In the study, interviews with six social workers working directly or indirectly with young offenders were conducted. The interview results were analyzed and subjected to transnational comparison with the practice in Kenya. The report explores existing literature on situational crime prevention, restorative justice, the link between drugs and crime, attachment to parents, peers and involvement in convectional activities, gender differences in criminality, partnerships in crime prevention and the juvenile justice system. It uses control, strain, feminist and social disorganization theories to explain the causes of delinquency, analyzes the perceptions of social workers and discusses what works in juvenile crime prevention. The report identifies the causes of delinquency in Kenya and in Sweden as well as the prevention programs that social workers perceive as effective in addressing youth crime. The key finding of this report is that social workers feel that a lot can be done to improve the juvenile justice system in Sweden. They feel that the system is not working properly and they identify societal strain, conflicting laws, lack of proper integration for immigrant youths and drug abuse as among obstacles to juvenile justice.