Search

In this article we examine whether different agents of socialization—family, school, and peers—are differentially associated with offending among different immigrant groups. Our expectation is to find that the association between delinquent friends and offending is stronger for first- and second-generation immigrants than for youths of native Swedish background. We use data from four nationally representative self-report studies of 21,504 adolescents with an average age of 15 years in Sweden. The results show that both first- and second-generation immigrants report committing more offenses than natives. The association is rather weak and the two predictors account for only a marginal amount of the variance in total offending. The results also show that the association between delinquent friends and offending is stronger for both first- and second-generation immigrants than for natives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1999, Sweden introduced a new Act focused on young persons aged 15-17 who commit serious offences. The object of the Act was to replace prison sentences with a new sanction in the form of youth custody, which would involve a placement in a special approved home. This study constitutes a follow-up comparison of criminal recidivism among young males sentenced to prison prior to the introduction of the Youth Custody Act (1991-1998) and young males sentenced to youth custody following the introduction of the Act (1999-2003). The study shows that the sanction has not only been used as a replacement for prison sentences, but has also led to an expansion in custodial sentencing in the form of 'net-widening'. There has also been a substantial increase in the length of custodial sentences awarded in connection with the new sanction. A comparison with the youth sanction in Denmark raises questions about the consequences of having expanded the group of youths sentenced to a custodial sanction in Sweden, and of the increased length of the custodial sentences to which this group is subjected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The principal objectives of this study are to describe trends over time in self-reported participation in crime or other problem behaviours and in victimization among youths in Sweden. Amongst other things, the article addresses the question of whether the small group that might be labelled high-frequency offenders has become more active over time. Another question examined is that of whether there are differences in the proportions reporting participation in crime and exposure to crime across youths from different backgrounds. These questions are examined on the basis of data collected in six nationally representative questionnaire surveys of youths in their final year of compulsory education (during the years 1995-2005), with sample sizes of between 5,300 and 8,200 respondents. Generally speaking, the proportion reporting that they have committed an offence of some kind has not increased since 1995. Instead the prevalence of several types of crime has decreased over time. No indication has been found that those youths who do commit offences have become more active over time. The reduction in the prevalence of involvement in crime remains when the focus is directed at differences between different socio-demographic groups. The proportions exposed to theft, threats, and serious violence have remained relatively constant over the period examined. The central impression produced by the findings about youth victimization is that of consistent and in some instances rather striking differences in the risk for victimization among youths from different social backgrounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study employs network analysis in order to study patterns of co-offending among youths suspected of violent offences in Stockholm. The study's objective is to examine the ethnic structure of relations among persons suspected of committing violent offences together. The Swedish media have presented information suggesting that violent conflicts between Swedish youths and youths with an immigrant background, based on ethnic conflicts between these groups, are common. The study also discusses the relevance of this image. The study's findings show that violent offences committed by youths in Stockholm are of an ethnically heterogeneous character. At the same time there is a tendency for marginalized and segregated ethnic groups to join together to some extent. The findings may be interpreted as indicating that youth violence in Stockholm today is characterized by ethnic diversity, but that increased ethnic segregation may lead to an increase in the level of ethnically related violent crime. Apparently there is a perception that ethnic conflicts do occur, which persists despite the fact that such conflicts are not common. It is of concern that the occurrence of such perceptions, not least in the Swedish media, may lead to an increase in the level of conflicts of this kind. 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]