Ungdomsvåld: upptäckten av ett samhällsproblem

Ungdomsbrottslighet i svensk dagspress 1950-1994

Abstract

Youth violence: the discovery of a social problem. Youth crime in Swedish editorials 1950-1994

This article offers an analysis of how juvenile delinquency has been treated in editorials in Swedish newspapers between 1950-1994. It shows that the focus has shifted from property offences to violence. The shift is discussed from two perspectives; the objectivist and the constructionist. It is argued that the diminishing interest of the press in juvenile property offences since the beginning of the 1970’s corresponds to the pattern of recorded crime trends. From 1986 onwards, however, youth violence became a major topic in Sweden. Yet this cannot easily be explained by the objectivist approach alone. The constructionist approach seems to be a useful complement. The paper ends with a suggestion that a re-evualation of some parts of the crime statistics is needed. The emergence of youth violence as a social problem after 1986 has probably led to a higher propensity to report such acts. Therefore, statistics that are not dependent upon public reporting should be used when analysing the development of youth violence in Sweden.