RISK FACTORS FOR JUVENILE DELINQUENCY A QUALITATIVE SURVEY ABOUT SOCIAL WORKERS OPINION ABOUT RISK FACTORS FOR JUVENILE DELINQUENCY

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this study is to identify the risk factors that according to social workers develop a criminal behavior and to gain more knowledge about this and to further contribute and develop current efforts preventing juvenile delinquency. Our focus is to inspect the views of social workers to see if their perception is consistent with previous research. Research shows that efforts become more effective by having knowledge of risk factors for juvenile delinquency (Brå, 2009). It is therefore considered to be of the utmost importance that social workers have good knowledge of risk factors as they help young people who commit criminal acts. The study's empirical material is based on a qualitative study where interviews have been conducted with social secretaries in two different county municipalities. The analysis of the study material includes previous research, Travis Hirschi's theory of control through social ties (1969), Gottfredson and Hirschi's theory of self-control (1990) and gender theory. The results of the study indicate that social workers’ observations of risk factors for juvenile delinquencyare consistent with previous research. It is also possible to see a clear link between the views of the social workers and the two chosen theories that explains why individuals commit crimes (Hirschi, 1969; Hirschi & Gottfredson, 1990).