Du väljer själv- En kvalitativ studie av Nya Vägvalet Rosengård

Sammanfattning: Youth crime is a subject widely discussed in media as well as in the academic field of criminology. One of the topics within the research field of youth crime discusses how to effectively help young people leave a criminal lifestyle behind. It is within this topic that the focus of this essay lies. This qualitative study examines a community based program in the Swedish city of Malmö called Nya Vägvalet (The New Choice of Path, own translation), which works with juvenile delinquents and the issues that surround the youths lifestyle. The aim of the essay is to explore the foundations and methodology of the program, how the methods of the program are put into practice and how these methods compare to what current research findings claim to be effective factors in successful interventions. The empirical data is based on interviews with the two counselors who work with the youth and two young men who have undergone the program. The empirical data also consists of current and historical research findings and literature on the subject. The general conclusion is that the methodology used is in tune with what current research appears to define as successful intervention factors. There are, however, some aspects of the methods used that may not correspond with research findings. These aspects primarily have to do with the implementation of manual-based programs that are used. In summary the work that is carried out at “Nya vägvalet” is, with few exceptions, greatly supported by both theoretical and practical findings in the literature reviewed as well as, and maybe most importantly, by the two young men who were interviewed.