Ungdomsövervakning. En kvalitativ jämförelse av lagstiftarens syfte och frivårdens tillämpning.

Sammanfattning: Due to the widespread juvenile delinquency in Sweden, attention has been brought to the need for more intrusive penalties for young offenders. Therefore, the penalty of youth probation (Sw. ungdomsövervakning) was legislated in 2021, which aims to counteract recidivism and contribute to a favorable development of young offenders. Previous literature reveals that there is no agreement in the effectiveness of youth probation as a penalty and whether it is a suitable penalty for young offenders. Hence, more research is needed. The purpose of this study is to examine if the probation service’s enforcement of youth probation is effective, measured on the basis of the legislator’s purpose of youth probation. This will be assessed by applying the theoretical concepts of functions by Merton (1968) and Mathiesen (2005). A qualitative approach in terms of two group interviews and three individual interviews was applied. The study was made on probations officers’ perspectives, and therefore the participants were seven Swedish probation officers working with youth surveillance. The empirical findings and analysis toward previous literature and theoretical framework revealed that most functions are favorable for the system, which implies that youth probation in practice is an overall effective penalty. However, two dysfunctions were also detected, which means that they counteract the effective enforcement of youth probation. Hence, the legislator should address these dysfunctions in order to ensure that the enforcement of youth probation is as effective as possible.