Att prata om en ungdomsbrottsling. En kvalitativ intervjustudie med fokus på hur skolkuratorer resonerar om ungdomsbrottslighet

Sammanfattning: The Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention has in its safety survey from 2023 determined that 53% of Sweden's population are concerned about the criminal activity occurring in the society. Furthermore, studies also found that half of the students in grade 9 participated in at least one criminal activity within the last 12 months. Therefore, this study aimed to get a better understanding of how school counselors construct various concepts related to juveniles who become victims of, commit, or have a higher risk of committing a crime. Also, how school counselors perceive this in the context of practical professional practice. The method chosen for this study was qualitative interviews with eight different professional school counselors, from four different municipalities in the region of Skåne. In analysing the results, the school counselors' statements are perceived through a social constructionism perspective, with special emphasis on Micheal Foucault's theories. This study found that school counselors used different strategies to define the notion of juvenile delinquency. This study also found that in constructing the framework of their professional role as a school counselor where we found that they have room for interpretation. Finally, this study found that school counselors describe the school as an institution that acts as both a risk and protection factor among adolescents. Furthermore, school counselors also used socioeconomic factors as an explanation for why youth begin to engage in criminal activities.