“THERE ARE WORSE THINGS THAN PRISON” : A QUALITATIEVE STUDY OF SPECIFIC DETERRENCE AND INCREASED PUNISHMENTS

Sammanfattning: This thesis primary aim is to examine specific deterrence; the fear of punishment experienced by individuals who have committed crimes and subsequently received a punishment. Specific deterrence is assumed to deter criminals from reoffending. The secondary aim of this thesis is to examine the perceptions of increased punishments as a measure to prevent crime, as deterrence theory predicts that increased punishment correlates to decreased criminality. The Swedish government has continually proposed and implemented increased punishments. As such, the validity of specific deterrence and the effectiveness of increased punishments requires examination in a Swedish context. Perceptions and experiences of specific deterrence, and perceptions of the deterring effect of increased punishments, was examined in 12 semi-structured interviews with people who have committed a crime and received subsequent punishment. The material was analysed using thematic analysis, and the results found that the participants did not experience deterrence, as drug addiction, fear of consequences from other criminals, and perceptions of apprehension and severity of punishment inhibited, or eliminated, specific deterrence. Increased punishments were not thought to have affected past criminal actions, but opinions on increased punishments to combat current criminality were both positive and negative. By applying General Strain theory, the study found that the presence of a stronger experience of strain eliminated or diminished specific deterrence.