Residents in marginalized areas tend to show a lower level of confidence in the criminal justice system and carry out police reports and testimonies to the criminal justice system to a lesser extent than residents in other areas. In this scientific essay, a qualitative study is conducted to analyze the disinclination to leave testimonies and report crimes in marginalized areas, along with researching possible ways to improve the residents relationship with the criminal justice system. The theoretical framework for this study consists of Žižeks theory of violence, territorial stigma and social exclusion. The sample group for the study is advocates in non-profit organizations operating in marginalized areas. Using a semi-structured interview method, this study’s empirical findings reveals that a critical view of the criminal justice system, lack of confidence in the criminal justice system, ambivalent feelings about the residential area and mass medias stigmatizing effects are believed to cause a reluctance to cooperate with the criminal justice system in marginalized areas. Furthermore, our findings show that an admittance of the existence of racism within the justice system, increased communication, cultural competence, and safe meeting places are believed to improve the relationship between the residents and the criminal justice system.

Introduction. The aim of this master’s thesis is to examine which factors affect how Swedish public libraries, financed by a grant from the Swedish Arts Council, work to improve their accessibility for people with cognitive disabilities. Method. We have used qualitative methods for our study. The methods are semi-structured interviews with representatives from six public libraries, participant observation of a lecture about cognitive accessibility by Begripsam AB and a review of the libraries’ applications for the grant. The theoretical approaches are Critical Disability Theory, Stigma Theory and Spoon Theory. Results. Our results show that the libraries use a solution-oriented approach to improve their accessibility. They have focused on improving the physical library, for example by making the lighting, sound environment, information, and signage more accessible. All libraries have collaborated with Begripsam. People with cognitive disabilities are a versatile group with different needs, which makes it difficult to follow the Swedish library law to be “accessible to all”. There are several laws and guidelines regarding cognitive accessibility, but they seem to be hard to find and interpret. Conclusion. Our study shows that the grant from the Swedish Arts Council has been necessary to make the libraries more accessible for people with cognitive disabilities. Begripsam has had a great impact on what the libraries have done to improve their cognitive accessibility. There seems to be a need to make the guidelines on accessibility for people with cognitive disabilities more accessible for library staff. The grant is temporary, but the process of making libraries more accessible never ends. The lack of adequate finances is an obstacle for the public libraries’ ability to be accessible for all, and they would benefit from a more permanent solution. This is a two-year master’s thesis in Library and Information Science.

Media are considered to be the public's primary source of information regarding mental illness. Evidence suggests that media representations of people with psychiatric disorders are frequently negative and contribute to their stigmatization. On the other hand, media can play an important role in reducing this stigmatisation by providing adequate information about this topic and engaging in antistigma campaigns. Up to now there was no standardised measurement of the stigma of mental illness in print media using clearly operationalized definitions. The objectives of this project were twofold; to develop a standardised and objective instrument to measure stigma of mental illness in print media; and to conduct an analysis of the current coverage on mental health/illness issues in Czech, Croatian, and Slovak print media. The development of the Picture of Mental Illness in Newspapers (PICMIN) instrument was based on the principles of content analysis, a research technique for making replicable and valid inferences from text to the kontext in their use. The instrument consists of eleven descriptive and five analytical categories. The most interesting findings based on the analysis of media representations of mental illness were; a similarly high level of stigmatizing articles across countries, clearly...

Syftet med examensarbetet är att undersöka arbetsgivares upplevelser av att anställa personermed funktionsvariationer samt vilka framgångsfaktorer som kan identifieras. Fokus ligger vidatt identifiera arbetsgivares drivkrafter till att anställa personer med funktionsvariationer samtvilka styrkor och utmaningar de upplevt i sitt arbete. Resultatet identifierar mångfald,samhällsansvar och bidrag till arbetsklimatet som drivkrafter till att anställa personer medfunktionsvariationer, samt styrkor och utmaningar de upplever. För att förklara resultatettillämpas till stor del tidigare forskning inom området. Stigmatiseringsteori och socialtrelationelltperspektiv på funktionsvariationer utgör studiens teoretiska ramverk. Studien har enkvalitativ forskningsansats där sex semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med respondenterfrån organisationer som aktivt arbetar med att anställa personer med funktionsvariationer. I enresultat- och analysdel jämförs resultatet från intervjuerna med den tidigare forskningen. Ettflertal identifierade faktorer diskuteras i uppsatsens avslutande del. Resultatet belyser vikten avatt se individers möjligheter och utvecklingspotential i stället för att fokusera på debegränsningar en funktionsvariation medför, samt visar positiva effekter dessa medarbetare gerorganisationen. Genom detta kan resultatet av examensarbetet verka som underlag ochinspiration för arbetsgivare vid anställning av personer med funktionsvariationer. Vidare kanexamensarbetet bidra med forskning- och uppsatsförslag för både personalvetarstudenter samtforskare då framgångsfaktorer vid anställning av personer med funktionsvariationer är ettområde som till stor del saknar forskning inom en svensk kontext. / The aim of this study was to examine employers' experiences of employing people withdisabilities and which factors could be identified as successful. Focusing on identifying what ismotivating employers to employ people with disabilities, and the strengths and challenges theyhave experienced in their work. The results identify diversity, social responsibility andcontributions to the work climate as motivating to employ people with disabilities, as well asthe strengths and challenges they experience. To explain the results, an extensive applicationof previous research was applied. Stigmatization and a social-relational perspective ofdisabilities constitute the theoretical framework of the study. The study was conducted by usingqualitative research where six semi-structured interviews were held with respondents fromorganizations who actively employ people with disabilities. The results from the interviewswere compared with the previous research and after analysis, several identified factors werepresented in the discussion and conclusion. Results highlight the importance of paying attentionto individuals' abilities and progress potential instead of focusing on the limitations of adisability. And furthermore, show what positive effects the organization can experience byemployment. Through this, the result of this study can act as inspiration and a foundation foremployers when employing people with disabilities. Furthermore, the study can contribute withinspiration for both students and researchers as success factors in hiring people with disabilitiesare an area that largely lacks research within a Swedish context.

HIV/AIDS is an illness that is more correlated than any other with high rates of stigmatization and discrimination. People diagnosed with this illness have to cope with a new potentially life threatning situation and stigmatized identity. Common social interactions or heath complications become a potential source of confrontation, which can endanger social relations, or damage and spoil the identity of people living with HIV/AIDS. This study jointly analyzes the concept of social and health risks, stigmatization and identity and focuses on the following: 1) The process of coping with the diagnosis and its impact on the identity and everyday life of people living with HIV/AIDS 2) The role of accessible social networks on the coping process with this illness and stigmatization; and 3) The strategies of health and social risk management used in connection with this illness. Awareness and acquisition of information on HIV/AIDS plays an important role in overcomming the initial shock of the diagnosis and coping with the disease. Thanks to the support of social networks, the diagnosed person can reach much easier and faster the so called "rational approach" to the illness and safely awknowledge and accept HIV/AIDS as a part of his or her life. People living with HIV/AIDS also face many risks. In this...

Stigmatization of people with mental illness has negative impact on quality of their life. There are few Czech studies focusing on stigma, but they rather focus only on one element of the problem. Aim of this thesis is to identify level of stigma in the Czech Republic and its socio- demographic predictors. This knowledge will help when choosing target groups for stigma reducing campaign. Thesis focuses on three elements of stigma - problems in knowledge, attitudes and behaviour. Four datasets are used - one from survey conducted within this theses, one from CVVM and two from INRES, which were conducted for NUDZ. Standardised research tools were used to measure knowledge (MAKS scale), attitudes (CAMI scale), behaviour (RIBS scale) and social distance. Predictors were identified using multivariate linear regression analysis. When comparing level of stigma among three elements, behaviour has the highest level and knowledge has the lowest level. Higher level of stigma in knowledge and attitudes is associated with being a male, lower education level and smaller size of residence. Higher level of stigma in behaviour is related to higher age, region and previous contact with person with mental illness. However these relations are rather weak and there are other nonsocio-demographic factors influencing...

BRÅ:s rapport: Relationen till rättsväsendet i socialt utsatta områden som publicerades under 2018 indikerar att det finns ett lågt förtroende för rättsväsendet i de särskilt utsatta områdena. Det låga förtroendet för rättsväsendet tycks även påverka förtroendet för socialarbetare negativt. Studier om hur förtroendet för det sociala arbetet i särskilt utsatta områden faktiskt ser ut är dock få, vilket ökar behovet och vår önskan att utforska detta vidare. Syftet med vår studie har varit att undersöka förtroendet för socialarbetare i det särskilt utsatta området Rosengård i Malmö. Vi har undersökt på vilket sätt förbipasserande i Rosengård ger uttryck för förtroende för socialarbetare samt hur socialarbetare i Rosengård resonerar om medborgarnas förtroende för det sociala arbetet. För att kunna besvara studiens frågeställningar har data samlats in genom två metoder. Insamlingen har skett genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med åtta socialarbetare samt genom 25 Vox Pop-intervjuer med förbipasserande i Rosengård. Materialet som insamlats har sedan färgkodats och analyserats utifrån tidigare forskning och följande teorier: föreställda gemenskaper, social alienation och stigmatisering.Resultaten i studien visar på ett allmänt lågt förtroende gentemot det sociala arbetet och socialarbetare. Både socialarbetare och förbipasserande nämner bemötande, skam, ryktesspridning, utrymme för att mötas, tillgång till tolk och omsättningen av personal som faktorer som konkret påverkar klientens förtroende för det sociala arbetet i negativ riktning. Studiens slutsats är att ett nytt arbetssätt som utvecklats inom socialtjänsten i Rosengård ska bidra till att ge klienterna mer tid och deltagande i handläggningsprocessen, vilket flera av informanterna tror kommer öka förtroendet. / Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention report published 2018: Relation to the judiciary in particularly deprived areas. The rapport indicates that the people of the particularly deprived area of Rosengård has low trust in law and order. The low trust in the judiciary also reflects negative views on social workers. There are a few studies about the trust of social workers in the particularly deprived area of Rosengård, which increases the necessity and our desire to examine this subject further. The purpose of our study has been to examine the trust of social workers in the particularly deprived area of Rosengård in Malmö. We have examined how passing-by in Rosengård give expression of trust for social workers and how social workers in Rosengård reason about citizens trust for the social services.To answer the studies inquiry, data has been collected by two methods. Collection of data have been constructed with semi-structured interviews with eight social workers and 25 Vox Pop interviews with residents of Rosengård. The material that have been collected have then been color coded and analyzed by past science and the following theories: imagined communities, social alienation and stigmatization.In conclusion there are several factors that affect the trust in social services and social workers. Both social workers and bypassing residents mention treatment of shame, rumors, space to meet, access to interpreter and turnover of personnel are factors that affect clients trust for social services in negative direction. The conclusion of this study is through a new development of the working process in the social services in Rosengård shall the clients get more time and participation in the management process. The sources of this study believe those actions will increase the trust in social workers.

The dissertation called 'Framing of Mental Illness in Selected Media Outputs Focused on Destigmatization' explores how the documentary series 'Life Behind the Wall', online documentary series 'You are not alone', an audio documentary series 'My therapy' communicate the theme of mental health. The work aims to find out how selected journalistic projects framed the issue of mental illness. The theoretical part of the work first deals with mental illness, the concept of stigma and the role of the media in its transmission. It also focuses on destigmatization and defining the most important destigmatization approaches. The next part presents the theoretical basis of concepts such as the influence of the media, agenda-setting and framing. The analytical part presents 10 frameworks, which have been identified using the method of grounded theory. The results are summarized in a discussion, where found frameworks and their limits are being evaluated and compared with best practices based on manuals for journalists and professional publications on mental illness.

The purpose of the essay is to examine and analyze the media image and portrayal of Bosnian migrants in a selection of Swedish daily press between the years 1993 and 2022. The used theories are framing theory, semiotics, stigma, and xenophobia. Media has a great impact on society; therefore this becomes an important aspect to examine. If an ethnic group is portrayed positively in the media, it may contribute to society having a positive image of the ethnic group. If there is a negative portrayal of an ethnic group, society can have a negative attitude toward the ethnic group, and xenophobia and stigma can arise. The method used in this study is text analysis. It is a central aspect of the social sciences. Texts affect society by describing and explaining what happens in society and what it looks like so that people will then read it and create opinions and ideas about it. How relations between different groups look in society can depend on how the different groups are presented in texts. It can also affect the groups themselves and how it is presented who belongs to which group. By further analyzing these texts, worldviews and different views of society are created, which in turn lead to influencing how people relate to each other. The result and conclusion of this study are that Bosnian migrants are portrayed mostly positively, but there are also negative representations of the group. The positive representations are about a generally positive portrayal of Bosnians, their arrival, and integration. The group is compared to many other groups of migrants and the discourses are mainly about integration or immigration. Finally, Bosnians are also mostly portrayed as easier to integrate than other groups. This is done through comparisons with groups for whom integration has gone worse.

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur socialsekreterare som arbetar inom missbruk och beroende resonerar kring innehållet i debatten gällande avkriminalisering av narkotika för eget bruk. Val av datainsamling var semistrukturerade intervjuer med sju verksamma socialsekreterare inom missbruk- och beroende området. Empirin har bearbetats genom tematisk analys och analyserats utifrån stigmatiseringsteorin och totalkonsumtionsteorin. Studien visar att det inte finns någon enhetlighet i socialsekreterarnas åsikter och resonemang gällande området och att det likt debatten föreligger en polarisering även här. Resonemangen som fördes av socialsekreterarna i studien gick att koppla till tre olika åsiktsläger. Den prohibitionistiska linjen som förespråkar en fortsatt kriminalisering av narkotika för eget bruk, det restriktiva folkhälsoperspektivet som efterlyste ett mer allomfattande perspektiv kring frågan och den pragmatiska harm reduction linjen som menar på att en avkriminalisering av eget bruk hade varit ett steg i rätt riktning. Studien visar att den huvudsakliga fördelen som socialsekreterarna upplevde med en avkriminalisering av eget bruk hade varit att man minskar stigmatiseringen kring människor som lever med missbruksproblem. Den huvudsakliga nackdelen som identifierades var att tillvägagångssättet hade kunnat leda till en ökad acceptans för narkotika i samhället, vilket hade lett till att fler människor använder narkotika och att man hade fått fler narkotikarelaterade problem. Studien visade även att socialsekreterarnas åsikter kring området påverkats av det praktiska mötet med målgruppen och att detta bidragit till antingen en mer restriktiv eller mer liberal hållning i frågan. / The purpose of this study was to investigate how social workers in the field of substance abuse and addiction reason about the content of the debate regarding the decriminalization of drugs for personal use. The choice of data collection was semi-structured interviews with seven active social workers in the field of substance abuse and addiction. The empiric has been processed through thematic analysis and analyzed on the basis of the stigma theory and the total consumption theory. The study shows that there is no uniformity in the social workers' opinions and reasoning regarding the area and that, like the debate, there is a polarization here as well. The reasoning given by the social workers in the study could be linked to three different opinion camps. The prohibitionist line advocating the continued criminalization of drugs for personal use, the restrictive public health perspective calling for a more comprehensive perspective on the issue, and the pragmatic harm reduction line arguing that decriminalization of drugs for personal use would have been a step in the right direction. The study shows that the main advantage that the social workers experienced with decriminalization of drugs for personal use had been to reduce the stigma surrounding people living with substance abuse problems. The main disadvantage identified was that the approach could have led to increased acceptance of drugs in society, which would have led to more people using drugs and to more drug-related problems. The study also showed that the social workers' views on the area were influenced by the practical meeting with the target group and that this contributed to either a more restrictive or more liberal attitude on the issue.