The original publication is available at http://www.samj.org.za / The March 2011 Anti-Substance Abuse Summit in Durban continued the outdated approach to policy around illicit drugs in South Africa. It missed opportunities for discussing how to impact significantly on the health and social harms associated with problematic drug use and reduce the burden of drug-related cases in the criminal justice system. The government needs to move away from the political rhetoric of a ‘drug-free society’ and start the real work of formulating and implementing an evidence-based drug policy that learns from the experiences of other countries around decriminalising drug use; takes into account differences in the harms resulting from different classes of drugs; adopts a rights-based, public health approach to policy; and identifies a single (accountable) agency that has the authority to oversee policy implementation. In addition, consensus is needed on the short-, medium- and long-term priorities for drug policy implementation. The 17 evidence-based drug policy strategies identified by Babor et al. may serve as a useful starting point for policy development.

Syftet med studien är att studera subjektiva upplevelser av vilka faktorer som varit bidragande till ett upphörande med brottsligt beteende, samt de faktorer som enligt egna upplevelser leder till ett upprätthållande av en mer konventionell livsstil. För att studera detta har en kvalitativ metod tillämpats och semistrukturerade intervjuer med fyra före detta kriminella individer genomförts. Studiens resultat visade att kärleksrelationer och föräldraskap, att sluta med alkohol- och narkotika missbruk, bryta upp från tidigare omgivning samt egen vilja är faktorer som i samspel med varandra påverkat de intervjuade att upphöra med brottsligt beteende. Rutiner, nytt socialt nätverk och stöd är faktorer som enligt intervjupersonerna möjliggjort ett upprätthållande av en mer konventionell livsstil. Studiens viktigaste slutsats är att samspel mellan yttre och inre faktorer även kallade vändpunkter, är av största vikt för att en upphörandeprocess skall vara framgångsrik. / ”It´s never too late.” - Four stories about the path out of crime. The purpose of this paper was to study the subjective experiences of factors that have contributed to desistance from criminal behavior, and the factors which, according to the interviewees own experiences lead to the maintenance of a more conventional lifestyle. The study was performed using qualitative semi-structured interviews with four ex-offenders. The results have shown that factors, such as love relationships and parenting, as well as desistance from alcohol and drug abuse and changing their environment are factors that in interaction with each other have affected the interviewed individuals desistance from criminal behavior. Routines, new social network and support are factors which, according to the interviewees made it possible to maintain a more conventional lifestyle. The study's main conclusion is that the interaction between external and internal factors so called ”turning points”, is crucial to a desistance process to be successful.

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

published_or_final_version / abstract / SPACE / Master / Master of Arts

Föreliggande studie har genom kvalitativ forskning med utgång i systemteorin syftat till att kartlägga den enskilda missbrukarens väg till missbruksbehandling. Tre semistrukturerade intervjuer har genomförts och sedermera analyserats. Missbrukare utgör en särskild kategori i socialtjänstlagen. Därtill står det att finna i lagrum 3 kap 1 § (SFS 2001:453) att socialtjänsten genom uppsökande verksamhet ska göra sig väl förtrogen med levnadsförhållandena i kommunen. Därtill även informera om socialtjänsten i kommunen och genom uppsökande verksamhet och på annat sätt främja förutsättningarna för goda levnadsförhållanden. Resultat har påvisat att det i första hand är missbrukarens anhöriga som stöttar dem till kontaktsökande vad gällande behandling. Studien har därtill även påvisat att missbrukaren i första hand inte vänt sig till socialtjänsten utan sökt sig till andra instanser. Respondenterna i studien har samtliga haft enskilda agendor vad gällande uppnådd drogfrihet. Vad som dock förefallit signifikant bland deltagarna har varit en strävan om bättre relationer med sin familj. Ytterligare en av studiens slutsatser är att socialtjänsten bör utöka sin informationsspridning till kommuninvånare om att missbruksbehandling finns att tillgå och hur hjälpen är utformad. / The present study has the qualitative research with the output of systems theory aimed to identify the individual abuser path to addiction treatment. Three semi-structured interviews have been conducted and subsequently analyzed. Addicts constitute a special category in the Social Services Act. In addition, it is to be found in the section of the law Chapter 3, 1 § (SFS 2001: 453) that the social outreach should make themselves familiar with the living conditions in the municipality. In addition, also provide information on social services in the municipality and through outreach activities and other means to promote conditions for good living conditions. Results have demonstrated that it is primarily the abuser's family members who support them to contact applicants as current treatment. The study has also revealed that although the addict in the first place not turned to social services, but turned to other instances. Respondents in the study all had individual agendas as applicable achieved abstinence. What, however, seemed significant among the participants has been a quest for better relationships with their family. Another of the study's conclusions is that social services should expand its dissemination of information to local residents about drug treatment are available and how the aid is designed.

The purpose of this study is four-fold: (1) to test delinquency theories in social settings that vary by their degree of religiousness; (2) to determine whether delinquency causal processes vary according to the nature of religious ecology; (3) to assess whether variation exists in the rates and types of adolescent offenses committed in these settings; and (4) whether these offenses are a response to unique influences in each context. Religious ecology is measured by tapping a dimension of school religious characteristics, including a school's level of religiousness and a school's religious group composition. Adolescent boys who are exposed to the confines of schools that are predominantly irreligious or disproportionately low in orthodoxy are significantly more likely to engage in delinquency than boys from more moral or highly orthodox schools. Experiences in fundamentalist reference groups also protects youngsters against engaging in substance use episodes, including harmful drugs such as cocaine. These patterns are independent of demographic characteristics such as race, gender, socioeconomic status, family size and community size. To account for religious ecological differences in problem behavior, strain and control theories of delinquency are tested. These testing procedures reveal little support for processes advocated by strain theorists. Not only is structural and interactionist induced strain not correlated with delinquency and substance use, but discrepancies between cultural expectations and perceived realization of these goals do not lead to psychosocial frustration and tension, as implied in many strain models. Control models more aptly account for delinquency and substance use variation in various religious climates, but the strength of religious, school, and family effects varies with the type of offense and the measure of religious ecology. If we measure religious ecology by the nature of denominational composition, religiosity has a uniform effect on delinquency. However, religiosity's effect in settings that vary by religious level is to more strongly inhibit chronic offending in secular disorganized communities. Involvement in delinquency and substance use is probabilistically less likely in moral and highly orthodox settings because religion's social expression is stronger, the broken home phenomenon is weaker and potentially harmful school behaviors and attitudes are unrelated to delinquency in these settings.

No description available.