In 2018, the reform “All actions have consequences” and the appertaining legislative, Juvenile Delinquency Act was passed in Denmark. The reform seeks to change the procedures when working with minors who commit crime, by combining a significant and prompt consequence with support from social services to end criminal behavior amongst minors. As part of the reform, the Juvenile Delinquency Board (JDB) was established. This mixed-methods study explores the professional’s experiences with the JDB, especially regarding how the implementation of the JDB has changed the procedure of working with minors with delinquent behavior. This study also examines to what extend the minor re-offend after having a case processed in the JDB. Five qualitative interviews with professionals occupying different roles within the JDB were conducted. Additionally, data regarding re-hearings from the JDB’s secretariat was obtained, which provided the study’s quantitative data. The findings revealed that the work within the JDB is faced with several challenges which counteract the intention of the reform. Challenges like the insufficient protection of the child’s rights and the inability of handling minors with psychiatric diagnoses were found. The perception of the JDB was found to play a major role in how the JDB’s decision impacts the minor, as the similarities between the JDB and a juvenile court, might cause the minor to perceive the JDB’s decision as a sentence. This increases the risk of labeling the minor as a criminal which, in turn, may result in re-offending. The data regarding re-hearings revealed that over one-third of the re-hearings were related to new crimes, which indicates that the JDB’s decisions might not be as effective as intended.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:mau-43434 |
| Date | January 2021 |
| Creators | Olsen, Anne Sofie Holm |
| Publisher | Malmö högskola, Fakulteten för hälsa och samhälle (HS), Malmö universitet, Institutionen för kriminologi (KR) |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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