BACKGROUND AND AIM: Domestic violence is a prevalent public health issue. While clinical guidelines and care programs for its identification and handling have been formulated in all administrative regions of Sweden, their degree of implementation is largely unknown. This study aims to assess the implementation of one administrative region's care program, including how it is seen to align with and function in clinical practice, and any perceived barriers to or facilitators of its use.

METHODS: A survey was distributed to first-line managers for healthcare units with patient contact in the region (n = 807). The responses were analysed using descriptive statistics. Open responses were analysed thematically. Group interviews (n = 5) were held with caregivers (n = 15) working primarily with young patients and analysed thematically.

RESULTS: 73% of the survey respondents reported previous awareness of the care program, and 27% reported knowledge of its content. The extent to which their staff knew about and followed the care program was assessed to be relatively low. The survey response rate was 19%. Among interview participants, knowledge of the care program was generally quite low. Survey responses and interview discussions pointed to the importance of developing routines, of collegial and managerial support and of training on domestic violence and the care program.

CONCLUSION: This study indicates that the knowledge and use of the regional care program is limited among healthcare staff, including among those working with young patients. This underscores the importance of information and training for furthering the implementation of clinical guidelines on domestic violence.

While unsupervised and unstructured socialising with peers is associated with delinquency, less is known about to what extent it fits within adolescents’ daily routine activities; that is, their general, structural time use. Furthermore, research informed by the situational action theory shows that unstructured socialising increases the probability of rule-breaking acts more for individuals with higher crime propensity. Hence, structural time use might explain patterns of unstructured socialising, and crime propensity might explain why some are at an increased risk of committing rule-breaking acts during such situations. The present study aims to connect these three aspects and examine: (i) how adolescents tend to structure their time use, (ii) if their structural time use differentially places them in unstructured socialising, and (iii) whether some adolescents during unstructured socialising run an elevated risk of committing rule-breaking acts due to their morality (as part of their crime propensity) while also taking their structural time use into account. Using a sample of 512 adolescents (age 16) in Sweden, time use and morality are analysed using latent class analysis based on space-time budget data and a self-report questionnaire. Multilevel linear probability models are utilised to examine how rule-breaking acts result from an interaction between an individual’s morality and unstructured socialising, also taking structural time use into account. Results show that the likelihood of unstructured socialising in private but not in public is different across identified latent classes. Adolescents, in general, run an elevated risk of rule-breaking acts during unstructured socialising, irrespective of structural time use. In this study, these acts consist mainly of alcohol consumption. However, the risk is higher for adolescents with lower morality. Adolescents’ time use may account for a general pattern of delinquency, but accounting for rule-breaking acts requires knowledge of the interaction between person and setting.

The current study explores how neighborhood fear of crime ("worry about specific crimes") changes over time in neighborhoods with different levels of disadvantage. With a comparative design, 81 and 123- neighborhoods in two cities in Sweden are followed over a six-year period. Fear of crime trajectories are assessed through growth curve modeling. We consider how differences in neighborhood processes, such as social and physical disorder, might influence fear of crime levels. The results show that fear of crime increased over time in both cities and the increase was related to higher levels of physical disorder in several areas. Furthermore, the change differed depending on the neighborhood type - in highly disadvantaged neighborhoods, the fear was stable at a high level. In contrast, the largest increases in fear could be seen in the areas with the lowest disadvantage in both cities. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Aim: Extensive COVID-19 information can generate information overload and confusion. Denmark and Sweden adopted different COVID-19 management strategies.

Aim: This study aimed to compare search strategies, perceptions and effects of COVID-19 information, in general and specifically in social media, in residents in Denmark and Sweden.

Subject and methods:  = 616) from Denmark and Sweden on an international web-based survey was analysed using descriptive and analytical statistics.

Results: The results showed similarities between the countries regarding preferred and trusted information sources, use of (social) media, and psychosocial and behavioural effects of such information. Traditional media and social media were frequently used for COVID-19 information. Especially health authorities and researchers were trusted sources, representing the dominant medico-political discourse. There were no differences in negative effect and social behaviour. Residents in Denmark experienced significantly more positive effects than residents in Sweden.

Conclusion: Summarily, the study showed similarities and small differences among residents in both countries related to usage patterns, perceptions and effects of COVID-19 information from (social) media, despite diverging strategies.

Denna rapport är den fjärde ur en serie rapporter som på olika sätt beskrivit Sofielundsområdena med fokus på brottslighet och otrygghet. Syftet med föreliggande rapport är att undersöka utvecklingen av bland annat brottslighet och otrygghet i Sofielundsområdena sedan fastighetsägarorganisationen BID Sofielund initierades. Ambitionen är att rapporten ska bidra med kunskap och lärdomar om BID-inspirerade samarbeten och vilka potentiella effekter ett sådant samarbete kan ha på utvecklingen av bland annat brott och otrygghet i lokalområdet.

Intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) poses severe threats to women’s health and rights. This study investigates the role of country context and gender equality in shaping individual perceptions of the severity of IPVAW. Multilevel logistic regression analyses of a Eurobarometer survey on attitudes toward IPVAW from 27 EU states showed that male gender, young age, low education, low self-assessed social position and particularly perceiving IPVAW as uncommon were associated with perceiving IPVAW as less severe. The likelihood of perceiving IPVAW as less severe was higher in countries with low gender equality. Between-country variance accounted for 14% of the variability, while country-level gender equality accounted for 22% of the between-country variance. We conclude that efforts toward strengthening perceptions of IPVAW as a severe issue should focus on awareness-raising and on increasing country-level gender equality.

Objective: There is an association between pre-migration exposure to threats and violence, and the risk for mental illness among newly arrived refugees (NAR). The aim of this study is therefore to investigate the effect of pre-migration violent and threatening experiences on the mental health of NAR in Sweden. The participants were recruited between February 2015 and February 2016, undergoing the naturalisation process in Sweden. In total, 681 questionnaires were returned (response rate of 39.5%).

Results: The results showed that almost 50% of the sample were at risk for mental illness. Analysis of pre-migration exposure to violence or threats, and risk for mental illness, showed a significant odds ratio for violence as well as for threats. Analysing men and women separately resulted in a significant odds ratio for women for pre-migration threats. For men, pre-migration violence and threats were significantly associated with the risk for mental illness. The host society receiving NAR must screen for mental illness and be prepared to provide support and care for refugees who were exposed to violence or threats, and who are subsequently at risk for mental illness. This must be considered in order to improve health and subsequently the social integration of refugees.

Rapporten syftar till att undersöka förutsättningar som lärare och polis upplever sig ha för attarbeta med antisemitism i Malmö, ifall lärarstudenter får den kunskap de behöver under sinutbildning för att hantera antisemitism och hur samverkan mellan olika aktörer ser ut iMalmö. Detta undersöks genom kvalitativa intervjuer samt kvalitativa och kvantitativaenkätfrågor.Resultaten av rapporten talar för att det saknas viss kunskap bland lärare och lärarstudenterför att upptäcka och hantera antisemitism, men även att det finns viss rädsla och otrygghet föratt diskutera vissa aspekter av ämnet. Lärarstudenter får under sin utbildning inte tillräckligtmycket kunskap för att hantera antisemitism i framtida yrken. Polisen upplevs inte vara encentral aktör i skolans arbete mot antisemitism, men kan fungera som stöd till lärare ochskolledning. Det tas även upp att en mer omfattande dokumentation av polisen vid dessa fallskulle kunna leda till större möjligheter att utreda antisemitiska hatbrott. Resultatet visar attdet finns flertalet pågående samarbeten i Malmö, framförallt inom skolmiljö för att motverkaantisemitism. Det saknas dock en gemensam samordning av dessa initiativ. Utifrån det somhar framkommit i resultatet rekommenderas flera förslag, bland annat återkoppling av polisefter nedlagd anmälan av hatbrott, inkludering av antisemitism i lärarutbildning och rollspelför att integrera frågor rörande konflikter.

Intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) is a global public health issue often assumed to be associated with gender inequality. The so-called Nordic Paradox, the apparently contradictory co-existence of high levels of IPVAW and of gender equality in Nordic countries, has not been adequately explained. This study explores discussions about how this apparent paradox can be understood among 30 IPVAW professionals working in southern Sweden, through a thematic analysis of focus groups and individual and paired interviews. The analysis highlights complexities of gender (in)equality and its links with IPVAW in Sweden, of relevance for the addressing and prevention of IPVAW.

Children are nested in families, and families are nested within communities (e.g. neighbourhoods). This implies that the behaviour of both children and their parents is influenced by external and contextual factors. The aim of the present study was to explore the relationship between parental monitoring and neighbourhood disorder and collective efficacy from the perspective of the adolescent and to investigate how perceived monitoring and neighbourhood characteristics were related to and interact in predicting adolescent offending. The characteristics of the adolescent's neighbourhoods were assessed using two different data sources: adolescents' own perceptions and an independent, aggregated measure from a community survey. The analyses showed that the adolescents' perceptions of neighbourhood level of disorder and collective efficacy were associated with both adolescent-perceived parental monitoring and adolescent offending, while the corresponding measures from the community survey were not. As regards the prediction of offending, adolescent-perceived parental monitoring is the most important predictor. Neither collective efficacy nor disorder appear to interact with parental monitoring in explaining adolescent offending. Future research would contribute to the field by examining the effect and interaction between the study variables in a sample with younger adolescents as well as by including parents' perceptions. As to practical implications, our results indicate that families living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods may benefit from targeted support aimed at handling negative neighbourhood influences.

Background: The Swedish Child Healthcare (CHC) system aims to provide equal and fair health care for all children and families in Sweden. Currently in Sweden, the CHC offers every family two home visits during the child's 1st year of life. During 2019, an extended home visit programme, called Grow Safely, was started in the region of Scania for first-time parents. The aim of the extended home visit programme was to provide support for first-time parents in order to improve the overall health of the child and family and contribute to better conditions for equal health. Instead of two home visits during the 1st year, a subsample of first-time parents would receive six visits during the child's first 15 months. These six visits would be conducted by CHC nurses and social workers, midwives, and dental assistants. In the present paper, we describe a research project related to the regional extended home visit programme; the project aims to illuminate the experiences of the participants and to investigate the perceived benefits of the programme in relation to improved health, social and emotional interaction between parent and child, and attitudes toward authorities and surrounding society.

Method/Analysis: In order to evaluate the introduction of the intervention, three qualitative interview studies and one quantitative study with follow-up questionnaires will be conducted. Since the research project also comprises studies focusing on the implementation and expectations of politicians, civil servants, organizational managers, and professionals working within the programme, interviews within these fields will be conducted.

Discussion: Sweden has a well-established CHC programme, but improvements are always possible. Previous research has shown that home visits are an effective tool to improve both the child's physical and mental health as well as the parents' well-being. However, this kind of intervention involves a significant investment from all organizations involved in the home visits; hence, it is important that the intervention is evaluated. The research project described in the present paper intends to examine the impact of the intervention, and its findings will aid decisionmakers in determining the future of the home visit programme.

I föreliggande rapport presenteras resultatet av effektutvärderingen av pilotprojektet Sluta skjut – tillsammans för ett tryggt Malmö. Utvärderingen har genomförts på uppdrag av Brottsförebyggande rådet (Brå) med stöd från Brå och Fonden för inre säkerhet (ISF). Tidigare har enprocessutvärdering publicerats.

Den grova våldsbrottsligheten beskrivs som ett av de största samhällsproblemen i Sverige idag och efterfrågan på effektiva åtgärder som kan minska våldet är stor. Sluta skjut bygger på en amerikansk strategi, Group Violence Intervention, som i flera studier visat på positiva resultat när det gäller att minska det allra grövsta våldet. I processutvärderingen av Sluta skjut studerades om det går att tillämpa en amerikansk modell i en svensk kontext. I effektutvärderingen har vi studerat om insatsen lett till minskat antal skjutningar i Malmö. Svensk forskning om vad som fungerar för att minska det grova våldet är begränsad och det behövs mer kunskap för att brottsförebyggande aktörer ska få de verktyg de behöver för att vända utvecklingen.

Hate crimes have been found to have more severe consequences than other parallel crimes that were not motivated by the offenders’ hostility toward someone because of their real or perceived difference. Many countries today have hate crime laws that make it possible to increase the penalties for such crimes. The main critique against hate crime laws is that they punish thoughts. Instead, proponents of hate crime laws argue that sentence enhancement is justified because hate crimes cause greater harm. This study compares consequences of victimization across groups of victims to test for whom hate crimes hurt more. We analyzed data that were collected through questionnaires distributed to almost 3,000 students at Malmö University, Sweden, during 2013. The survey focused on students’ exposure to, and experiences of, hate crime. A series of separate logistic regression analyses were performed, which analyzed the likelihood for reporting consequences following a crime depending on crime type, perceived motive, repeat victimization, gender, and age. Analyzed as one victim group, victims of hate crime more often reported any of the consequences following a crime compared with victims of parallel non–hate-motivated crimes. And, overall victims of threat more often reported consequences compared with victims of sexual harassment and minor assault. However, all hate crime victim groups did not report more consequences than the non–hate crime victim group. The results provide grounds for questioning that hate crimes hurt the individual victim more. It seems that hate crimes do not hurt all more but hate crimes hurt some victims of some crimes more in some ways.

Information flows can affect people's apprehension of the pandemic and related behaviors. The aim is to explore how people access and assess COVID-19 information and whether sociodemographic factors are associated with these processes. Quantitative data from 928 persons from 29 countries who participated in an international web-based survey was analyzed with descriptive and analytic statistics. Television, newspapers and social media were common sources to search for certain types of COVID-19 information. Age, educational level, employment status and sex were associated with differences in terms of reported sources, types, and reliability assessments of retrieved information. Sex and education levels were associated with differences pertaining to main sources and kinds of information searched. Younger respondents reported more frequent uses of social media than older respondents. Older respondents assessed information from traditional media as more reliable information from social media. The current results show trends about where and how information is accessed and assessed during the pandemic. Some associations with sociodemographic factors were found, but the study's cross-sectional design prevents causal inferences. Further research on consumption patterns of COVID-19 information and its effects on consumers is motivated, as this may in turn affect people's attitudes and behavior relating to the pandemic.

The business improvement district (BID) model has spread rapidly worldwide and has recently caught the eye of Swedish politicians and practitioners as a feasible approach to reduce crime in urban neighbourhoods. Research on the crime-preventive effects of BIDs is, however, limited to a handful of US studies, and there is a lack of research from European contexts. The aim of the present study is to fill gaps in knowledge by examining the crime-preventive effects of a BID-inspired property owner collaboration (BID-Malmö) implemented in a residential neighbourhood in Malmö, Sweden. Based on the use of a difference-in-difference estimator and weighted displacement quotients, our results demonstrate a significant reduction in crimes reported to the police in the intervention neighbourhood relative to control areas, with signs of spatial diffusion of benefits rather than displacement of crime to adjacent areas. This result is, however, mainly driven by a decrease in reported incidents of vandalism, while no effect is observed in regard to violent crime in public places. Implications of the findings and further research are discussed.

Gender equality is widely accepted as an important explanatory factor for the occurrence of intimate partner violence (IPV) against women. However, the relationship is not straightforward, as high country-level gender equality is not always associated with lower IPV prevalence. We apply 'multilevel analysis of individual heterogeneity and discriminatory accuracy' (MAIHDA) to (i) quantify the extent to which the country of residence determines individual risk of IPV and (ii) investigate the association between country-level gender equality and individual experience of IPV, and to which extent this association explains the observed between-country differences. Using data from the 2012 European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights survey on violence against women we applied MAIHDA to analyse experiences of physical and sexual IPV among 42 000 women living in the EU. We fitted three consecutive models, and calculated specific individual contextual effects (measures of association) as well as the general contextual effects (measures of variance) and the discriminatory accuracy (DA). Our findings show that the relationship between experiences of IPV and country-level gender equality is weak and heterogeneous. The general contextual effect is small and the DA is low, indicating that country boundaries are rather irrelevant for understanding the individual risk of IPV. Findings from the present study do not imply that that gender equality is unimportant in relation to IPV, but rather that information on country of residence or country-level gender equality does not discriminate very well with regards to individual experiences of IPV in cross-national comparisons.

Purpose – Organisations working with children have acknowledged that unaccompanied refugee minors (URM) across Europe are exposed to environments and situations that put them at risk for becoming addicted to drugs or becoming involved in crime. The purpose of this paper is to study an examination of existing international research concerning URM and of whether, and if so how, issues relating to drug use and criminality among these children are discussed in the international literature. Design/methodology/approach – A literature review was conducted using PsycINFO, PubMed, Sociological abstracts and ERIC databases, which together cover the social and behavioural science and also medicine. Findings – Findings from the present review show that the issues of drug abuse and criminality among URM are rarely acknowledged in the international research literature. When the occurrence of substance abuse and/or criminality is discussed, it is often in relation to mental health problems and in terms of self-medication, i.e. that alcohol or drugs are used by the URM to cope with painful experiences or mental health problems, and also with the challenges of integrating into a new society, difficulties finding work, unsuitable living conditions and a lack of social support. Originality/value – This review shows that several researchers have emphasised that untreated mental health problems, stressful living conditions and a lack of support and control might put these children at risk for substance abuse and criminality, and this suggests a need for further research in this area.

Den grova våldsbrottsligheten beskrivs som ett av de största samhällsproblemen i Sverige idag och efterfrågan på effektiva åtgärder som kan minska våldet är stor. Svensk forskning om vad som fungerar för att minska det grova våldet är begränsad och det behövs mer kunskap för att Polis och andra brottsförebyggande aktörer ska få de verktyg de behöver för att vända utvecklingen. I den här processutvärderingen har vi studerat pilotprojektet Sluta skjut som är ett försök att implementera den amerikanska strategin Group Violence Intervention (GVI) i en svensk kontext. GVI har i flera internationella studier visat på positiva effekter. Resultaten från utvärderingen visar att det går att implementera den amerikanska strategin i en svensk kontext, effekten av insatsen har inte studerats inom ramen för den här utvärderingen. Utifrån det internationella kunskapsläget och erfarenheterna från implementeringen i Malmö är bedömningen att GVI är möjlig att implementera och kan vara värt att pröva i städer med stora problem med grov våldsbrottslighet.

Utvärderingen har genomförts på uppdrag av Brottsförebyggande rådet (Brå) med stöd från Brå och Fonden för inre säkerhet (ISF).

The global public health problem of intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) is typically tied to gender inequality. Contrary to what would be expected, however, a 2012 survey conducted by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) showed lifetime prevalence rates of IPVAW in the Nordic countries which were among the highest of the 28 EU member states, despite these countries being rated as some of the most gender-equal in the world. The aim of this article is to enable a furthered understanding of this Nordic Paradox through providing an overview of knowledge about IPVAW in Sweden in relation to the apparent paradox. It assembles information on IPVAW prevalence, on Sweden's legal and policy framework, on perceived remaining challenges and limitations in responses to IPVAW, and on potential explanations for the Nordic Paradox as expressed in previous research. We conclude that a clear resolution to the Nordic Paradox has not yet been established. Further research is therefore needed.

Situational Action Theory (SAT) explains people’s acts of crime as an outcome of the interaction between their crime propensity (dependent on their personal morals and ability to exercise self-control) and their criminogenic exposure (dependent on the criminogenic circumstances of the settings in which they take part). In this paper, utilising UK (PADS+) and Swedish (MINDS) data for the ages 15-16, we will explore cross-nationally to what extent the SAT framework can help explain within and between gender differences in young people’s crime involvement.

Prior research shows that women’s higher fear of crime compared with men can largely be explained by women’s fear of rape. Whether women’s higher fear can also be explained by fear of nonviolent sexual harassment has not been explored. This study tested the shadow of sexual assault hypothesis in a sample of almost 3,000 Swedish university students. Our results confirm previous tests of the shadow thesis on the effect of fear of rape. In addition, we show that fear of sexual harassment also explained differences in fear between men and women. Based on the findings, we recommend that strategies to reduce sexual violence should focus on the entire continuum of violence against women.

Fokus för denna rapport är den polisiära kamerabevakning som i juni 2015 implementerades längs med ett par gatustråk i Seved/Södra Sofielund. Det aktuella området är enligt Polisen (2017) ett så kallat särskilt utsatt område i Malmö. Den huvudsakliga brottsproblematiken i området har under flera år varit den öppna narkotikahandeln (Ivert & Kronkvist, 2014). Syftet med denna rapport är att undersöka uppfattningar, erfarenheter och effekter av den polisiära kamerabevakningen i relation till frågor som rör brott och (o)trygghet. Rapporten bygger på information över anmälda brott, intervjuer med poliser, material från en årlig trygghetsmätning bland boende samt kompletterande intervjuer med boende, fastighetsägare och näringsidkare i området. Den generella bild som framträder i denna studie är att flera indikatorer pekar på en förbättring i området. Även om anmälda egendomsbrott ligger på en stabil nivå över tid så går det att identifiera en viss nedgång i anmälda våldsbrott i offentlig miljö samt en markant ökning i antalet anmälda narkotikabrott, även relativt till matchade jämförelseområden. Att antalet anmälda narkotikabrott har ökat indikerar dock snarare att polisen lagt mer resurser och fått ökade möjligheter att såväl identifiera som beivra denna brottstyp än att den faktiska narkotikabrottsligheten har ökat. Resultaten från intervjuerna pekar på att den öppna handeln med narkotika har minskat i det kamerabevakade området samtidigt som andra problem förefaller ha minskat. Dock finns det flera tecken på att narkotikahandeln har omfördelats dels från öppna till mer dolda platser i området och dels till andra närliggande områden. I relation till otrygghet och oro för brott visar trygghetsmätningen bland boende hur vissa dimensioner av trygghet har förbättrats över tid, före respektive efter kamerabevakningen installerades. Intervjupersonerna från polisen framhåller att kamerabevakningen är ett viktigt verktyg i deras dagliga arbete, från ingripandeverksamhet till utredning och lagföring. Likaså framhålls hur kamerabevakningen kan ha betydelse för polisens arbetsmiljö i området. Genom intervjuerna framgår dock att det systematiska arbetet med kamerabevakningen kan utvecklas, vilket i viss mån är en resurs och bemanningsfråga. Även intervjuerna med boende och verksamma i området indikerar att polisen upplevs ha blivit mer träffsäkra i sina ingripanden och mer effektiva i sitt arbete. Likaså framhålls hur vissa problem i området har minskat över tid. Samtidigt lyfter flera intervjupersoner att det inte nödvändigtvis är ett direkt resultat av kamerabevakningen utan snarare till följd av andra åtgärder i området. Här bör även påpekas att fastighetsägare och näringsidkare generellt sett är mer positivt inställda till kamerabevakningen än boende, inte minst när det kommer till uppfattningar om intrång på personlig integritet. Sammanfattningsvis går det mot bakgrund av studiens resultat att konstatera att kamerabevakningen med största sannolikhet har haft en störande effekt på den öppna handeln och bruket av narkotika i området. Genom att polisen har lyckats störa denna verksamhet har även den lokala problembilden generellt sett förändrats till det bättre. Även om narkotikabrottsligheten har dämpats har den inte försvunnit och det kvarstår fortfarande flera utmaningar i området. I rapportens diskussion ges en samlad bedömning utifrån studiens informationskällor. Här ställs även studiens resultat i relation till tidigare forskning och visar att det föreligger problem i att generalisera resultat från olika studier p.g.a. kontextuella och situationella förutsättningar. I rapportens sista kapitel lyfts praktiska implikationer av studien med ett antal konkreta förslag för det fortsatta arbetet kring polisiär kamerabevakning. Avslutningsvis lyfts även vikten av vidare forskning och mer ambitiösa studier på kamerabevakningens effekter på brott och otrygghet ur ett nationellt perspektiv Den generella bild som framträder i denna studie är att flera indikatorer pekar på en förbättring i området. Även om anmälda egendomsbrott ligger på en stabil nivå över tid så går det att identifiera en viss nedgång i anmälda våldsbrott i offentlig miljö samt en markant ökning i antalet anmälda narkotikabrott, även relativt till matchade jämförelseområden. Att antalet anmälda narkotikabrott har ökat indikerar dock snarare att polisen lagt mer resurser och fått ökade möjligheter att såväl identifiera som beivra denna brottstyp än att den faktiska narkotikabrottsligheten har ökat. Resultaten från intervjuerna pekar på att den öppna handeln med narkotika har minskat i det kamerabevakade området samtidigt som andra problem förefaller ha minskat. Dock finns det flera tecken på att narkotikahandeln har omfördelats dels från öppna till mer dolda platser i området och dels till andra närliggande områden. I relation till otrygghet och oro för brott visar trygghetsmätningen bland boende hur vissa dimensioner av trygghet har förbättrats över tid, före respektive efter kamerabevakningen installerades. Intervjupersonerna från polisen framhåller att kamerabevakningen är ett viktigt verktyg i deras dagliga arbete, från ingripandeverksamhet till utredning och lagföring. Likaså framhålls hur kamerabevakningen kan ha betydelse för polisens arbetsmiljö i området. Genom intervjuerna framgår dock att det systematiska arbetet med kamerabevakningen kan utvecklas, vilket i viss mån är en resurs och bemanningsfråga. Även intervjuerna med boende och verksamma i området indikerar att polisen upplevs ha blivit mer träffsäkra i sina ingripanden och mer effektiva i sitt arbete. Likaså framhålls hur vissa problem i området har minskat över tid. Samtidigt lyfter flera intervjupersoner att det inte nödvändigtvis är ett direkt resultat av kamerabevakningen utan snarare till följd av andra åtgärder i området. Här bör även påpekas att fastighetsägare och näringsidkare generellt sett är mer positivt inställda till kamerabevakningen än boende, inte minst när det kommer till uppfattningar om intrång på personlig integritet. Sammanfattningsvis går det mot bakgrund av studiens resultat att konstatera att kamerabevakningen med största sannolikhet har haft en störande effekt på den öppna handeln och bruket av narkotika i området. Genom att polisen har lyckats störa denna verksamhet har även den lokala problembilden generellt sett förändrats till det bättre. Även om narkotikabrottsligheten har dämpats har den inte försvunnit och det kvarstår fortfarande flera utmaningar iområdet. I rapportens diskussion ges en samlad bedömning utifrån studiensinformationskällor. Här ställs även studiens resultat i relation till tidigare forskning och visar att det föreligger problem i att generalisera resultat från olika studier p.g.a. kontextuella och situationella förutsättningar. I rapportens sista kapitel lyfts praktiska implikationer av studien med ett antal konkreta förslag för det fortsatta arbetet kring polisiär kamerabevakning. Avslutningsvis lyfts även vikten av vidare forskning och mer ambitiösa studier på kamerabevakningens effekter på brott och otrygghet ur ett nationellt perspektiv.

Over recent years, Swedish authorities that encounter unaccompanied refugee minors, such as the social services and the police, have reported that drug use is an increasing problem, along with criminality. Likewise, governmental as well as non-governmental organisations working with children have acknowledged that unaccompanied refugee minors across Europe are exposed to environments and situations that put them at risk for becoming addicted to drugs or becoming involved in crime. However, issues of drug abuse and criminality among unaccompanied minors are rarely acknowledged in the international research literature. In the present study we aim to explore this issue from a health care and policing perspective. More precisely we aim to describe (1) the patterns of substance abuse and mental health problems among unaccompanied refugee minors that have been enrolled in outpatient clinics for adolescents with substance use problems, and (2) the patterns of substance use and the situational and spatial circumstances where the police encounter unaccompanied minors. Findings indicate that unaccompanied refugee minors being treated for substance abuse suffer significant mental health related problems. Information from the police indicate that the police encounter unaccompanied refugee minors who use drugs, e.g. cannabis and heroin, as well as minors engaged in drug dealing. Even if only a minority of unaccompanied refugee minors are involved in substance abuse and/or criminality, this is an area of research that requires more attention because of the individual suffering and societal consequences that these problems may produce.

The high prevalence of intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) in countries with high levels of gender equality has been defined as the "Nordic paradox". In this study we compared physical and sexual IPVAW prevalence data in two countries exemplifying the Nordic paradox: Sweden (N = 1483) and Spain (N = 1447). Data was drawn from the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights Survey on violence against women. To ascertain whether differences between these two countries reflect true differences in IPVAW prevalence, and to rule out the possibility of measurement bias, we conducted a set of analyses to ensure measurement equivalence, a precondition for appropriate and valid cross-cultural comparisons. Results showed that in both countries items were measuring two separate constructs, physical and sexual IPVAW, and that these factors had high internal consistency and adequate validity. Measurement equivalence analyses (i.e., differential item functioning, and multigroup confirmatory factor analysis) supported the comparability of data across countries. Latent means comparisons between the Spanish and the Swedish samples showed that scores on both the physical and sexual IPVAW factors were significantly higher in Sweden than in Spain. The effect sizes of these differences were large: 89.1% of the Swedish sample had higher values in the physical IPVAW factor than the Spanish average, and this percentage was 99.4% for the sexual IPVAW factor as compared to the Spanish average. In terms of probability of superiority, there was an 80.7% and 96.1% probability that a Swedish woman would score higher than a Spanish woman in the physical and the sexual IPVAW factors, respectively. Our results showed that the higher prevalence of physical and sexual IPVAW in Sweden than in Spain reflects actual differences and are not the result of measurement bias, supporting the idea of the Nordic paradox.

Intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) is a major public health problem in countries around the world, including the Nordic region. Contrary to what would be expected, as the Nordic countries are rated among the most gender equal in the world, survey data suggests that the lifetime prevalence rates of IPVAW in Sweden and neighboring Nordic countries are among the highest in the EU. This phenomenon, which has been termed the Nordic paradox, requires elucidation. The aim of this review is to explore what previous qualitative studies, based on interviews with or field observations of victims, perpetrators, or professionals working in the area, primarily in Sweden, have to teach us about the nature of this paradox. Three interrelated themes are discussed. The first is how gender equality is perceived and addressed as linked, or not, to IPVAW in Swedish research and practice. The second is how violence tends to be othered, for example, through assumptions that violence is perpetrated by foreign rather than Swedish men. The third is how causal mechanisms of IPVAW have been described, typically with reference to norms and dynamics of masculinity, femininity, and heterosexual interaction.

Background: There is a well-documented gender difference in offending, with evidence that boys, on average, are more involved in crime than girls. Opinions differ, however,on whether the causes of crime apply to girls and boys similarly.Aims: Our aim is to explore crime propensity in boys and girls. Our research questions were (1) are there differences between boys and girls in moral values and self-control;(2) are these attributes similarly correlated with offending among girls and boys; and (3) is any interaction effect between morality and self-control identical for girls and boys. Methods: Data were drawn from the Malmö Individual and Neighbourhood Development Study, which includes 481 girls and boys aged 16–17. An 8-item self-control scale was derived from Grasmick’s self-control instrument; we created a 16-item morality scale. Analysis of variance was used to test for differences in scale scores.Results: There were significant gender differences in moral values but not self-control.Moral values and self-control were significantly correlated with offending among both girls and boys. In the multiple regression analysis, the three-way interaction term used to test the interaction between gender, self-control and moral values was non-significant, indicating that the magnitude of the self-control–moral value interaction is not affected by gender.Conclusions: Our findings indicate that effects of morality and self-control are general and apply to girls and boys similarly, so more research is needed to explain gender differences in crime prevalence.

Background: Intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) is a global and preventable public health problem.Public attitudes, such as victim-blaming, are important for our understanding of differences in the occurrence of IPVAW, as they contribute to its justification. In this paper, we focus on victim-blaming attitudes regarding IPVAW within the EU and we apply multilevel analyses to identify contextual determinants of victim-blaming attitudes. We investigate both the general contextual effect of the country and the specific association between country level of gender equality and individual victim-blaming attitudes, as well as to what extend a possible general contextual effect was explained by county level gender equality. Methods: We analyzed data from 26 800 respondents from 27 member states of the European Union who responded to a survey on public perceptions of domestic violence. We applied multilevel logistic regression analysis and measures of variance (intra-class correlation (ICC)) were calculated, as well as the discriminatory accuracy by calculating the area under the receiver operator characteristic curve. Results: Over and above individual characteristics, about 15% of the individual variance in the propensity for having victim-blaming attitudes was found at the country level, and country level of gender equality did not affect the general contextual effect (i.e. ICC) of the country on individual victim-blaming attitudes. Conclusion: The present study shows that there are important between-country differences in victim-blaming attitudes that cannot be explained by differences in individual-level demographics or in gender equality at the country level. More research on attitudes towards IPVAW is needed.

The aim of the study is to provide thevictims’perspective to the contemporary conceptualization of hate crime.Much attention has been given to the interpretational frameworks of offenders, and although victims’ definitions of hate crime are sometimes mentioned in passing in interview studies, this has never been a primary subject of study.The present study applies phenomenological analysisto 28semi-structured interviews with victims of hate crime. The results show that the participants primarily apply meaning to their experiences in social groups and use previous experiences to guide their interpretations. While the conceptualization of victims largely concurs withtheory presented by the research community and special interest organizations, they diverge from how hate crime is contextualized in hate crime legislation.

This study explored the prevalence of sexual harassment, consequences of harassment, and reasons for not reporting these experiences through a survey among Swedish female university students (N = 1941). One fourth reported one or more incidents of sexual harassment during the 12 months period prior to the survey. Victims were more often younger and with Swedish-born parents compared with nonvictims. Victimization most frequently occurred at clubs or restaurants and the most frequently reported consequences were anger and worry about being victimized again. Few reported the incidents to the police making this, in part, an invisible problem.

Bostadsområdet är en central del av människors vardag och omfattande internationell forskning visar att bland annat bostadsområdets utformning och befolkningssammansättning har betydelse för hur de boende mår och vad de gör. Forskning visar att olika typer av problem ofta sammanfaller inom samma områden, och det finns tydliga skillnader mellan olika områden avseende bland annat hälsa, skolresultat och brottslighet. Ett exempel på detta är att i bostadsområden med höga nivåer av våld och annan brottslighet tenderar den psykiska och fysiska hälsan att vara sämre, tilliten till samhällsinstitutioner vara lägre och nivån av otrygghet bland de boende högre. I den här rapporten ligger fokus på otrygghet och utsatthet för brott och varför dessa fenomen varierar mellan olika områden.

En förutsättning för ett effektivt brottsförebyggande och trygghetsskapande arbete är att det baseras på kunskap om vilka åtgärder som fungerar: var, när, hur och framförallt varför. Medborgarlöften en viktig del av Polisens arbete med att öka tryggheten och förebygga brott. I den här rapporten finns arbeten skrivna av studenter på Kriminologiprogrammet vid Malmö universitet i vilka de granskat, utvärderat och givit förslag kring Polisområde Malmös medborgarlöften. Arbetet har genomförts i nära samarbete med kommunpoliserna i Malmö vilket inneburit ett kontinuerligt kunskapsutbyte mellan studenterna och polisen kring den lokala problembilden. Utöver det har två studentgrupper arbetat på uppdrag av polisens Utvecklingscentrum Syd med att granska implementeringen av medborgarlöften ur ett nationellt perspektiv. Utgångspunkten för samarbetet är en samverkansöverenskommelse mellan Institutionen för kriminologi, Malmö universitet, och Polisområde Malmö. Syftet är att ge studenterna insyn i polisens arbete och att studenterna ska ge polisen stöd i hur deras brottsförebyggande och trygghetsskapande arbete kan bli mer kunskapsbaserat.

This paper examines gender differences in young people’s crime involve- ment by testing the core propositions of Situational Action Theory (SAT) in the UK and Sweden. Using data from the Peterborough Adolescent and Young Adult Development Study (PADS+) and the Malmö Individual and Neighbourhood Development Study (MINDS) we explore cross-national differences in crime propensity and exposure to criminogenic settings and the extent to which these can explain gender differences in crime involve- ment. Findings show gender differences in crime involvement across both countries with lower levels of crime involvement among females. The results show within study gender differences in offending and propensity, but not in relation to exposure. Between study differences (for both girls and boys) were found in offending and exposure, but not in propensity. Propensity and exposure appear to predict offending among girls and boys similarly. These findings are discussed in relation to contextual differences.

The city of Malmö inhabits about 330,000 people. Half of them are under 35 years and one fifth is under 18 years old. In Space & Place two research groups present how children and adolescents experience some of the urban spaces in Malmö. The exhibition highlights different methods in the research process. These research projects are examples of how Malmö University contributes to a socially sustainable Malmö.

En av de mest aktuella och angelägna samhällsutmaningarna är att minska brottsligheten och öka tryggheten. Detta arbete måste vara baserat på kunskap om vilka åtgärder som fungerar: var, när och hur. Kriminologiprogrammet kombinerar teori, metod och den senaste forskningen för att utbilda studenter till självständiga problemlösande brottsanalytiker som kan arbeta brottsförebyggande och trygghetsskapande inom verksamheter som polis, kommun, kriminalvård och socialtjänst och inom den privata och ideella sektorn. Ett uttalat mål är att teoretisk och empirisk kunskap ska kopplas till samhälleliga behov. Samtidigt ser Polisområde Malmö ett behov av att utveckla och kunskapsbasera sitt arbete för att möta de utmaningar som finns i staden. För att uppnå dessa mål har Malmö högskola och Polisområde Malmö inlett ett samarbete. Syftet var att ett sådant samarbete skulle ge studenterna bättre insikt om polisens arbete, låta dem bidra i arbetet med att utarbeta kunskapsunderlag och utvärdera polisverksamheten (t.ex. i arbetet med medborgarlöften eller kameraövervakning). Samverkansöverenskommelsen förväntas bidra till att stärka kunskapsbasen och förmågan till att arbeta evidensbaserat i polisverksamheten, men också att ge institutionens studenter möjlighet att tillämpa sina teoretiska och metodologiska kunskaper. Som en del av denna samverkansöverenskommelse arbetade studenterna på kursen Kriminologi: Tillämpning våren 2017 med de medborgarlöften som Polisområde Malmö tagit fram för sitt lokala brottsförebyggande och trygghetsskapande arbete. Studenterna arbetade under 10 veckor nära tillsammans med Polisområde Malmös kommunpoliser. Studenterna granskade, samlade in ny information och kom med förslag kring hur polisen kunde utveckla och utvärdera sitt arbete med medborgarlöften. Resultatet av studenternas arbete finns samlat i den här publikationen, uppdelat i stadsområde Norr, Väster, Öster, Innerstaden och Söder.

Det finns ett stort behov av att utveckla det brottsförebyggande och trygghetsskapande arbetet, att hitta nya former för samverkan samt nya aktörer som kan involveras i arbetet. Samtidigt är det viktigt att de insatser, strategier och åtgärder som genomförs utvärderas för att undersöka om arbetet får önskad effekt. I den här rapporten utvärderas ett lokalt fastighetsägarinitiativ där fastighetsägarna i ett par bostadsområden i Malmö gått samman och bildat en förening, Fastighetsägare Sofielund, för att tillsammans arbeta för att göra Sofielund till ett attraktivt och tryggt bostadsområde. Utvärderingen bygger på information från ett flertal olika informationskällor så som uppgifter om anmälda brott, fastighetsägaroch boendeenkäter samt intervjuer med fastighetsägare och andra med insyn i föreningens arbete. Utifrån dessa informationskällor analyseras utvecklingen avseende bland annat brottslighet, upplevd trygghet och lokal problemnivå under en fyraårsperiod. I de fall där data funnits tillgängliga har utvecklingen i Sofielundsområdena jämförts med utvecklingen i två kontrollområden. Det övergripande syftet med utvärderingen är att bidra till kunskap om brottsförebyggande och trygghetsskapande arbete i stadsmiljö med ett särskilt fokus på särskilt utsatta bostadsområden.

The present study examines experiences of hate crimes with multiple motives with a focus on policy and theory-related issues. The authors found that every fifth hate crime victim reports having experiences of multiple motives. These victims are more likely to report their victimization to the police in comparison to victims of hate crimes with single motives. The results also show that belonging to several socially vulnerable groups does not correlate with higher levels of repeat victimization. This is in contrast with intersectional theory as it would predict heightened levels of victimization among such individuals. Lastly, the results show that individuals who belong to more than one socially vulnerable group are more likely to experience hate crimes with multiple motives. Implications for policy and intersectional theory are discussed.

Objective: In the present study, we used a multilevel approach to investigate the role of maternal country of birth (MCOB) in predicting adolescent use of psychotropic medication in Sweden. Design: Using the Swedish Medical Birth Register we identified all 428,314 adolescents born between 1987 and 1990 and who were residing in Sweden in the year they turned 18. We applied multilevel logistic regression analysis with adolescents (level 1) nested within MCOBs (level 2). Measures of association (odds ratio) and measures of variance (intra-class correlation (ICC)) were calculated, as well as the discriminatory accuracy by calculating the area under the Receiver Operator Characteristic (AU-ROC) curve. Results: In comparison with adolescents with Swedish-born mothers, adolescents with mothers born in upper-middle, lower-middle and low-income countries were less likely to use psychotropic medication. However, the variance between MCOBs was small (ICC = 2.5 in the final model) relative to the variation within MCOBs. This was confirmed by an AU-ROC value of 0.598. Conclusions: Even though we found associations between MCOB and adolescent use of psychotropic medication, the small ICC and AU-ROC indicate that MCOB appears to be an inaccurate context for discriminating adolescent use of psychotropic medication in Sweden.

Although urbanization and population density predict levels of crime and disorder quite well, the amount of crime and disorder is not evenly distributed in urban environments. Rather, crime and disorder are concentrated to certain areas, places, and neighborhoods within these urban settings. Crime preventive efforts in these high-crime areas are thus of utter importance to reduce the overall amount of crime as well as fear of crime among the residents. The study at hand aims to evaluate the effects of such a crime preventive effort in high-crime, vulnerable urban neighborhoods in the city of Malmö, Sweden, through a community crime prevention program – Business Improvement District (BID, in Swedish Boende, Integration och Delaktighet). In this study, the BID-concept represents a collaboration among local property owners in conjunction with local agencies (e.g. city offices, the police, the fire and rescue service, etc.) acting under the motto“clean and safe” neighborhoods. Internationally, BID has been implemented world-wide with positive effects on crime and feelings of insecurity Sweden, showed positive effects on fear of crime among residents during a pre-post evaluation design, although the reported level of crime remained more or less unchanged. In this study, an extensive evaluation design is implemented where several sources of information (e.g. reported crimes, calls for emergency service, and neighborhood surveys) are applied to evaluate the effect of BID in treated areas, compared to matched control areas, using a pre-post equivalent area comparison design. The results of the study will provide local, as well as national, policy makers and practitioners with knowledge and evidence about community crime prevention efforts in urban vulnerable residential areas

Within the Situational Action Theory (SAT), exposure to criminogenic settings is one of the core aspects in the explanation of young people’s crime involvement. To decrease exposure to crime-inducing settings we need to increase knowledge of the determinants of exposure to these kinds of settings. The present study aims at examining the importance of how changes in two monitoring-related measures: parental knowledge and time spent with family relate to changes in what can be considered as crime-inducing settings: involvement with deviant peers and time spent with peers in unsupervised and unstructured activities. The sample is drawn from MINDS, and constitutes data on the 482 young persons who participated in both the second and third wave of data collection (age 15-17). The data concern in-depth data detailing individual characteristics as well as family and peer related variables. Young person’s exposure to different settings was collected using two research instruments, a survey and a Space-Time Budget (STB). The STB provide data on the participants exposure to different settings by measuring which settings they take part of and what activities they engage in, from which we gain information on their activity fields. Negative binomial multilevel analyses were carried out in order to examine both between- and within-person effects. The findings indicate that monitoring has an overall negative effect of on time spent in criminogenic settings. However, examining individual change over time shows that changes in parental knowledge is associated to change in involvement with deviant peers but not in time spent unsupervised in unstructured activities. Changes in time spent with family is associated to changes in time spent unsupervised in unstructured activities but not to changes in involvement with deviant peers.

One of the biggest challenges for criminal justice educators is to deal with the strongly held opinions and preconceived notions about criminal justice issues among students. It often takes the form of students being reluctant to ac- cept certain premises that does not comply with their own experience of the issue. The general tendency to reject information that does not confirm your own view of the world and to accept information that does confirm what you believe to be true is called confirmation bias. This paper proposes the criminal policy debate format as an active learning strategy. Based on the application in an introductory course that is part of a three-year bachelor program in criminology, findings show that the debate format facilitates learning by encouraging students to formulate arguments for and against criminal policy questions

Background: Externalizing symptoms in children (aggression, oppositionality, prop- erty and status violations), and the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) triad of problems (inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity) display a substantial co- morbidity. The “short temper” problem is common to these syndromes, which are predictive of a range of negative life outcomes including substance abuse and crimi- nality in adulthood. There is a gender gap for the syndromes (boys are more af- fected), for criminality (men are more criminal) and knowledge (we know less about girls’ criminal careers). Aims: The main aim was to compare crime rates and crime profiles among former Child and Adolescent Psychiatric (CAP) patients with cor- responding data for matched controls, focusing externalizing and internalizing psy- chiatric symptoms, sex and adverse social factors. Method: Data for 6055 former CAP-Stockholm outpatients were extracted from available treatment registers. For each CAP patient, two matched controls from the general population were randomly selected from the same area of residence, of the same sex and with the same year of birth (N approx. 12,000). Data on criminality for these individuals were obtained from a Swedish police register which also includes crimes committed prior to age 15. Results: Overall, twice as many former CAP patients were registered for crimes at a mean age of 21.4 compared to the controls. The over-representation was larger for crimes of violence. Females were registered for a much lower number of crimes, par- ticularly crimes of violence (gender gap). The gender gap among the CAP patients was smaller than among controls. Compared with controls, CAP patients character- ized by externalizing problems at referral had an odds ratio (OR) for crimes of 5 for males and 10 for females. Neglect was the only adverse social factor which was asso- ciated with a higher crime rate and affected boys more than girls. Compared to pre- vious Swedish CAP cohorts, the criminality of the current cohort was much higher. Conclusion: In-depth studies of female crime careers characterized by externalising problems are needed. Child psychiatric services must find new and more effective ways of identifying and treating children with such problems, regardless of sex. The findings can guide the choice of strategies which will reduce crime rate.

There is a well documented gender gap in crime involvement between girls and boys. It has been argued that that the underlying causes of crime involvement may not be identical across girls and boys. On the other hand, recently developed theories like the Situational Action Theory (SAT) claims that the causes of crime are general and apply to girls and boys similarly. This paper examines gender differences in young people’s crime involvement by testing some of the core propositions of SAT in the UK and Sweden. Using data from the Peterborough Adolescent and Young Adult Development Study (PADS ) and the Malmö Individual and Neighbourhood Development Study (MINDS) we explore cross-national differences in crime propensity and exposure to criminogenic settings and the extent to which these can explain gender differences in crime involvement. Data from two waves of data collection (age 15 and age 16) are used. Findings show gender differences in crime involvement across both countries with lower levels of crime involvement among girls. However, the differences in crime involvement between girls and boys appear to be greater in the UK than in Sweden. These findings are discussed in relation to country specific gender differences in exposure and propensity.

This paper examines gender differences in young people’s crime involvement by testing the core propositions of Situational Action Theory (SAT) in the UK and Sweden. Using data from the Peterborough Adolescent and Young Adult Development Study (PADS+) and the Malmö Individual and Neighbourhood Development Study (MINDS) we explore cross-national differences in crime propensity and exposure to criminogenic settings and the extent to which these can explain gender differences in crime involvement. Data from two waves of data collection (age 15 and age 16) are used. Findings show gender differences in crime involvement across both countries with lower levels of crime involvement among females. However, the differences in crime involvement between females and males appear to be greater in the UK than in Sweden. These findings are discussed in relation to differences in exposure and propensity.