Social control and responsibilization

A study of professionals’ understanding of youth at risk

Abstract

In recent decades, Swedish society has been characterized by increased material wealth for most residents. At the same time, not everyone has been given the opportunity to take part in this development. The gaps between prosperity and poverty have increased over the last three decades. This has resulted in large groups of youth being forced to live a strictly limited life in segregation and poverty. Youth living under these circumstances are often viewed as being at risk. The purpose of the present study is to investigate how different professional groups – police officers, social workers and school health teams – describe various measures taken to handle youth at risk. The result shows a tendency to individualize and place the problem within the young people themselves, and reporting to the police becomes a form of repressive social prevention with the aim of discouraging young people from risky behaviour.