Young Offenders – The News Media’s Portrayal of the Proposed 2021 Amendment on the Swedish Criminal Code A comparative study on right-wing news media’s and left wing news media’s influence on criminal discourse
(2024) SOLM02 20241Department of Sociology of Law
- Abstract
- This thesis investigates the news media’s portrayal of the amendment to the Swedish Criminal Code, also known as Brottsbalken in Swedish (BrB, 1962:700), in which the sentencing rules in regard to young offenders were changed. Prior to the new amendment, individuals younger than 21-years-old were entitled to an ‘ungdomsrabatt’ or ‘straffrabatt’ that applied during sentencing for all crimes. Under the new rules (29 kap 7 §. BrB); however, the ungdomsrabatt or straffrabatt no longer apply to crimes judicially decreed after the enforcement of the amendment, and specifically to cases that would carry a minimum sentence of more than one year of imprisonment. The media’s presence in this amendment is significant as it can be seen as a driving... (More)
- This thesis investigates the news media’s portrayal of the amendment to the Swedish Criminal Code, also known as Brottsbalken in Swedish (BrB, 1962:700), in which the sentencing rules in regard to young offenders were changed. Prior to the new amendment, individuals younger than 21-years-old were entitled to an ‘ungdomsrabatt’ or ‘straffrabatt’ that applied during sentencing for all crimes. Under the new rules (29 kap 7 §. BrB); however, the ungdomsrabatt or straffrabatt no longer apply to crimes judicially decreed after the enforcement of the amendment, and specifically to cases that would carry a minimum sentence of more than one year of imprisonment. The media’s presence in this amendment is significant as it can be seen as a driving force in informing the public of the crimes occurring in Sweden and how the government acknowledges the crimes committed. In this thesis, the media will be seen as an important factor in the discourse in regards to crime and justice; more specifically on the new amendment in the Swedish Criminal Code determining new laws regarding young offenders. This thesis employs a qualitative content analysis on news media articles from Aftonbladet and Expressen to examine the similarities and differences the news media portrays and frames the amendment, and the subsequent influence to criminal discourse. By operationalizing Penal Populism by John Pratt, and Social Control and Signal Crime Perspectives by Martin Innes to analyse the findings of the research, this thesis found Expressen's alignment with right-wing, nationalist views contrasts with Aftonbladet's more cautious, research-based approach. Both newspapers influence public discourse on criminal justice by framing the amendment in ways that align with their respective editorial stances. The research also highlights how the concept of justice is variably interpreted and presented by different media outlets, shaping public perception and discourse. Expressen and Aftonbladet’s different portrayals of the proposed amendment illustrate the impact of media on criminal justice debates, with each newspaper reinforcing their ideological positions through their reporting. (Less)
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@misc{9156524,
abstract = {{This thesis investigates the news media’s portrayal of the amendment to the Swedish Criminal Code, also known as Brottsbalken in Swedish (BrB, 1962:700), in which the sentencing rules in regard to young offenders were changed. Prior to the new amendment, individuals younger than 21-years-old were entitled to an ‘ungdomsrabatt’ or ‘straffrabatt’ that applied during sentencing for all crimes. Under the new rules (29 kap 7 §. BrB); however, the ungdomsrabatt or straffrabatt no longer apply to crimes judicially decreed after the enforcement of the amendment, and specifically to cases that would carry a minimum sentence of more than one year of imprisonment. The media’s presence in this amendment is significant as it can be seen as a driving force in informing the public of the crimes occurring in Sweden and how the government acknowledges the crimes committed. In this thesis, the media will be seen as an important factor in the discourse in regards to crime and justice; more specifically on the new amendment in the Swedish Criminal Code determining new laws regarding young offenders. This thesis employs a qualitative content analysis on news media articles from Aftonbladet and Expressen to examine the similarities and differences the news media portrays and frames the amendment, and the subsequent influence to criminal discourse. By operationalizing Penal Populism by John Pratt, and Social Control and Signal Crime Perspectives by Martin Innes to analyse the findings of the research, this thesis found Expressen's alignment with right-wing, nationalist views contrasts with Aftonbladet's more cautious, research-based approach. Both newspapers influence public discourse on criminal justice by framing the amendment in ways that align with their respective editorial stances. The research also highlights how the concept of justice is variably interpreted and presented by different media outlets, shaping public perception and discourse. Expressen and Aftonbladet’s different portrayals of the proposed amendment illustrate the impact of media on criminal justice debates, with each newspaper reinforcing their ideological positions through their reporting.}},
author = {{Bui, Mi}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Young Offenders – The News Media’s Portrayal of the Proposed 2021 Amendment on the Swedish Criminal Code A comparative study on right-wing news media’s and left wing news media’s influence on criminal discourse}},
year = {{2024}},
}