Legitimising Racism: The Swedish ‘Security Zones’ Legislation and its Implications for Racial Justice
(2025) SOLM02 20251Department of Sociology of Law
- Abstract
- This thesis critically examines the Swedish ‘Security Zones’ legislation, the associated governmental discourse on organised criminality, and their implications for equality and racial justice. Through a critical discourse analysis, the thesis illustrates how the extended discretion afforded through the legislation facilitates law enforcement’s capacity for racial profiling and discrimination. It does so by enabling a reliance on subjective assessments and deregulating the need for concrete suspicion of criminal activity, thus affording police officers extended authority to determine who and when to stop and search. In addition, the study highlights how the intersection of the extended discretion and the racialised discourse surrounding... (More)
- This thesis critically examines the Swedish ‘Security Zones’ legislation, the associated governmental discourse on organised criminality, and their implications for equality and racial justice. Through a critical discourse analysis, the thesis illustrates how the extended discretion afforded through the legislation facilitates law enforcement’s capacity for racial profiling and discrimination. It does so by enabling a reliance on subjective assessments and deregulating the need for concrete suspicion of criminal activity, thus affording police officers extended authority to determine who and when to stop and search. In addition, the study highlights how the intersection of the extended discretion and the racialised discourse surrounding organised criminality increases the risk of racial profiling further. By analysing legal documents, governmental speeches, and press conferences, the thesis, moreover, reveals the mechanisms through which racial biases and inequalities are legitimised, justified, and naturalised within the Swedish legal framework. It illustrates how the Swedish government use specific language to establish a link between organised criminality and racialised communities, thus legitimising a disproportionate targeting and lessening of legal protection for such groups. The findings underscore the need for a more equitable approach to criminal justice that protects marginalised communities and upholds the principles of the rule of law. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9193002
- author
- Lindell, Clara LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- SOLM02 20251
- year
- 2025
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- critical discourse analysis, ‘Security Zones’, racial profiling, police discretion, colour-blind racism, structural racism.
- language
- English
- id
- 9193002
- date added to LUP
- 2025-06-23 09:28:54
- date last changed
- 2025-06-23 09:28:54
@misc{9193002,
abstract = {{This thesis critically examines the Swedish ‘Security Zones’ legislation, the associated governmental discourse on organised criminality, and their implications for equality and racial justice. Through a critical discourse analysis, the thesis illustrates how the extended discretion afforded through the legislation facilitates law enforcement’s capacity for racial profiling and discrimination. It does so by enabling a reliance on subjective assessments and deregulating the need for concrete suspicion of criminal activity, thus affording police officers extended authority to determine who and when to stop and search. In addition, the study highlights how the intersection of the extended discretion and the racialised discourse surrounding organised criminality increases the risk of racial profiling further. By analysing legal documents, governmental speeches, and press conferences, the thesis, moreover, reveals the mechanisms through which racial biases and inequalities are legitimised, justified, and naturalised within the Swedish legal framework. It illustrates how the Swedish government use specific language to establish a link between organised criminality and racialised communities, thus legitimising a disproportionate targeting and lessening of legal protection for such groups. The findings underscore the need for a more equitable approach to criminal justice that protects marginalised communities and upholds the principles of the rule of law.}},
author = {{Lindell, Clara}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Legitimising Racism: The Swedish ‘Security Zones’ Legislation and its Implications for Racial Justice}},
year = {{2025}},
}