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När 15-årsgränsen omförhandlas

Mortazavi, Clara LU and Ghebrelasie, Heran Alemseged LU (2026) RÄSK02 20261
Sociology of Law Department
Abstract
This essay aims to analyze how the bill to lower the age of criminal responsibility is motivated
and legitimized in the government's bill, and how children are constructed and renegotiated in
relation to responsibility, control, and children's rights within contemporary criminal policy
discourse. The theoretical starting point is based on Michel Foucault's theory of disciplinary
power and discourse concepts, as well as perspectives from the sociology of law on the
relationship between law, power, and legitimacy. The study is carried out through qualitative
text analysis with discourse-analytical elements of the government's bill to lower the age of
criminal responsibility. The analysis is carried out using the Carol Bacchi WPR... (More)
This essay aims to analyze how the bill to lower the age of criminal responsibility is motivated
and legitimized in the government's bill, and how children are constructed and renegotiated in
relation to responsibility, control, and children's rights within contemporary criminal policy
discourse. The theoretical starting point is based on Michel Foucault's theory of disciplinary
power and discourse concepts, as well as perspectives from the sociology of law on the
relationship between law, power, and legitimacy. The study is carried out through qualitative
text analysis with discourse-analytical elements of the government's bill to lower the age of
criminal responsibility. The analysis is carried out using the Carol Bacchi WPR approach and its
analytical questions to examine how problem representations are constructed and legitimized
in the bill. The result thus shows that the bill constructs the increasing youth crime as a serious
social problem where the current age of criminal responsibility is presented as insufficient.
Hence, the analysis highlights how discourse on social protection, control, and legitimacy is
used to justify expanded criminal-law interventions against younger children. Furthermore, the
study shows how the child is gradually renegotiated from an object of protection to a
responsible subject, in which the rights of the child and the Convention on the Rights of the
Child are recognized, yet receive limited significance within a security-oriented understanding
of the problem. In summary, the study shows how legal and political discourses contribute to
legitimizing and shaping notions of children, crime, and responsibility within contemporary
criminal policy. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Mortazavi, Clara LU and Ghebrelasie, Heran Alemseged LU
supervisor
organization
course
RÄSK02 20261
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Barnrätt, Diskurs, Kriminalpolitik, Straffbarhetsåldern, Ungdomskriminalitet
language
Swedish
id
9243954
date added to LUP
2026-08-05 12:09:47
date last changed
2026-08-05 12:09:47
@misc{9243954,
  abstract     = {{This essay aims to analyze how the bill to lower the age of criminal responsibility is motivated
and legitimized in the government's bill, and how children are constructed and renegotiated in
relation to responsibility, control, and children's rights within contemporary criminal policy
discourse. The theoretical starting point is based on Michel Foucault's theory of disciplinary
power and discourse concepts, as well as perspectives from the sociology of law on the
relationship between law, power, and legitimacy. The study is carried out through qualitative
text analysis with discourse-analytical elements of the government's bill to lower the age of
criminal responsibility. The analysis is carried out using the Carol Bacchi WPR approach and its
analytical questions to examine how problem representations are constructed and legitimized
in the bill. The result thus shows that the bill constructs the increasing youth crime as a serious
social problem where the current age of criminal responsibility is presented as insufficient.
Hence, the analysis highlights how discourse on social protection, control, and legitimacy is
used to justify expanded criminal-law interventions against younger children. Furthermore, the
study shows how the child is gradually renegotiated from an object of protection to a
responsible subject, in which the rights of the child and the Convention on the Rights of the
Child are recognized, yet receive limited significance within a security-oriented understanding
of the problem. In summary, the study shows how legal and political discourses contribute to
legitimizing and shaping notions of children, crime, and responsibility within contemporary
criminal policy.}},
  author       = {{Mortazavi, Clara and Ghebrelasie, Heran Alemseged}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{När 15-årsgränsen omförhandlas}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}