Att lämna en kriminell livsstil

ÖREBRO UNIVERSITYDepartment of Behavioural, Social and Legal SciencesC-essay in Social work, Advanced course2006To give up a criminal life styleA study of motivation and protectional factors of juveniles after a sentence of institutional care or community workEmma Henriksson & Karin TengnäsABSTRACTThe purpose of the study was to investigate the factors that juveniles sentenced to institutional care or community work perceive as important for their decision to give up a criminal life style. The study approach was based on a few specific questions: (1) What aspects of the treatment have contributed to a motivation to abandon the criminal life style? (2) What have motivated the juveniles to make a decision to leave the criminal life style? (3) Are there any specific internal or external protectional factors that have been decisive for the rehabilitation process and, if so, are they linked to intrinsic or extrinsic motivation? The study rests on the theoretical foundation created by earlier research on institutional care, motivation and protectional factors. Interviews were chosen as a method to secure qualitative data and the interview manual was designed on the basis of themes that reflect the questions of the study. Six young people?s perception of their treatment is documented in the study, as well as their opinion on the effectiveness of the treatment. The report also sheds light on the factors that have generated their motivation for change and on the protectional factors that were important, and on how these factors were linked to intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.The result indicates that in general the juveniles were unsatisfied with the treatment they had received at the institution. The supervisors at the organisation K.A.M.P., which they had all been in touch with, was perceived as being more important. All the six youth reported that they feel that they have changed and that their way of thinking is different. An important component in their process of change is the assessment they have made of the pros and cons of either continuing with the same behaviour or, alternatively, embark on another path. For several of the respondents the most important positive aspect attributed to a change was the expectation of freedom. The risk for further punishment was reported as the main negative consequence of continuing as in the past. In their final analysis the advantages with giving up the criminal life style outweighs the disadvantages, and so, they arrived at the conclusion that the criminal life style is not worthwhile. Their families and the supervisors at K.A.M.P have served as external protectional factors and extrinsic motivation. These factors have been synergetic with internal protectional factors such as reliance on their own general ability and on their ability to say no. A combination of all these factors has contributed to a process of developing intrinsic motivation. The respondents all describe a specific event, a turning point, as the starting point of this process. The result of the study and the theoretical analysis made indicate that there is a certain thematic pattern which is critical for a positive shift of behaviour. Support, trust, participation, reflection, attitudinal change and motivation are the positive themes that feature. Giving up a criminal life style is a process that is positively influenced by these themes and the outcome does in fact depend on all these parameters, which do also interact with each other. A conclusion is that, for an institution, it is important to create conducive conditions for the juveniles to generate intrinsic motivation. For such conditions to exist, individual approaches, emphasis on a family approach and a good relation between the youth and the care holder, are emphasized.

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