No higher education credits in criminology are required to understand that it is more difficult to punish and try to convert a young gang member than to prevent the person from getting caught up in crime from the beginning.
Still, the municipalities are fumbling with the preventive work. As in Stockholm, where more than two thirds of reports to the social services do not lead to action – despite the fact that criminal behavior is suspected. This according to an internal survey that went through over 16,000 reports, which DN recently reported on.
It is worst in the exposed areas, where the threshold for reporting is higher. In addition, the problem of parents refusing interventions is great. Every fourth parent says no, according to DN’s article.
No parent should be able to deny their child a way out of crime
With such figures it is no wonder that the police get frustrated. It is he who later has to deal with the consequences. The National Police Chief has requested preventive measures since he took office. And stated that the police assignment is unprofitable if new recruitment is not stopped.
The fact that the government recently decided to remove the possibility for parents to say no to initiatives is therefore a good thing. No parent should be able to deny their child a way out of crime. Special juvenile delinquency boards, following the Danish example, will also be introduced to catch young people early.
More such austerity measures are needed. Because we broadly know what stops young people from becoming criminals. Preventive social interventions. Passing grade. Close contacts between police, teachers, social services and parents. Even lighter efforts need to be prioritized, before it has gone too far, as the Social Citizens’ Council Jan Jönsson (L) states in DN’s article.
Above all, need the investments come in at an even earlier stage than in adolescence. Despite the fact that it is in the toddler age that interventions make the biggest difference, few interventions are offered for younger children. A stupid low-priority, because the costs for social efforts are “peanuts” compared to a shooting or a prison sentence, as the Danish social worker Mathilde Støvring states in an interview with DN.
Important tightening of penalties has been introduced in recent years and the police toolbox has been expanded. But the municipalities must also prioritize social initiatives.
Read several texts by Emma Høen Bustos.