Survey shows deficiencies in the way victims are dealt with in the criminal justice process in Sweden
Brå, the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention works to reduce crime and improve levels of safety in society by producing data and disseminating knowledge on crime and crime prevention work and the justice system’s responses to crime. In their recent survey ‘Crime victims’ contacts with the justice system - An augmentative study based on the Swedish Crime Survey 2006–2008 and focus group interviews’ earlier studies have revealed deficiencies in the way victims are dealt with in the criminal justice process, and a large number of measures have been introduced since the turn of the millennium in order to improve this situation.
Measures, methods and data sets
Measures of this kind need to be followed-up over a long period of time in order to determine what effects they have produced in practice. The overarching objective of the current study is to describe crime victims’ experiences of the justice system and to provide a basis for making further improvements in this area. The study is based on two data sets:
- the annual Swedish Crime Survey (SCS), which includes several thousand respondents who have been exposed to crime during the years 2006 – 2008, and focus group interviews with two groups of crime victims – young people exposed to various types of crime and adults exposed to relationship violence;
- and also with individuals who work to provide support for these groups (producing a total of almost 30 interview participants). On the basis of the SCS it is possible to draw general conclusions about the situation and the experiences of crime victims. The focus group interviews provide various explanations as to why crime victims may perceive their contacts with the justice system in different ways. Some of the findings are reported below.
Many victims receive support from their employers
The SCS shows that the victims of approximately one in ten offences against the person had been offered support and assistance by a voluntary organisation. In this context, help or support had been received in connection with approximately half of the incidents. Only a small proportion of the crimes resulted in the victims receiving support and assistance from the social services, whereas support and help had been provided by employers in relation to a much larger proportion of the incidents of victimisation (approximately half).
Links between contacts and confidence: a positive pattern among teenagers
The SCS data indicates that levels of confidence in the justice system are lower among persons who have been exposed to crime than they are among others. Moreover those who have reported offences to the police have lower levels of confidence than those who have not reported them. Furthermore, individuals who have participated in a court trial report have lower levels of confidence than those who have not done so. This could be interpreted in a way that crime victims have certain expectations of the justice system and that dissatisfaction sometimes result in disappointing expectations.
Focus group interviews reveal a need for information and a sense of security, trust and confidence
The focus group interviews conducted with young victims and victims in a violent relationship provided valuable insights. As a result crime victims can perceive their contacts with the justice system. The interviews revealed both positive and negative experiences of the police, prosecutors, injured party council and the courts. Among the factors that emerged clearly in the majority of interviews, as being linked to negative experiences, were that the information provided is often perceived as insufficient, that the justice system does not always succeed in instilling a sense of security and confidence and that victims were often initially viewed with suspicion. The men who had been exposed to relationship violence in particular felt that they were met with disbelief.
Document type: Research