”Nu pratar vi om barn som kan gå i mellanstadiet” : En kritisk diskursanalys av hur barn konstrueras i den svenska kriminalpolitiska debatten om sänkt straffbarhetsålder

Sammanfattning

The aim of the study is to examine how children are constructed in the Swedish criminal policy debate on lowering the age of criminal responsibility. Drawing on critical childhood studies and critical discourse analysis (CDA), the study analyses ten texts from the public debate, consisting of news articles, debate articles, referral statements and statements from government representatives. The results show that children are constructed through multiple and sometimes contradictory positions. On the one hand, children are portrayed as vulnerable, in need of protection and open to change, while on the otherhand they are positioned as responsible and potentially dangerous. The analysis further shows how different actors construct the child in different ways, which in turn affects which interventions appear as legitimate in relation to children who commit crimes. While some representations emphasise support, rights, and rehabilitation, others are characterised by control, risk and punishment. The study therefore highlights how understandings of childhood are shaped and negotiated within the contemporary criminal policy debate, and how this has implications for which forms of agency, intervention, and response are considered legitimate.