Vem eller vad är en vän? - Den sociala vänskapens betydelse för vägen ut ur kriminalitet

Abstract

Aims and objectives: The aim of the present study is to examine the importance of friendship in the process of change in offending and desistance from crime. This has since long been a widely researched area in criminology. Existing research has stated that relationship with peers influence the criminal career, both in terms of the propensity to commit crime initially and in the criminal recidivism process. Yet the focus has been on adolescents and youths. Less is known about the importance of relationship with friends in the process of change in offending and desistance from crime in adulthood. Existing research indicates that social ties to work, family and community explain changes in criminality. The stronger the social bond the lower the tendency toward criminal behaviour. While initially, it was not an aim to develop a concept of friendship, it became an aim in itself during the process of analysis. Hence, the development of the conceptualization of friendship is the result of an abductive process which occurred through collaboration between theory and my empirical data. Method and data: The method used is narrative ethnography. It involved both interviews with ex-­‐convicts and participating observations in the natural environment of the participants. Narrative ethnography is a method that besides interviewing takes the environment and the conditions of the situation in which the interviews are carried out into account. Results: The definition of friendship that was developed through the process of the thesis reads; friendship is an emotional relationship that is based on trust. A relationship that is free and not focused on interchange, but rather a relationship where one feels a sense of belonging and hence experiencing affirmation. The results show that the process of change in offending consists of three distinctive parts and that the importance of friendship is vital in all parts. The importance of relationship with friends can be understood through the concept of social worlds that contribute to the person’s feeling of belonging and affirmation. According to my own definition of friendship is it clear that ex-­‐convicts have experienced the feeling of belonging within social interactions with people that they have met. The social interactions that occur throughout the process and in the desistance from crime contribute to the confidence, feelings of affirmation and pride, which are all feelings that are essential to succeed in maintaining a law abiding life.