Lost in Translation. Discrimination in the Swedish Criminal Justice Process Exemplified Using the Court-Room Experiences of Justice System Professionals

Authors: Shannon, David; Tornqvist, Nina

Source: Journal of Scandinavian Studies in Criminology and Crime Prevention, Volume 9, Supplement 1, December 2008 , pp. 59-79(21)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

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Abstract:

Research conducted by the authors among Swedish justice system professionals indicates the presence of a dissonance between a desire not discriminate against people from minority backgrounds and the de facto occurrence of precisely this kind of discrimination throughout the criminal justice process. The article notes that this can be understood as resulting from a situation where, just as in other areas of society, much of the disadvantage suffered by people from minority backgrounds in the justice system is due to what has been referred to as 'subtle, unconscious, automatic discrimination'. On the basis of experiences described by justice system professionals, the article presents a range of examples illustrating some of the many situations in which people from minority backgrounds are disadvantaged in their contacts with the Swedish justice system. It concludes with a brief discussion of the implications of the findings for efforts to combat discrimination within the criminal justice process.

Keywords: Communication; Credibility; Criminal justice system; Disadvantage; Discrimination; Equality before the law; Ethnic minorities; Stereotypes

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14043850802450088

Affiliations: 1: Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention, Stockholm, Sweden

Publication date: 2008-12-01