Research project An increasing number of young women are being convicted of violent crimes. At the same time, incarcerated women report a problematic institutional environment lacking proper care, where staff do not have adequate training or the conditions needed to meet the needs of this group. Against this background, the purpose of this project is to examine the lives and living conditions of girls and young women (ages 15–29) convicted of violent offenses, both prior to and during their time in custody.
The aim of the project is to contribute knowledge about the lives and living conditions of girls and young women in relation to the violence they have committed and experienced, both prior to and during incarceration. The project is grounded in narrative criminology and focuses on girls’ and young women’s narratives, while also incorporating the experiences of correctional staff who work with this group. The knowledge will hopefully create the conditions needed to improve preventative work targeting girls at risk, as well as the work with girls and young women within institutional settings.
This project aims to generate knowledge about how the lives and living conditions of girls and young women convicted of violent crimes relate to the violence they have committed and experienced, both prior to and during incarceration, as well as how everyday life and care within the institutional environment are described, and whether factors such as gender, class, ethnicity and age are assigned significance.
The project is theoretically grounded in narrative criminology and consists of two sub-studies. The first sub-study is based on life-history interviews and diary writing with girls and young women aged 15–29 who are serving sentences in correctional facilities. The second sub-study involves interviews with professionals within the prison and probation service, focusing on their experiences of working with young women convicted of violent offences.
By examining the perspectives of both the girls/young women and the professionals, this project will contribute to advancing the research field by generating knowledge about the specific living conditions and life situations of this vulnerable group. In turn, this knowledge will help create opportunities to strengthen preventative efforts targeting at-risk girls, as well as improve the work with girls and young women in institutional settings.
