The role of symbolic politics in exceptional crime policy debate: a study of the 2014 Swedish general election

Journal of Scandinavian studies in criminology and crime prevention Pub Date : 2018-01-02 DOI:10.1080/14043858.2018.1452874

Klara Hermansson

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引用次数: 5

Abstract

ABSTRACT Symbolic politics are often considered to be closely linked to an alarmist rhetoric, as well as to punitive crime policy initiatives. This article explores the symbolic dimension of the Swedish crime policy debate. Since Sweden is frequently depicted as an antithesis to punitive Anglophone societies, exploring symbolic politics in this setting might expand our understanding of what symbolic statements may consist of. The article analyses the electoral campaign preceding the Swedish general election of 2014, with the aim of identifying which symbolic statements occupy a central position in the debate through the use of a qualitative content analysis. This analysis reveals an ambiguous political rhetoric, comprising morally and emotionally charged condemnatory statements about getting tough on crime, as well as reformist and restrained references to expert knowledge and long-term solutions. On the one hand, these reformist statements strengthen the image of Swedish crime policy as being based on ideals such as rationality and humanity. On the other, they also serve to legitimize and obscure penal expansion.

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符号政治在特殊犯罪政策辩论中的作用:对2014年瑞典大选的研究

符号政治通常被认为与危言耸听的言论以及惩罚性犯罪政策举措密切相关。本文探讨了瑞典犯罪政策辩论的象征层面。由于瑞典经常被描述为惩罚性英语国家社会的对立面，在这种背景下探索象征政治可能会扩展我们对象征语句可能包括什么的理解。本文分析了2014年瑞典大选之前的选举活动，目的是通过使用定性内容分析来确定哪些象征性陈述在辩论中占据中心位置。这一分析揭示了一种模棱两可的政治辞令，包括道德上和情感上对严厉打击犯罪的谴责言论，以及对专家知识和长期解决方案的改革主义和克制的引用。一方面，这些改良主义的言论强化了瑞典犯罪政策基于理性和人道等理想的形象。另一方面，它们也有助于使刑罚扩张合法化和模糊化。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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Journal of Scandinavian studies in criminology and crime prevention

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