Trust Toward the Criminal Justice System Among Swedish Roma: A Mixed-Methodology Approach

Simon Wallengren,Anders Wigerfelt,Caroline Mellgren,Berit Wigerfelt

doi:10.1177/2153368720930405

Abstract

Minority populations’ trust toward the criminal justice system is understudied in many parts of Europe, including Sweden. This article will contribute to this field by examining the trust in the criminal justice system among the Roma community in Sweden. The aim of the study was to (1) estimate the Roma community’s trust toward the criminal justice system, (2) examine what factors influence the community’s trust toward the criminal justice system, and (3) analyze whether trust toward the authorities influences the Roma community’s willingness to report victimization. The study used a mixed-methodology design in combining survey data ( n = 610) with in-depth interviews ( N = 30). The findings show that the respondents have a low level of trust in the criminal justice system authorities. According to the regression analysis, the strongest predictor of trust was shown to be explained by the respondent’s perception of procedural unfairness. Qualitative findings supported these results while also highlighting cultural effects and historical processes that explain the community’s lack of trust. Finally, trust in the authorities seems to be an important factor that influences crime reporting.

Highlights

Background variablesThe background variables included in the questionnaire are gender (0 1⁄4 male, 1 1⁄4 female), age (0 1⁄4 16–19 years, 1 1⁄4 20–29 years, 2 1⁄4 30–39 years, 3 1⁄4 40–49 years, and 4 1⁄4 over 50 years of age), city of residence (0 1⁄4 Malmo, 1 1⁄4 Goteborg), resident owner (0 1⁄4 no, 1 1⁄4 yes), and subgroup membership (0 1⁄4 Roma, 1 1⁄4 Traveler)
This study is, to the best of our knowledge, the first more extensive examination of the Roma community in Sweden and their trust in the criminal justice system, and we believe that we arrived at several important results
The Roma who participated in the questionnaire reported an overall low trust in the criminal justice system and its particular institutions, in particular the police

Summary

Introduction

Background variablesThe background variables included in the questionnaire are gender (0 1⁄4 male, 1 1⁄4 female), age (0 1⁄4 16–19 years, 1 1⁄4 20–29 years, 2 1⁄4 30–39 years, 3 1⁄4 40–49 years, and 4 1⁄4 over 50 years of age), city of residence (0 1⁄4 Malmo, 1 1⁄4 Goteborg), resident owner (0 1⁄4 no, 1 1⁄4 yes), and subgroup membership (0 1⁄4 Roma, 1 1⁄4 Traveler). The reason for combining these subpopulations into one category is that they seem to be more socioeconomically marginalized than the Travelers (Wallengren & Mellgren, 2015b) and tend to be newer arrivals in Sweden (first- or second-generation immigrants), which, based on previous research, may be an important distinction between the two groups due to their different historical experiences and possible socialization processes (Uslaner, 2008). 0.459 0.500 1.286 0.498 0.645 research group had the objective of obtaining a variety of individuals regarding Roma subgroup belonging, age, and gender. The interview material, like the questionnaire, contains information and questions about the study participants’ trust in and perceptions of the legal authorities and about their reasons for refraining from crime reporting. Interviews took place at a location of the study participants’ choosing, often the study participants’ home

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Conclusion