I urval från Stockholms universitets publikationsdatabas

• Using drugs to enhance capacities for action in everyday life practices: Analysing addiction stories’ descriptions of the escalation of substance use as counter-narratives

  2025. Jukka Törrönen, Ulrika Winerdal, Malin Gunnarsson. Social Science and Medicine 380, 118245-118245

  Artikel

  Abstract

  Background: The article demonstrates how substance use can enhance capacities for action in various everyday practices and function as a productive force rather than simply a risky and harmful activity.

  Methods: The data set comprises 33 life story interviews in which the participants self-identified as having experienced an addiction to substances. The data was analyzed as ‘counter-narratives’ by drawing on actor-network theory.

  Results: The analysis identified four typical variants of how substance use can increase capacities for action. First, substance use can initially enhance the capacities to achieve life goals and then transform into a mediator thatstrengthens attachments to normal daily activities. Secondly, substance use can become linked to serving mutually reinforcing trajectories in everyday life: assisting breaks from worries, reinforcing daily continuity, andadvancing life goals. Third, substance use can enable a sudden change in life direction by facilitating a radical transition to a new reality and subsequently stabilizing it. Fourth, substance use can evolve into a mediator that divides life into two assemblages: one that enables fulfillment of daily responsibilities and another that mediates freedom to pursue pleasure.

  Conclusion: Generating knowledge about the relations, assemblages, and trajectories in which substance use actsas a productive force and identifying when and how it can become a mediator that limits, threatens, or impedesthe capacities of actors to live functional lives provides important information for health professionals andpractitioners. Such knowledge will deepen their understanding of the elements on which their prevention andtreatment efforts should focus.

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• A conference on Nordic comparisons of addictive substances and behaviors – Time for the revival of the tradition of Nordic research exchange!

  2023. Jessica Storbjörk, Tuulia Lerkkanen, Ulrika Winerdal.

  Övrigt

  The Department of Public Health Sciences at Stockholm University and its Center for Social Research on Alcohol and Drugs (SoRAD) are announcing a conference on Nordic Comparative Research on Addictive Substances and Behaviors – Advancing by Comparing. It takes place in Stockholm, in April 2024. The three-day conference aims to revive the tradition of Nordic research collaboration by presenting the latest Nordic comparisons and sharing a platform for inspiring researchers to discuss possible comparisons in the future.

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• Det dubbla ansvaret: Polisförhör med barn och unga som misstänks för att ha utövat dödligt våld

  2020. Ulrika Winerdal.

  Avhandling (Dok)

  The over-arching aim of this doctoral thesis is to describe, analyze, theorize and problematize how the Swedish police interrogate children and youth suspected of committing the crime of homicide. This thesis will therefore focus on the investigative interview practices with children below the age of criminal responsibility, who cannot be prosecuted, as well as youth, who have reached the age of criminal responsibility and can thus be prosecuted, and, if found guilty, sentenced. The thesis particularly conceptualizes the “dual responsibility” of the police when interrogating children and youth. The police are, in accordance with the law, obliged to both investigate the actual crime and the issue of guilt and the need of social support for the well-being of the suspected child or youth. The quintessential question is, thus if, and, if so, to what extent, the investigative interview practices being studied responds to the legal obligation of this dual responsibility.

  The empirical data that the thesis analyzes are the investigative interviews conducted by police officers in Swedish police authorities from 1995 to 2013, comprising a total of forty-seven case files. These files include seven children, five to fourteen years old, and forty-seven youths, fifteen to seventeen years old, all of whom are suspected of having committed the crime of homicide. A total of 101 transcribed interviews are included in the study.

  The thesis identifies five main empirical findings. The first is that the investigative interview practices comprise three main themes, namely, interrogative topics (what the police ask about), questions (how the police ask question to get to know about the topics), and strategies (how the police try to make the children and the youth talk about the actual topics). The second main finding is that all three investigative interview practices exclusively concern nothing but issues of crime and guilt - including the description of the crime, its time and place, weapon(s) involved and motive(s). The third main finding is that there are no significant differences in how children and youth are being interrogated. The fourth main finding, then, is that only one of the two legal responsibilities is in focus in the interviews. That is, the investigation of the facts of the crime and the determination of guilt. The fifth finding is that when focusing on crime and guilt the police use of questions is often not in compliance with existing recommendations for best practices, which means that leading questions are often used.

  These findings are then theorized by applying Mary Douglas’ theory of how institutions think. This theorization shows that the investigative interview practices are strongly informed by a thought style which is manifested throughout the interrogative topics, questions and strategies. This thought style influences the institutional approach in such a way that one half of the dual responsibility is completely overlooked. That is, the legal obligation to investigate the need of social support for the wellbeing of a suspected child or youth, both during interrogation and afterwards in their lives following the investigations.

  The thesis ends by identifying a number of problems, possibilities and dilemmas that need to be met to ensure that the investigative interview practices fully address the legal obligations of the dual responsibility.

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• The quality of question types in Swedish police interviews with young suspects of serious crimes

  2019. Ulrika Winerdal, Ann-Christin Cederborg, Johanna Lindholm. The Police Journal 92 (2), 136-149

  Artikel

  This study explores how juvenile offenders in Sweden between the age of 15 and 17 are interviewed by police officers when suspected of homicide crimes. The quality of question types was assessed in 47 authentic interviews. The findings show that the police officers used option-posing and suggestive questions most frequently and social pressure was used in three predominating ways: to confront, to challenge and to appeal for a confession. The conclusion is that the police officers’ question style to a large extent contradicts recommendations for how to interview children. There is therefore a need to develop an evidence-based interview practice for interviewing young suspects.

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