This thesis is investigating the Danish aftercare with focus on how it can be seen in a criminological perspective. The purpose of the Danish aftercare is to make sure that young adults leaving care or young adults who have been in contact with the public service system can be secured a smooth transition into adulthood. Especially the young adults, who have been a part of the care system, have a higher risk than other young adults to end up in drug abuse or crime. Furthermore, it has been shown in earlier studies in the field that the young adults in the aftercare system have poorer conditions for not getting an education or a job compared to other peers. Because the young adults are exposed in a smooth transition into adulthood than other peers, I find it interesting to investigate how this can be understood in a criminological perspective.
The purpose of this thesis is to examine eight professionals understanding and experiences with aftercare in two of the Danish municipalities in North Jutland. I find the understanding and experiences much relevant in relation to examine the purpose and the young adults in aftercare in a perspective of Travis Hirschis social bond theory. This has a special focus on how to make sure that the young adults do not end up in crime or other social problems but instead they are given a smooth transition into adulthood with an education or a stable attachment to the labor marked. Therefore I want to examine how the professionals understanding of the system can be seen compared to the four theoretical concepts: attachment, commitment, involvement and belief. The four concepts will furthermore be able to examine if the aftercare system can be seen as a crime-preventing instrument towards the young adults who accepts support from aftercare. Because of the focus at the professionals understanding of the system and the young adults within, I have investigated the field by using qualitative interviews.
Through the analysis of this thesis it is concluded, that the Danish aftercare system can be viewed as a crime-preventing instrument, because of the importance of network and other relations around the young adults to ensure stability in the transition into adulthood. These network and other relations can be seen as important element in relations with the importance of the young people’s social bonds to society. In addition to this social bond theory brings a new insight to the understandings of the professionals. Furthermore, it is concluded in the thesis that there are different understandings of the purpose of the Danish aftercare system among the professional. These different understandings have influence on witch young adults can be considered to be concluded in aftercare which is a problem for the rectify casework of the young adults.