The Reluctance of Happiness. A Note on How Swedish Prosecutors Make Happy Feelings Meaningful

• In Event: Roundtable: International Crime

Abstract

One of the main objectives for prosecutors is to make a charge, go to trial and get the guilty sentenced. Working on a case where the collected evidence points in one direction and anticipates a successful prosecution is therefore steamed with positive emotions, such as engagement, happiness, joy, flow, and even pride. In the theoretical literature these emotions are usually perceived as energetic and motivational, for individuals as well as for institutions. Yet, drawing from qualitative interviews with Swedish prosecutors who are specialized i domestic violence, when they talk about ‘happy feelings’ in relation to their work they tend to downplay them and talk about them in reluctant and distant ways. While these emotional positionings is related to the greater emotional regime of the criminal justice system that advocates objectivity and rationality, this presentation will explore the reluctance of joy in relation to the concept of ‘dirty work’ and accounting for the pejorative implication of doing harm to others (i.e. the defendant).

Author

• Nina Tornqvist, Stockholm University