Stefan Sjöström

Stefan Sjöström is a Professor of Social Work at Uppsala University with a multidisciplinary background, holding a PhD in Communication Studies and previous experience as a Senior Lecturer in Sociology. His research spans multiple disciplines, with particular collaborations in law and health sciences.

Sjöström’s work focuses on how law operates in practice, exploring how professionals in health care and social services apply coercive intervention legislation. He has also studied court hearings in both criminal and administrative contexts and policy processes relating to compulsory psychiatric care.

His socio-legal research primarily addresses two domains: coercive interventions in health care and social services, and sexual violence. Using ethnographic and qualitative methods, Sjöström examines how power functions in interactions shaped by legal and organizational frameworks.

In psychiatric coercion, he has identified deficiencies in the rule of law, ambiguities between voluntary and involuntary care, and the effects of stigma on clinical and legal practices. His research on sexual violence includes comparative studies of how the criminal justice system addresses rape involving both female and male victims, contrasting these cases with other offenses like assault and fraud.

Beyond academia, Sjöström has served as a lay judge in criminal court and as a member of a social service board making child protection decisions. These roles inform his critical insights into the intersections of law, policy, and practice.