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Den störda definitionen - En studie av förutsebarheten kring termen allvarlig psykisk störning

Gustafsson Johansson, Amanda LU (2015) LAGM01 20152
Department of Law
Abstract
This paper discusses the predictability regarding the term severe mental disorder (allvarlig psykisk störning), both its definition and how its applied in the most serious violent crimes. To research the term through a broad perspective, a wide range of information has been reviewed and analysed.

Mentally abnormal offenders have been treated differently within criminal law as far as it is possible to examine the legal system, but what actually constitutes a mental deviation is not defined. A discourse analysis has been done to try to trace the different trends or reasoning regarding the legal assessment where offenders charged with serious violent crimes were suspected to have a serious mental disorder. This work has also particularly... (More)
This paper discusses the predictability regarding the term severe mental disorder (allvarlig psykisk störning), both its definition and how its applied in the most serious violent crimes. To research the term through a broad perspective, a wide range of information has been reviewed and analysed.

Mentally abnormal offenders have been treated differently within criminal law as far as it is possible to examine the legal system, but what actually constitutes a mental deviation is not defined. A discourse analysis has been done to try to trace the different trends or reasoning regarding the legal assessment where offenders charged with serious violent crimes were suspected to have a serious mental disorder. This work has also particularly examined the history of the term, current legislation and potential change. The author has conducted interviews with a chief judge and a forensic psychiatrist about the term. Legal assessments regarding the justifications, explanations and references of serious mental disorder have been widely studied.

It is not seldom that offenders who commit serious violent crimes are seen as mentally abnormal by the public. The essay helps to clarify what actually constitutes a serious mental disorder and that it distinguishes itself from just a mental disorder. The Court has to, according to guiding precedents of the Supreme Court, assess the forensic psychiatric statement that treats the offender's mental state. The forensic psychiatrics assess if the offender committed the crime under the influence of a psychosis or a psychosis-like state. The court shall not make any own medical assessments but shall compare the reports from the forensic psychiatric examination and the Judicial Council on the basis of the facts in the investigation and the skills used in the investigation.

In short, the author found that the term is not predictable, but that the individual assessment is made in each case by a qualified team. The lack of predictability for the public is a great lack of legal certainty, but maintained somewhat by the knowledge that everyone gets an equal investigation. Regarding lawyers knowledge regarding the term, its definition is not important, because it is not lawyers who assesses if a serious mental disorder existed or not. It is a legal term, but the instrument of psychiatrists. The term severe mental disorder is not difficult to define, it is difficult to assess, but it is not the lawyers who conducts the assessment. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Denna uppsats behandlar förutsebarheten gällande termen allvarlig psykisk störning, både till dess definition och hur den tillämpas vid grova våldsbrott. För att undersöka termen har en mängd information beaktas och analyserats för att kunna genom ett brett perspektiv för att utreda termen.

Psykiskt avvikande lagöverträdare har särbehandlats straffrättsligt så långt tillbaka som det går att utreda, men vad som faktiskt utgör en psykisk avvikelse har inte definierats. En diskursanalys har gjort för att försöka spåra olika tendenser eller resonemang vid den rättsliga bedömningen när lagöverträdare, som åtalats för grova våldsbrott, framkallat en misstanke om att en allvarlig psykisk störning förelegat. I detta arbete har även särskilt... (More)
Denna uppsats behandlar förutsebarheten gällande termen allvarlig psykisk störning, både till dess definition och hur den tillämpas vid grova våldsbrott. För att undersöka termen har en mängd information beaktas och analyserats för att kunna genom ett brett perspektiv för att utreda termen.

Psykiskt avvikande lagöverträdare har särbehandlats straffrättsligt så långt tillbaka som det går att utreda, men vad som faktiskt utgör en psykisk avvikelse har inte definierats. En diskursanalys har gjort för att försöka spåra olika tendenser eller resonemang vid den rättsliga bedömningen när lagöverträdare, som åtalats för grova våldsbrott, framkallat en misstanke om att en allvarlig psykisk störning förelegat. I detta arbete har även särskilt granskats termens historik, gällande lagstiftning och potentiell förändring. Det har genomförts intervjuer med en lagman och en rättspsykiatriker gällande termen. Domskäl har fått stort utrymme, särskilt dess motiveringar, förklaringar och hänvisningar gällande bedömningen av allvarlig psykisk störning.

Inte sällan ses gärningsmän som begår grova våldsbrott som psykiskt störda av allmänheten. Uppsatsen syftar till att förtydliga vad som faktiskt utgör en allvarlig psykisk störning och att begreppet skiljer sig från en psykisk störning. Rätten har genom vägledande praxis från Högsta domstolen att ta ställning till de rättspsykiatriska utlåtanden som behandlar lagöverträdarens psykiska tillstånd. Det rättspsykiatriska utlåtandet bedömer om lagöverträdaren begått brottet under inflytandet av en psykos eller ett psykosliknande tillstånd. Rätten ska inte göra någon egen medicinsk bedömning utan ska vid behov bedöma utlåtanden från den rättspsykiatriska undersökningen och Rättsliga rådet utifrån dess omständigheter vid utredningen och den kompetens som nyttjas vid utredningen.

Kort sagt fann författaren att termen inte är förutsebar utan att en individuell bedömning av kompetenta team görs i varje fall. Bristen på förutsebarhet för allmänheten är en stor brist i rättsäkerheten, men den upprätthålls något genom kunskapen om att alla får en likvärdig utredning. Gällande juristernas relation till termen är dess definition inte av vikt, då det inte är rätten som ska bedöma om en allvarlig psykisk störning förelegat eller ej. Det är en juridisk term, men det är psykiatrikernas arbetsverktyg. Termen allvarlig psykisk störning är inte svårdefinierad utan svårbedömd, men det är inte jurister som ska göra bedömningen. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Gustafsson Johansson, Amanda LU
supervisor
organization
alternative title
The disordered definition - A study of predictability surrounding the term serious mental disorder
course
LAGM01 20152
year
type
H3 - Professional qualifications (4 Years - )
subject
keywords
Criminal law, Allvarlig psykisk störning, Straffrätt, Rättspsykiatri
language
Swedish
id
8506492
date added to LUP
2016-02-08 11:20:53
date last changed
2017-01-27 15:49:50
@misc{8506492,
  abstract     = {{This paper discusses the predictability regarding the term severe mental disorder (allvarlig psykisk störning), both its definition and how its applied in the most serious violent crimes. To research the term through a broad perspective, a wide range of information has been reviewed and analysed.

Mentally abnormal offenders have been treated differently within criminal law as far as it is possible to examine the legal system, but what actually constitutes a mental deviation is not defined. A discourse analysis has been done to try to trace the different trends or reasoning regarding the legal assessment where offenders charged with serious violent crimes were suspected to have a serious mental disorder. This work has also particularly examined the history of the term, current legislation and potential change. The author has conducted interviews with a chief judge and a forensic psychiatrist about the term. Legal assessments regarding the justifications, explanations and references of serious mental disorder have been widely studied.

It is not seldom that offenders who commit serious violent crimes are seen as mentally abnormal by the public. The essay helps to clarify what actually constitutes a serious mental disorder and that it distinguishes itself from just a mental disorder. The Court has to, according to guiding precedents of the Supreme Court, assess the forensic psychiatric statement that treats the offender's mental state. The forensic psychiatrics assess if the offender committed the crime under the influence of a psychosis or a psychosis-like state. The court shall not make any own medical assessments but shall compare the reports from the forensic psychiatric examination and the Judicial Council on the basis of the facts in the investigation and the skills used in the investigation.

In short, the author found that the term is not predictable, but that the individual assessment is made in each case by a qualified team. The lack of predictability for the public is a great lack of legal certainty, but maintained somewhat by the knowledge that everyone gets an equal investigation. Regarding lawyers knowledge regarding the term, its definition is not important, because it is not lawyers who assesses if a serious mental disorder existed or not. It is a legal term, but the instrument of psychiatrists. The term severe mental disorder is not difficult to define, it is difficult to assess, but it is not the lawyers who conducts the assessment.}},
  author       = {{Gustafsson Johansson, Amanda}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Den störda definitionen - En studie av förutsebarheten kring termen allvarlig psykisk störning}},
  year         = {{2015}},
}