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Vad får domstolen döma över? En studie av värden i svensk straffprocessrätt

Nordstrandh, Per-Emil LU (2024) JURM02 20242
Department of Law
Faculty of Law
Abstract (Swedish)
Syftet med uppsatsen är att studera vad domstolarna får döma över och vilka värden den svenska straffrätten bygger på. För att undersöka vad domstolarna får döma över har jag behandlat de krav på gärningsbeskrivningens omfattning som ställs i RB 30:3. Därtill undersöks vad lagen och förarbeten behandlar om materiell processledning.
För att kunna undersöka straffrättens värden använder jag mig av de två modeller den amerikanske juridikprofessorn Herbert L. Packer skapade och presenterade i en artikel 1964. Enligt värdena bakom brottsbekämpningsmodellen är det viktigaste syftet med straffrätten att beivra brott genom att åtala och döma lagöverträdare. För att rättssystemet ska fungera ska straffprocesser vara effektiva och informella. Som... (More)
Syftet med uppsatsen är att studera vad domstolarna får döma över och vilka värden den svenska straffrätten bygger på. För att undersöka vad domstolarna får döma över har jag behandlat de krav på gärningsbeskrivningens omfattning som ställs i RB 30:3. Därtill undersöks vad lagen och förarbeten behandlar om materiell processledning.
För att kunna undersöka straffrättens värden använder jag mig av de två modeller den amerikanske juridikprofessorn Herbert L. Packer skapade och presenterade i en artikel 1964. Enligt värdena bakom brottsbekämpningsmodellen är det viktigaste syftet med straffrätten att beivra brott genom att åtala och döma lagöverträdare. För att rättssystemet ska fungera ska straffprocesser vara effektiva och informella. Som polaritet till modellen finns rättssäkerhetsmodellen som ger uttryck för värdet att rättssäkerhet är straffrättens främsta syfte. Straffprocessen beivrar brott genom att rättsprocessen är rättssäker. För att säkerställa en rättssäker process och hindra staten från att missbruka processen finns mänskliga rättigheter. Jag har anpassat modellerna till en svensk kontext för att kunna analysera vilka värden som kommer till uttryck i svensk straffrätt.
I uppsatsen har jag valt ut 24 rättsfall från Högsta domstolen som berör straffprocessuella frågor om gärningsbeskrivningen, alternativa straffbestämmelser, materiell processledning och preskriptionstid. Jag analyserar rättsfallen för att undersöka vad domstolen får döma över och vilka värden Högsta domstolen uttrycker. Jag placerar sedan in rättsfallen på en skala mellan de båda modellerna. Skalan har tre steg: mot brottsbekämpningsmodellen, i mitten och mot rättssäkerhetsmodellen.
Jag presenterar mitt resultat över de krav Högsta domstolen ställer på vad domstolen får döma över. Jag kommer fram till att Högsta domstolens prejudikat ger uttryck för värdena bakom båda modellerna men att flest fall ger uttryck för rättssäkerhetsmodellen. Jag avslutar med att reflektera kring vad mitt resultat har för inverkan på straffprocessen och lyfter frågan om hur detaljerad gärningsbeskrivningen behöver vara och hur olyckligt formulerade domskäl i friande domar påverkar förtroendet för rättssystemet. (Less)
Abstract
The purpose of this essay is to study the limitations to what the courts can base their judgement on and to analyze the values of the Swedish criminal process. To study the existing limitations to what the court can base their judgements on I have examined the requirements upon the statement of the criminal act as charged set up in chapter 30 section 3 in the code of judicial procedures.
To examine the values of the criminal process I have used the two models presented by the American professor of law Herbert L. Packer. His two models, the crime control model and the due process model, are polarities. The crime control model is based on values that the most important function of the criminal process is to repression of criminal activity.... (More)
The purpose of this essay is to study the limitations to what the courts can base their judgement on and to analyze the values of the Swedish criminal process. To study the existing limitations to what the court can base their judgements on I have examined the requirements upon the statement of the criminal act as charged set up in chapter 30 section 3 in the code of judicial procedures.
To examine the values of the criminal process I have used the two models presented by the American professor of law Herbert L. Packer. His two models, the crime control model and the due process model, are polarities. The crime control model is based on values that the most important function of the criminal process is to repression of criminal activity. The criminal process has the aim to apprehend and convict as many as possible. For that to succeed the criminal process needs to be effective and informal. The other pole is the due process model. The due process model is deeply imprinted by the formal structure of the law. According to the model reliabil-ity is more important than efficiency. The goal of the criminal process is as much to protect the innocent as convict the guilty. Therefore there needs to be safeguards to control that the process is reliable and protecting the innocent. One such safeguard is human rights. The models are made for the American criminal process, and I have therefore adopted the models to work in a Swedish context.
I have chosen 24 precedents from the Swedish Supreme court. The cases deal with questions of the statement of the criminal act as charged, other sections than the one the prosecutor has deemed applicable, judicial interference in criminal proceedings and prescription times. I analyze the supreme courts reasoning and conclusions in the precedents. I then place the precedents on the spectrum between the two models. The spectrum used in the essay has three steps, toward the crime control model, in between the two models and toward the due process model.
I present my result on the requirements the Supreme court has set up for what the court can base their judgement on. I then conclude that the Swedish Supreme court through its precedents expresses values of both models. In most cases the court expresses values related to the due process model. I end the paper with a reflection regarding how my result affects the criminal process. I discuss the matter of how detailed statement of the criminal act as charged needs to be and how unfortunate expressed reasons in an acquittal can affect the trust in the legal system. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Nordstrandh, Per-Emil LU
supervisor
organization
alternative title
What are the limitations to what the courts can base their judgement on? A study of the values in the Swedish criminal process
course
JURM02 20242
year
type
H3 - Professional qualifications (4 Years - )
subject
keywords
straffrätt, straffprocessrätt, criminal law, criminal process, Herbert Packer, due process, crime control, rättssäkerhetsmodellen, brottsbekämpningsmodellen
language
Swedish
id
9179802
date added to LUP
2025-01-17 11:19:17
date last changed
2025-01-17 11:19:17
@misc{9179802,
  abstract     = {{The purpose of this essay is to study the limitations to what the courts can base their judgement on and to analyze the values of the Swedish criminal process. To study the existing limitations to what the court can base their judgements on I have examined the requirements upon the statement of the criminal act as charged set up in chapter 30 section 3 in the code of judicial procedures.
To examine the values of the criminal process I have used the two models presented by the American professor of law Herbert L. Packer. His two models, the crime control model and the due process model, are polarities. The crime control model is based on values that the most important function of the criminal process is to repression of criminal activity. The criminal process has the aim to apprehend and convict as many as possible. For that to succeed the criminal process needs to be effective and informal. The other pole is the due process model. The due process model is deeply imprinted by the formal structure of the law. According to the model reliabil-ity is more important than efficiency. The goal of the criminal process is as much to protect the innocent as convict the guilty. Therefore there needs to be safeguards to control that the process is reliable and protecting the innocent. One such safeguard is human rights. The models are made for the American criminal process, and I have therefore adopted the models to work in a Swedish context. 
I have chosen 24 precedents from the Swedish Supreme court. The cases deal with questions of the statement of the criminal act as charged, other sections than the one the prosecutor has deemed applicable, judicial interference in criminal proceedings and prescription times. I analyze the supreme courts reasoning and conclusions in the precedents. I then place the precedents on the spectrum between the two models. The spectrum used in the essay has three steps, toward the crime control model, in between the two models and toward the due process model.
I present my result on the requirements the Supreme court has set up for what the court can base their judgement on. I then conclude that the Swedish Supreme court through its precedents expresses values of both models. In most cases the court expresses values related to the due process model. I end the paper with a reflection regarding how my result affects the criminal process. I discuss the matter of how detailed statement of the criminal act as charged needs to be and how unfortunate expressed reasons in an acquittal can affect the trust in the legal system.}},
  author       = {{Nordstrandh, Per-Emil}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Vad får domstolen döma över? En studie av värden i svensk straffprocessrätt}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}