Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Communications of autonomy and vulnerability in criminal proceedings

Andersson, Ulrika LU (2016) In International Journal of Law, Language and Discourse 6.1. p.37-44
Abstract
In some high-profile Swedish cases on violence in intimate relationships, policemen and judges have been blamed for missing important aspects of the victim’s vulnerable situation and the ongoing violence, and indirectly causing the death of the women victims. When these types of cases encounter the criminal justice system, two seemingly opposites are confronted: autonomy and vulnerability. In determining whether a penalty should be imposed, autonomy is vital, in the sense that freedom and rationality of the bounded individual is fundamental for criminal responsibility. Violence in intimate relationships, on the other hand, is clearly related to the vulnerability of the individual exposed to the violence. This vulnerability represents... (More)
In some high-profile Swedish cases on violence in intimate relationships, policemen and judges have been blamed for missing important aspects of the victim’s vulnerable situation and the ongoing violence, and indirectly causing the death of the women victims. When these types of cases encounter the criminal justice system, two seemingly opposites are confronted: autonomy and vulnerability. In determining whether a penalty should be imposed, autonomy is vital, in the sense that freedom and rationality of the bounded individual is fundamental for criminal responsibility. Violence in intimate relationships, on the other hand, is clearly related to the vulnerability of the individual exposed to the violence. This vulnerability represents something contextual, where power relations are crucial, and is also connected to its structural context. I argue that a move towards a vulnerable subject as a starting point would affect the criminal justice system. This concept assumes a potential for all humans to experience vulnerability during a life span, and does not prevent autonomy. In the judgments explored in this article, this view is already reflected when it comes to the positioning of the defendant, who is seen as highly autonomous, at the same time as his vulnerable situation is taken into account in determining the penalty. However, the communications regarding the victim does not include these nuances. A move towards establishing a more accurate definition of subject in this field of law, the vulnerable one, would emphasize an awareness of a more complex notion of the subject and be more consistent with the embodiment of the everyday individual encounter with the criminal justice system. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
civil and criminal procedure, law, domestic violence, vulnerability, communication, processrätt, våld i nära relation
in
International Journal of Law, Language and Discourse
volume
6.1
article number
4
pages
8 pages
ISSN
1839-8308
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
64ef35ad-6535-4d9f-b4ce-a0b09c3e6001
alternative location
https://www.elejournals.com/1392/2016/ijlld/ijlld-volume-6-1-2016/
date added to LUP
2016-08-18 11:13:22
date last changed
2023-03-23 10:10:54
@article{64ef35ad-6535-4d9f-b4ce-a0b09c3e6001,
  abstract     = {{In some high-profile Swedish cases on violence in intimate relationships, policemen and judges have been blamed for missing important aspects of the victim’s vulnerable situation and the ongoing violence, and indirectly causing the death of the women victims. When these types of cases encounter the criminal justice system, two seemingly opposites are confronted: autonomy and vulnerability. In determining whether a penalty should be imposed, autonomy is vital, in the sense that freedom and rationality of the bounded individual is fundamental for criminal responsibility. Violence in intimate relationships, on the other hand, is clearly related to the vulnerability of the individual exposed to the violence. This vulnerability represents something contextual, where power relations are crucial, and is also connected to its structural context. I argue that a move towards a vulnerable subject as a starting point would affect the criminal justice system. This concept assumes a potential for all humans to experience vulnerability during a life span, and does not prevent autonomy. In the judgments explored in this article, this view is already reflected when it comes to the positioning of the defendant, who is seen as highly autonomous, at the same time as his vulnerable situation is taken into account in determining the penalty. However, the communications regarding the victim does not include these nuances. A move towards establishing a more accurate definition of subject in this field of law, the vulnerable one, would emphasize an awareness of a more complex notion of the subject and be more consistent with the embodiment of the everyday individual encounter with the criminal justice system.}},
  author       = {{Andersson, Ulrika}},
  issn         = {{1839-8308}},
  keywords     = {{civil and criminal procedure; law; domestic violence; vulnerability; communication; processrätt; våld i nära relation}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{06}},
  pages        = {{37--44}},
  series       = {{International Journal of Law, Language and Discourse}},
  title        = {{Communications of autonomy and vulnerability in criminal proceedings}},
  url          = {{https://www.elejournals.com/1392/2016/ijlld/ijlld-volume-6-1-2016/}},
  volume       = {{6.1}},
  year         = {{2016}},
}