Skyldig men sjuk – Regleringen av allvarlig psykisk störning från 1864 års strafflag till idag
(2026) JURM02 20261Department of Law
Faculty of Law
- Abstract (Swedish)
- Den juridiska termen allvarlig psykisk störning förekommer på flera områden inom den svenska lagstiftningen, i synnerhet inom straffrätten. Bedömningen av sinnessjukdom och det som idag benämns som allvarlig psykisk störning kan därjämte spåras långt tillbaka i rättshistorien.
Examensarbetet berör de internationella rättshistoriska influenserna från biblisk tid fram till mitten av 1900-talet. I den svenska kontexten behandlas den rättshistoriska utvecklingen från landskapslagarna fram till dagens gällande rätt. Inom ramen för denna utveckling utgjorde den svenska 1864 års strafflag ett viktigt steg beträffande synen på lagöverträdare med allvarlig psykisk störning. Detta kan alltjämt urskiljas i gällande rätt, främst genom det... (More) - Den juridiska termen allvarlig psykisk störning förekommer på flera områden inom den svenska lagstiftningen, i synnerhet inom straffrätten. Bedömningen av sinnessjukdom och det som idag benämns som allvarlig psykisk störning kan därjämte spåras långt tillbaka i rättshistorien.
Examensarbetet berör de internationella rättshistoriska influenserna från biblisk tid fram till mitten av 1900-talet. I den svenska kontexten behandlas den rättshistoriska utvecklingen från landskapslagarna fram till dagens gällande rätt. Inom ramen för denna utveckling utgjorde den svenska 1864 års strafflag ett viktigt steg beträffande synen på lagöverträdare med allvarlig psykisk störning. Detta kan alltjämt urskiljas i gällande rätt, främst genom det nuvarande fängelseförbudet och regleringen av rättspsykiatrisk vård i brottsbalken 30 kap. 6 § respektive 31 kap. 3 §. Mot denna bakgrund utgör 1864 års strafflag utgångspunkten för förevarande framställning. I den samtida rättspolitiska debatten aktualiseras frågan på nytt då regeringen Kristersson i början av år 2026 presenterade en proposition om säkerhetsförvaring, en tidsobestämd påföljd för personer som har begått allvarliga och upprepade brott med risk för återfall. Förhållandet mellan detta förslag och regleringen av allvarlig psykisk störning har därmed tagits upp i den rättsliga diskussionen.
Vidare aktualiseras frågor om hur regleringen av allvarlig psykisk störning har utvecklats över tid, på vilket sätt denna utveckling har lett fram till dagens lagstiftning samt hur den framtida rättsutvecklingen kan komma till uttryck. Detta utgör tillika examensarbetets övergripande syfte. Särskilt behandlas regleringens rättshistoriska utveckling, dess nuvarande utformning och bakomliggande motiv i gällande rätt samt framtida förändringsprocesser som kan urskiljas. För att besvara detta tillämpas såväl rättshistorisk som rättsdogmatisk metod. Därutöver används Kaarlo Tuoris teori om rättens skiktning samt rättskultursbegreppet, som analytiska ramverk för att förstå hur rättsliga förändringar förhåller sig till mer djupliggande och stabila rättsliga principer.
Examensarbetet åskådliggör att rättsutvecklingen avseende allvarlig psykisk störning karaktäriseras av ett återkommande pendelmönster mellan humanistiska och vårdinriktade perioder samt mer restriktiva skeden med fokus på samhällsskydd. Reformerna har drivits av internationella idéströmningar, straffrättsskolornas omvandling, politiska maktskiften och samhälleliga händelser som fungerat som utlösande faktorer för tidigare förberedda reformambitioner. Säkerhetsförvaring framträder inte som ett avsteg från tidigare grundprinciper, utan som ett subsidiärt komplement underordnat den tidigare regleringen. Att vara skyldig men sjuk har genom rättshistorien utgjort en komplex rättslig avvägning, något som alltjämt förefaller bestå. (Less) - Abstract
- The legal term severe mental disorder appears in several areas of Swedish legislation, particularly within criminal law. Moreover, the assessment of insanity and what is today referred to as severe mental disorder can be traced far back in legal history.
The thesis examines the international legal-historical influences from biblical times until the middle of the 1900s. In the Swedish context, the legal-historical development is examined from the provincial laws to current law. Within the framework of this development, the Swedish Penal Code of 1864 constituted an important step concerning the perception of offenders with severe mental disorders. This can still be discerned in current law, primarily through the present prohibition... (More) - The legal term severe mental disorder appears in several areas of Swedish legislation, particularly within criminal law. Moreover, the assessment of insanity and what is today referred to as severe mental disorder can be traced far back in legal history.
The thesis examines the international legal-historical influences from biblical times until the middle of the 1900s. In the Swedish context, the legal-historical development is examined from the provincial laws to current law. Within the framework of this development, the Swedish Penal Code of 1864 constituted an important step concerning the perception of offenders with severe mental disorders. This can still be discerned in current law, primarily through the present prohibition against imprisonment and the regulation of forensic psychiatric care in Chapter 30, Section 6 and Chapter 31, Section 3 of the Swedish Penal Code respectively. Against this background, the Swedish Penal Code of 1864 constitutes the point of departure for the present study. In the contemporary legal-political debate, the issue has once again been brought to the forefront as the Kristersson Cabinet, at the beginning of 2026, presented a bill concerning preventive detention for repeat offenders at risk of recidivism. The relationship between the proposal and the regulation of severe mental disorder has thereby been brought into focus in the legal discussion.
Accordingly, questions arise as to how the regulation of severe mental disorder has developed over time, in what manner this development has led to current legislation, and how future legal developments may come to manifest themselves. This likewise constitutes the overarching purpose of the thesis. Particular attention is devoted to the legal-historical development of the regulation, its current structure and underlying motives in current law, as well as future processes of legal change that may be identified. In order to address these issues, both legal-historical and legal-dogmatic methods are applied. In addition, Kaarlo Tuori’s theory of the levels of law, together with the concept of legal culture, is employed as analytical frameworks in order to understand how legal changes relate to deeper and more stable legal principles.
The thesis demonstrates that the legal development concerning severe mental disorder is characterised by a recurring pendulum movement between humanistic and treatment-oriented periods and more restrictive phases focused on the protection of society. The reforms have been driven by international currents of ideas, transformations within the Schools of criminal law, political shifts in power, and societal events which have functioned as triggering factors for previously prepared reform ambitions. Preventive detention does not emerge as a departure from earlier fundamental principles, but rather as a subsidiary complement subordinated to the previous regulation. Being guilty yet mentally ill has throughout legal history constituted a complex legal balancing exercise, something which appears likely to persist. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9227269
- author
- Alqvist, Axel LU
- supervisor
- organization
- alternative title
- Guilty Yet Mentally Ill – The Regulation of Severe Mental Disorder from the Penal Code of 1864 to the Present Day
- course
- JURM02 20261
- year
- 2026
- type
- H3 - Professional qualifications (4 Years - )
- subject
- keywords
- rättshistoria, legal history, allvarlig psykisk störning, severe mental disorder, straffrätt, 1864 års strafflag, brottsbalk, säkerhetsförvaring, brb 30 kap. 6 §, brb 31 kap. 3 §, fängelseförbudet, rättspsykiatrisk vård
- language
- Swedish
- id
- 9227269
- date added to LUP
- 2026-06-10 09:42:22
- date last changed
- 2026-06-10 14:44:22
@misc{9227269,
abstract = {{The legal term severe mental disorder appears in several areas of Swedish legislation, particularly within criminal law. Moreover, the assessment of insanity and what is today referred to as severe mental disorder can be traced far back in legal history.
The thesis examines the international legal-historical influences from biblical times until the middle of the 1900s. In the Swedish context, the legal-historical development is examined from the provincial laws to current law. Within the framework of this development, the Swedish Penal Code of 1864 constituted an important step concerning the perception of offenders with severe mental disorders. This can still be discerned in current law, primarily through the present prohibition against imprisonment and the regulation of forensic psychiatric care in Chapter 30, Section 6 and Chapter 31, Section 3 of the Swedish Penal Code respectively. Against this background, the Swedish Penal Code of 1864 constitutes the point of departure for the present study. In the contemporary legal-political debate, the issue has once again been brought to the forefront as the Kristersson Cabinet, at the beginning of 2026, presented a bill concerning preventive detention for repeat offenders at risk of recidivism. The relationship between the proposal and the regulation of severe mental disorder has thereby been brought into focus in the legal discussion.
Accordingly, questions arise as to how the regulation of severe mental disorder has developed over time, in what manner this development has led to current legislation, and how future legal developments may come to manifest themselves. This likewise constitutes the overarching purpose of the thesis. Particular attention is devoted to the legal-historical development of the regulation, its current structure and underlying motives in current law, as well as future processes of legal change that may be identified. In order to address these issues, both legal-historical and legal-dogmatic methods are applied. In addition, Kaarlo Tuori’s theory of the levels of law, together with the concept of legal culture, is employed as analytical frameworks in order to understand how legal changes relate to deeper and more stable legal principles.
The thesis demonstrates that the legal development concerning severe mental disorder is characterised by a recurring pendulum movement between humanistic and treatment-oriented periods and more restrictive phases focused on the protection of society. The reforms have been driven by international currents of ideas, transformations within the Schools of criminal law, political shifts in power, and societal events which have functioned as triggering factors for previously prepared reform ambitions. Preventive detention does not emerge as a departure from earlier fundamental principles, but rather as a subsidiary complement subordinated to the previous regulation. Being guilty yet mentally ill has throughout legal history constituted a complex legal balancing exercise, something which appears likely to persist.}},
author = {{Alqvist, Axel}},
language = {{swe}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Skyldig men sjuk – Regleringen av allvarlig psykisk störning från 1864 års strafflag till idag}},
year = {{2026}},
}