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Där spriten går in, går vettet ut - en rättsutvecklingsanalys kring berusade lagöverträdare

Zakrisson, Kim LU (2014) LAGF03 20142
Department of Law
Faculty of Law
Abstract
A large number of the violent crimes that are committed in Sweden involve an intoxicated offender. How these offenders should be treated is a subject that has raised several debates regarding the most appropriate solution. The assessment of guilt for people committing crimes under the influence of alcohol has changed several times through Swedish legal history. Nonetheless there is still disagreement about the current methods appropriateness.

The legal position regarding intoxication in crimes has altered, as new criminal ideologies have gained foothold in Sweden. The view of consuming alcohol has also changed in a very significant way, and the medieval liberal attitude towards intoxications has since long been abandoned. Intoxication... (More)
A large number of the violent crimes that are committed in Sweden involve an intoxicated offender. How these offenders should be treated is a subject that has raised several debates regarding the most appropriate solution. The assessment of guilt for people committing crimes under the influence of alcohol has changed several times through Swedish legal history. Nonetheless there is still disagreement about the current methods appropriateness.

The legal position regarding intoxication in crimes has altered, as new criminal ideologies have gained foothold in Sweden. The view of consuming alcohol has also changed in a very significant way, and the medieval liberal attitude towards intoxications has since long been abandoned. Intoxication has gone from being a mitigating circumstance during the meddle ages and 17th century, to become a circumstance leading to more restrictive assessments due to the new ideas which reached Sweden in the 18th and 19th century.

During the 20th century, when preventive thoughts dominated the criminal law, there was such a concern to take legal proceedings against these crimes that the requirement of intent was partially remitted. The current legal position was introduced in The Supreme Court ruling NJA 2011 s. 563 and was a clear standpoint on the issue, which also demonstrated the Court's important role when there is a legal uncertainty. Today equal treatment and predictability of the legal system are the most central principles of criminal law. This has lead to a regulation where the intoxication itself does not constitute a mitigating circumstance, but an assessment of guilt that should be carried out in the same manner as if the offender had been sober.

Even though the current legal position has been welcomed, there are also those who are more sceptical and believe that the solution will cause more problems than it solves. Will the current solution lead to a situation where intoxicated offenders can avoid punishment by claiming memory lapses, and how will the regulation affect sexual crimes committed by drunken offenders? (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
En stor del av våldsbrotten i Sverige begås av gärningsmän som handlat under självförvållat rus. Hur man straffrättsligt ska behandla den här kategorin av lagöverträdare är ett ämne som givit upphov till debatter kring vad som är den lämpligaste lösningen. Skuldbedömningen för personer som begått brott under inverkan av rusningsmedel har förändrats ett flertal gånger genom svensk rättshistoria, trots det rådet än idag oenighet kring rättslägets lämplighet.

Ur ett historiskt perspektiv kan konstateras att rättsläget kring berusning vid brott förändrats i takt med att nya straffrättsliga ideologier fått fäste i landet. Samtidigt har synen på alkoholkonsumtion förändrats på ett markant sätt och idag är medeltidens liberala inställning till... (More)
En stor del av våldsbrotten i Sverige begås av gärningsmän som handlat under självförvållat rus. Hur man straffrättsligt ska behandla den här kategorin av lagöverträdare är ett ämne som givit upphov till debatter kring vad som är den lämpligaste lösningen. Skuldbedömningen för personer som begått brott under inverkan av rusningsmedel har förändrats ett flertal gånger genom svensk rättshistoria, trots det rådet än idag oenighet kring rättslägets lämplighet.

Ur ett historiskt perspektiv kan konstateras att rättsläget kring berusning vid brott förändrats i takt med att nya straffrättsliga ideologier fått fäste i landet. Samtidigt har synen på alkoholkonsumtion förändrats på ett markant sätt och idag är medeltidens liberala inställning till rusdrycker sedan länge övergiven. Berusning har gått från att under medeltiden och 1600-talet varit en förmildrande och strafflindrande omständighet, till att under 1700- och 1800-talet blivit en faktor som givit upphov till restriktivare bedömningar p.g.a. de nya idéströmningar som nådde Sverige.

Under 1900-talet, då preventiva tankar dominerade straffrätten, fanns en så stor angelägenhet till lagföring vid brotten att uppsåtskravet till viss del eftergavs. Dagens rättsläge som fastslagits genom avgörandet NJA 2011 s. 563 var ett tydligt ställningstagande i frågan och visar på domstolens viktiga roll när oklarhet föreligger. Rättssäkerhet, likabehandlaring och förutsebarhet står idag i centrum i svensk straffrätt. Det har inneburit en reglering där berusningen i sig inte ska ses som en förmildrande omständighet, men där uppsåtsbedömningen trots allt ska göras på samma sätt som om gärningsmannen varit nykter.

Det gällande rättsläget, där bedömningen av gärningsmannens uppsåt ska göras enligt vanliga regler, har välkomnats av många. Trots det finns även de som är mer skeptiska och menar att regleringen kommer ge upphov till problem. Kommer rättsläget innebära att berusade gärningsmän med framgång kommer kunna skylla på minnesluckor eller inbillad fara, och vad blir konsekvenserna när bedömningen görs på sexualbrott begångna av berusade lagöverträdare? (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Zakrisson, Kim LU
supervisor
organization
course
LAGF03 20142
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Självförvållat rus, Straffrätt, Rättshistoria
language
Swedish
id
4925135
date added to LUP
2015-01-28 16:47:37
date last changed
2015-01-28 16:47:37
@misc{4925135,
  abstract     = {{A large number of the violent crimes that are committed in Sweden involve an intoxicated offender. How these offenders should be treated is a subject that has raised several debates regarding the most appropriate solution. The assessment of guilt for people committing crimes under the influence of alcohol has changed several times through Swedish legal history. Nonetheless there is still disagreement about the current methods appropriateness.

The legal position regarding intoxication in crimes has altered, as new criminal ideologies have gained foothold in Sweden. The view of consuming alcohol has also changed in a very significant way, and the medieval liberal attitude towards intoxications has since long been abandoned. Intoxication has gone from being a mitigating circumstance during the meddle ages and 17th century, to become a circumstance leading to more restrictive assessments due to the new ideas which reached Sweden in the 18th and 19th century.

During the 20th century, when preventive thoughts dominated the criminal law, there was such a concern to take legal proceedings against these crimes that the requirement of intent was partially remitted. The current legal position was introduced in The Supreme Court ruling NJA 2011 s. 563 and was a clear standpoint on the issue, which also demonstrated the Court's important role when there is a legal uncertainty. Today equal treatment and predictability of the legal system are the most central principles of criminal law. This has lead to a regulation where the intoxication itself does not constitute a mitigating circumstance, but an assessment of guilt that should be carried out in the same manner as if the offender had been sober.

Even though the current legal position has been welcomed, there are also those who are more sceptical and believe that the solution will cause more problems than it solves. Will the current solution lead to a situation where intoxicated offenders can avoid punishment by claiming memory lapses, and how will the regulation affect sexual crimes committed by drunken offenders?}},
  author       = {{Zakrisson, Kim}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Där spriten går in, går vettet ut - en rättsutvecklingsanalys kring berusade lagöverträdare}},
  year         = {{2014}},
}