Särbehandling genom tiderna - En rättshistorisk uppsats om särbehandling av unga lagöverträdare vid straffmätning och påföljdsval
(2020) JURM02 20202Department of Law
Faculty of Law
- Abstract
- Young offenders between the ages of 15 and 21 are treated differently compared to adults in the Swedish penal system. They get their sanction reduced and can be subject to other kinds of sanctions. This essay examines how the penal system for young offenders has developed since 1864: both by describing the changes of the positive law and by analysing the influence from different penal theories. This historical background enables an understanding of the recent proposal to make the penal system for offenders between the ages of 18 and 21 more similar to the one for adult offenders.
During the first part of the 20th century several different sanctions for young offenders under the age of 21 was imposed. By the time the Swedish penal code... (More) - Young offenders between the ages of 15 and 21 are treated differently compared to adults in the Swedish penal system. They get their sanction reduced and can be subject to other kinds of sanctions. This essay examines how the penal system for young offenders has developed since 1864: both by describing the changes of the positive law and by analysing the influence from different penal theories. This historical background enables an understanding of the recent proposal to make the penal system for offenders between the ages of 18 and 21 more similar to the one for adult offenders.
During the first part of the 20th century several different sanctions for young offenders under the age of 21 was imposed. By the time the Swedish penal code was introduced there were already some limitations on sentencing offenders under the age of 18 to prison. This limitation then came to include offenders between the ages of 18 and 21 as well, although in a less extensive way. The development has since then revolved around making the sanctions for young offenders more proportionate to the crime. The sanction reduction has gone from only including offenders under the age of 18 to become more extensive and include everyone under the age of 21.
Particularly the Marburg or sociological school, the rehabilitation idea and the classical theory have influenced the penal system for young offenders. Some ideas from developmental and life-course theories can also be found. During the earlier parts of the 20th century the sociological school had a growing impact. The influence from the rehabilitation idea and the sociological school grew stronger from the 1930s and peaked when the Swedish penal code came into force in 1965. Since then most changes have been motivated by classical principles. These principles were also used to argue for the recent suggestion to treat offenders between the ages of 18 and 21 less different compared to adult offenders.
The latest proposal can be explained by how different layers of the law influence each other. One explanation as to why it might be easier to change the penal system for offenders between the ages of 18 and 21 has to do with them being treated differently for a shorter time than offenders between the ages of 15 and 18. The principle of treating this group different has sedimented less to the deeper levels of the law than the same principle for offenders between 15 and 18 years. However the criticism towards the proposal show how the legal culture can limit the positive law which has in turn led to a less extensive proposal. (Less) - Abstract (Swedish)
- Svensk strafflagstiftning särbehandlar unga lagöverträdare mellan 15 och 21 år vid både straffmätning och i val av påföljd. I uppsatsen beskrivs hur dagens ordning har vuxit fram sedan införandet av strafflagen 1864: dels genom att redovisa förändringarna i den positiva rätten, dels genom att analysera de straffteoretiska motiven bakom förändringarna. Den historiska utvecklingen ligger sedan till grund för att förstå det aktuella förslaget om minskad särbehandling av åldersgruppen mellan 18 och 21 år.
Under den första halvan av 1900-talet infördes särskilda påföljdsformer för både åldersgruppen mellan 15 och 18 år och mellan 18 och 21 år. Vid införandet av brottsbalken 1965 fanns det redan vissa begränsningar för användandet av... (More) - Svensk strafflagstiftning särbehandlar unga lagöverträdare mellan 15 och 21 år vid både straffmätning och i val av påföljd. I uppsatsen beskrivs hur dagens ordning har vuxit fram sedan införandet av strafflagen 1864: dels genom att redovisa förändringarna i den positiva rätten, dels genom att analysera de straffteoretiska motiven bakom förändringarna. Den historiska utvecklingen ligger sedan till grund för att förstå det aktuella förslaget om minskad särbehandling av åldersgruppen mellan 18 och 21 år.
Under den första halvan av 1900-talet infördes särskilda påföljdsformer för både åldersgruppen mellan 15 och 18 år och mellan 18 och 21 år. Vid införandet av brottsbalken 1965 fanns det redan vissa begränsningar för användandet av fängelsestraff för åldersgruppen mellan 15 och 18 år. Åldersgruppen mellan 18 och 21 år inkluderades därefter i en mindre omfattande begränsning. Sedan dess har utvecklingen gått mot att anpassa särbehandlingen till att bli tillräckligt ingripande i förhållande till brottets svårhet. Ungdomsreduktionen som 1864 endast omfattade åldersgruppen mellan 15 och 18 år har blivit allt mer generell och kommit att omfatta alla lagöverträdare under 21 års ålder.
Den sociala skolan, behandlingsideologin och den klassiska skolan har påverkat lagstiftningens utformning. Dessutom finns inslag av idéer från utvecklings- och livscykelteorin. Den sociala skolans inflytande växte sig starkare under början av 1900-talet. 1965 kulminerade behandlingsideologins och den sociala skolans inflytande i och med införandet av brottsbalken. Därefter har flera ändringar motiverats utifrån klassiska straffrättsliga principer. De klassiska principerna används även för att motivera det nu aktuella förslaget om minskad särbehandling av unga lagöverträdare mellan 18 och 21 år.
Utformningen och utvecklingen av förslaget om slopad särbehandling för unga myndiga lagöverträdare kan förklaras av hur olika delar av rätten påverkar varandra. Bestämmelser om särbehandling av unga lagöverträdare mellan 15 och 18 år har sedimenterats och blivit en del av rättskulturen och till och med djupstrukturen av rätten. Eftersom bestämmelserna om särbehandling har införts vid olika tillfällen och i olika omfattning har principen om särbehandling sedimenterats olika i de två åldersgrupperna. Det är en anledning till att det är lättare att införa minskad särbehandling av 18–20-åringar. Motståndet mot regeringens förslag visar dock att det finns en vilja inom rättskulturen att fortsätta särbehandla även denna åldersgrupp, vilket har begränsat omfattningen av lagförslaget. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9034311
- author
- Linder, Emma LU
- supervisor
- organization
- alternative title
- Punishment of young offenders through the ages
- course
- JURM02 20202
- year
- 2020
- type
- H3 - Professional qualifications (4 Years - )
- subject
- keywords
- Rättshistoria, Straffrätt
- language
- Swedish
- id
- 9034311
- date added to LUP
- 2021-01-25 11:12:23
- date last changed
- 2021-01-25 11:12:23
@misc{9034311,
abstract = {{Young offenders between the ages of 15 and 21 are treated differently compared to adults in the Swedish penal system. They get their sanction reduced and can be subject to other kinds of sanctions. This essay examines how the penal system for young offenders has developed since 1864: both by describing the changes of the positive law and by analysing the influence from different penal theories. This historical background enables an understanding of the recent proposal to make the penal system for offenders between the ages of 18 and 21 more similar to the one for adult offenders.
During the first part of the 20th century several different sanctions for young offenders under the age of 21 was imposed. By the time the Swedish penal code was introduced there were already some limitations on sentencing offenders under the age of 18 to prison. This limitation then came to include offenders between the ages of 18 and 21 as well, although in a less extensive way. The development has since then revolved around making the sanctions for young offenders more proportionate to the crime. The sanction reduction has gone from only including offenders under the age of 18 to become more extensive and include everyone under the age of 21.
Particularly the Marburg or sociological school, the rehabilitation idea and the classical theory have influenced the penal system for young offenders. Some ideas from developmental and life-course theories can also be found. During the earlier parts of the 20th century the sociological school had a growing impact. The influence from the rehabilitation idea and the sociological school grew stronger from the 1930s and peaked when the Swedish penal code came into force in 1965. Since then most changes have been motivated by classical principles. These principles were also used to argue for the recent suggestion to treat offenders between the ages of 18 and 21 less different compared to adult offenders.
The latest proposal can be explained by how different layers of the law influence each other. One explanation as to why it might be easier to change the penal system for offenders between the ages of 18 and 21 has to do with them being treated differently for a shorter time than offenders between the ages of 15 and 18. The principle of treating this group different has sedimented less to the deeper levels of the law than the same principle for offenders between 15 and 18 years. However the criticism towards the proposal show how the legal culture can limit the positive law which has in turn led to a less extensive proposal.}},
author = {{Linder, Emma}},
language = {{swe}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Särbehandling genom tiderna - En rättshistorisk uppsats om särbehandling av unga lagöverträdare vid straffmätning och påföljdsval}},
year = {{2020}},
}