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Barnets frånvaro vid rättegången – ett val mellan skydd och bevisverkan

Larsson, Lovisa LU (2024) JURM02 20241
Department of Law
Faculty of Law
Abstract
In the Swedish judicial process, children are not treated in quite the same way as adults. Given that it has been deemed inappropriate to involve young children in trials due to the psychological strain it can impose on the child to be forced to appear in court, a main rule has been established which means that children under the age of fifteen neither need nor should be present at a trial. This main rule is also motivated by the fact that, often due to the long time that has passed since the incident occurred, it is difficult to obtain an acceptable statement from the child. Instead, the child is interviewed during the preliminary investigation. The interview is then recorded, and the video recording is played during the main hearing.

... (More)
In the Swedish judicial process, children are not treated in quite the same way as adults. Given that it has been deemed inappropriate to involve young children in trials due to the psychological strain it can impose on the child to be forced to appear in court, a main rule has been established which means that children under the age of fifteen neither need nor should be present at a trial. This main rule is also motivated by the fact that, often due to the long time that has passed since the incident occurred, it is difficult to obtain an acceptable statement from the child. Instead, the child is interviewed during the preliminary investigation. The interview is then recorded, and the video recording is played during the main hearing.

Based on a legal analytical method, the thesis analyzes the legal conditions for conducting child interviews during the preliminary investigation and what the courts consider when evaluating the evidence of child interviews in practice. The work is also problematized from a legal psychological perspective.

The investigation concludes that the procedure with child interviews entails significant difficulties, not only in the evaluation of the evidence of child interviews but also regarding the importance of safeguarding the child's interests in a way that considers both the child's rights and interest in security in the process, the suspect's interest in legal certainty, and compliance with current procedural principles. Furthermore, it is noted that the requirements for evidence evaluation in practice can be criticized from a legal psychological perspective, as many of these requirements have no basis in research. Additionally, it is observed that research on children's cognitive difficulties in remember-ing and recounting is not considered by the courts. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
I den svenska rättsprocessen behandlas inte barn riktigt på samma sätt som vuxna. Mot bakgrund av att det ansetts olämpligt att låta mindre barn medverka i rättegångar på grund av den psykiska påfrestning det kan innebära för barnet att tvingas infinna sig i rätten har det etablerats en huvudregel som innebär att barn under femton år varken behöver eller bör närvara vid en rättegång. Huvudregeln motiveras även av att det, ofta med anledning av att lång tid passerat sedan den inträffade händelsen, är svårt att få en godtagbar utsaga från barnet. I stället förhörs barnet under förundersökningen. Förhöret spelas då in och videoupptagningen spelas sedan upp under huvudförhandlingen.

Med utgångspunkt i rättsanalytisk metod analyserar... (More)
I den svenska rättsprocessen behandlas inte barn riktigt på samma sätt som vuxna. Mot bakgrund av att det ansetts olämpligt att låta mindre barn medverka i rättegångar på grund av den psykiska påfrestning det kan innebära för barnet att tvingas infinna sig i rätten har det etablerats en huvudregel som innebär att barn under femton år varken behöver eller bör närvara vid en rättegång. Huvudregeln motiveras även av att det, ofta med anledning av att lång tid passerat sedan den inträffade händelsen, är svårt att få en godtagbar utsaga från barnet. I stället förhörs barnet under förundersökningen. Förhöret spelas då in och videoupptagningen spelas sedan upp under huvudförhandlingen.

Med utgångspunkt i rättsanalytisk metod analyserar uppsatsen rättsliga förutsättningar för att hålla barnförhör under förundersökningen samt vad domstolarna beaktar vid bevisvärderingen av barnförhör i praktiken. Arbetet problematiseras även ur ett rättspsykologiskt perspektiv.

Genom undersökningen konstateras att förfarandet med barnförhör innebär stora svårigheter, inte endast vid bevisvärderingen av barnförhör, utan även avseende vikten av att barnets intressen tillvaratas på ett sätt som dels tar hänsyn till barnets rättigheter och intresse av trygghet i processen, dels den misstänktes rättssäkerhetsintresse och dels överensstämmer med gällande processprinciper. Vidare konstateras även hur de krav som uppställs vid bevisvärderingen i praxis kan kritiseras ur ett rättspsykologiskt perspektiv då flera av dessa krav inte har någon förankring i forskningen. Därtill observeras hur forskning om barns kognitiva svårigheter att minnas och återberätta inte beaktas av domstolarna. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Larsson, Lovisa LU
supervisor
organization
alternative title
The Child's Absence in Court – A Choice Between Protection and Evidentiary Value
course
JURM02 20241
year
type
H3 - Professional qualifications (4 Years - )
subject
keywords
Bevisrätt (Law of Evidence), Bevisvärdering (Assessment of Evidence), Straffrätt (Criminal Law), Barnförhör (Child interview), Rättspsykologi (Forensic psychology)
language
Swedish
id
9152970
date added to LUP
2024-06-10 16:34:08
date last changed
2024-06-10 16:34:08
@misc{9152970,
  abstract     = {{In the Swedish judicial process, children are not treated in quite the same way as adults. Given that it has been deemed inappropriate to involve young children in trials due to the psychological strain it can impose on the child to be forced to appear in court, a main rule has been established which means that children under the age of fifteen neither need nor should be present at a trial. This main rule is also motivated by the fact that, often due to the long time that has passed since the incident occurred, it is difficult to obtain an acceptable statement from the child. Instead, the child is interviewed during the preliminary investigation. The interview is then recorded, and the video recording is played during the main hearing.

Based on a legal analytical method, the thesis analyzes the legal conditions for conducting child interviews during the preliminary investigation and what the courts consider when evaluating the evidence of child interviews in practice. The work is also problematized from a legal psychological perspective.

The investigation concludes that the procedure with child interviews entails significant difficulties, not only in the evaluation of the evidence of child interviews but also regarding the importance of safeguarding the child's interests in a way that considers both the child's rights and interest in security in the process, the suspect's interest in legal certainty, and compliance with current procedural principles. Furthermore, it is noted that the requirements for evidence evaluation in practice can be criticized from a legal psychological perspective, as many of these requirements have no basis in research. Additionally, it is observed that research on children's cognitive difficulties in remember-ing and recounting is not considered by the courts.}},
  author       = {{Larsson, Lovisa}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Barnets frånvaro vid rättegången – ett val mellan skydd och bevisverkan}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}