Sweden's Current Justice System

Paper Summary:

This paper describes Sweden, its ethnic composition, and its political and judicial systems. The writer provides statistics on crime in Sweden and shows that, compared to other EU countries and the U.S., the overall crime rate is relatively low, specifically with regard to violent crimes. The writer discusses how membership in the European Union has altered the manner in which crime is treated and the legal system is structured in Sweden, and describes in detail how the police force is organized and trained. The writer describes the judicial system and the prisons, giving statistics for the latter.

Outline:
Overview of the Country: Sweden
Description of Crime and Crime Statistics
Description of the Legal Tradition
Description of Law Enforcement System
Organization of Police Force
Description of the Criminal Justice Court System
Description of the Corrections System

From the Paper:

"Swedish penal code does not classify crimes and infractions separately and crime itself is based on legal definitions of crime based on the penal code. There is however a grouping of crimes together in subgroups which are guided by principle and pragmatism and have developed over time. In Sweden the age of criminal responsibility is 15, though there are many provisional exceptions to conviction and sentencing for those under 21, and those under the age of 18 are very rarely sentenced to prison terms. Special circumstances must exist for the occurrence of prison sentencing for those under 18 and in many cases also those under 21. Sweden also has a very strict comparative policy on drug offences. It is illegal to possess, bring in, buy or use narcotics in Sweden and narcotics are classified by a list that includes 170 substances, including cannabis. Use of narcotics was criminalized in 1988."

Sample of Sources Used:

• "An Introduction to the Sami Culture" (1996) Retrieved, January 28, from: http://boreale.konto.itv.se/samieng.htm
• "Criminal Matters" Swedish Government Offices Website Retrieved, January 28, from: http://www.sweden.gov.se/sb/d/2138/a/14884
• Malmstrom, C. "Diversity in the European Context" Retrieved, January 28, from: http://www.sweden.gov.se/sb/d/8660/a/82943
• Reiter, P.L. (2007), Comparative criminal justice systems. Upper Saddle River, N J: Prentice Hall/Pearsons.
• "Sweden" (2008) CIA World Factbook Retrieved, January 28, from: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sw.html

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