Strengthened restitution obligation in criminal cases

The plan stipulates that equality before the law is guaranteed through, among other things, legal aid and that needs, not payment capacity, shall be decisive. Doubled reimbursement amounts and adjustment only in exceptional cases make defense more expensive for those with the lowest incomes and risk indebtedness, which contradicts these commitments. The plan also rejects repression as the main line and wants to facilitate reintegration.

• legal aid and equality before the lawdecisive»ska inte ha politiska befogenheter och de ska själva stå fria från politisk maktutövning. Genom medborgerlig insyn, rättshjälp, offentlig« (party programme ↗)“must not have political authority and they must themselves be free from political exercise of power. Through public oversight, legal aid, public”
• need before payment capacity»Socialtjänstlagen ska tolkas extensivt. Behoven, inte betalningsförmågan ska vara avgörande, vilket gäller alla boende i Sverige oavsett om« (party programme ↗)“The Social Services Act shall be interpreted expansively. Needs, not payment capacity shall be decisive, which applies to all residents of Sweden regardless of whether”
• rule of law in criminal cases»anses oskyldiga tills motsatsen är bevisad måste lyftas fram som« (party programme ↗)“shall be presumed innocent until proven guilty must be lifted up as”
• prevention before repression»Alltför ofta lyfts repression och hårdare tag upp som lösningar istället för att ta itu med problemen på allvar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Too often repression and harsher measures are raised as solutions instead of tackling problems seriously.”

The plan does not address reimbursement of defence costs, but its guiding principle is to side with those who have less power and that everyone is equal before the law. Doubled amounts with severely limited discretion hit hardest at people with low incomes and thus risk equality in access to defence counsel, which is why the counter-proposal's demand for a review of income thresholds comes closest to the plan. The plan's demand for clear responses to crime at the same time speaks for the obligation to remain.

• side with the powerlessdecisive»Socialdemokratins uppgift är att ta parti för den som har mindre makt.« (party programme ↗)“The Social Democrats' task is to side with those who have less power.”
• equality before the law»Vi är lika inför lagbokens paragrafer och i våra myndigheter arbetar plikttrogna tjänstemän med hög integritet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We are equal before the law and in our agencies work dutiful officials with high integrity.”
• economic inequality limits freedom»Skillnader i makt mellan människor innebär skillnader i frihet.« (party programme ↗)“Differences in power between people mean differences in freedom.”
• clear response to crime»Samhället måste reagera tydligt mot brott och regelöverträdelser.« (party programme ↗)“Society must respond clearly to crime and rule violations.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan states that corrections should be humane and aim for the convicted person not to reoffend, and that legal security should be safeguarded when the justice system receives new tools. It also wants to prevent over-indebtedness and economic inequality. Doubled repayment amounts with strictly limited adjustment hit people with low income and make reintegration difficult, which is why the counter-proposal's requirement for revised income limits is supported in substance.

• humane rehabilitative correctionsdecisive»och ett rehabiliterande syfte. Kriminalvård ska vara« (party programme ↗)“and a rehabilitative purpose. Corrections should be”
• counter over-indebtedness»Girighet, överskuldsättning och spekulation ska motverkas.« (party programme ↗)“Greed, over-indebtedness and speculation should be countered.”
• safeguarded legal security»Rättssäkerheten ska tryggas samtidigt som de« (party programme ↗)“Legal security should be safeguarded while”
• counter economic inequality»vill vi motverka ekonomisk ojämlikhet« (party programme ↗)“we want to counter economic inequality”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The election manifesto requires that access to counsel be improved and that the ability to have one's case heard not become a right reserved for those with high income. The party programme wants criminal policy to encourage those who have committed crimes to a new life situation without crime, which is hindered by sharply increased repayment requirements and narrow mitigation possibilities. The plan therefore supports a review of income thresholds and criticism of limited mitigation.

• improved access to counseldecisive»Ledtiderna för handläggning och myndighetsutövning i domstolar och myndigheter måste kortas och tillgången till ombud förbättras.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Processing times and handling by courts and authorities must be shortened and access to counsel improved.”
• hearing regardless of income»Möjligheten att processa mot stat eller kommun, då man har goda skäl att få sin sak prövad, ska i en liberal demokrati inte vara en rätt förbehållen de med hög inkomst.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The ability to sue the state or municipality, when one has good reason to have one's case heard, shall in a liberal democracy not be a right reserved for those with high income.”
• reintegration after crime»Kriminalpolitiken ska därför både förebygga och avskräcka från brott, stödja brottsdrabbade och stimulera dem som har begått olagliga handlingar till en ny livssituation utan brottslighet.« (party programme ↗)“Criminal policy shall therefore both prevent and deter crime, support crime victims and encourage those who have committed illegal acts to a new life situation without crime.”
• the rule of law defended»Rättsstaten och individens rättigheter gentemot staten måste försvaras.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The rule of law and the individual's rights against the state must be defended.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan wants to strengthen general legal aid, change debt relief rules so that over-indebted people more easily become debt-free and ensure that those who have served their sentence have better conditions to manage a life in freedom. The counter-proposal's requirement for a review of income limits and reasonable adjustment options, so that the repayment obligation does not become unreasonably burdensome for low-income earners, follows from these commitments and from the requirement for strengthened legal security.

• strengthened legal aiddecisive»Den allmänna rättshjälpen ska stärkas.« (party programme ↗)“General legal aid shall be strengthened.”
• debt freedom for over-indebted»Reglerna för skuldsanering ska ändras så att överskuldsatta får större möjlighet att bli skuldfria.« (party programme ↗)“The rules for debt relief shall be changed so that over-indebted people get better opportunities to become debt-free.”
• rehabilitation after sentence»att den intagne efter avtjänat straff ska ha bättre förutsättningar att klara ett liv i frihet.« (party programme ↗)“that the inmate after serving their sentence shall have better conditions to manage a life in freedom.”
• strengthened legal certainty»Rättssäkerheten och skyddet för de medborgerliga fri- och rättigheterna behöver förstärkas.« (party programme ↗)“Legal certainty and protection of civil rights and freedoms need to be strengthened.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan requires that penalties, as far as possible, make the perpetrator compensate the crime victim economically and that every person has personal responsibility for their conscious actions. The counter-proposal wants to moderate the increase through reduced amounts and wider adjustment. The plan's crime victim perspective weighs more heavily, even though it also requires that society supports the punished so that re-adaptation is not made more difficult.

• perpetrator compensates victimdecisive»så långt som möjligt göra att förövaren gottgör brottsoffer ekonomiskt« (party programme ↗)“as far as possible make the perpetrator compensate the crime victim economically”
• personal responsibility for actions»Alla människor har ett personligt ansvar för sina« (party programme ↗)“All people have personal responsibility for their”
• punishment should provide insight into harm»Straffet ska vara så utformat att det ger brottslingen« (party programme ↗)“The punishment shall be so designed that it gives the criminal”
• support for re-adaptation»och bostad för att denne efter avtjänat straff ska kunna återinträda i samhället och inte återfalla i brottslighet.« (party programme ↗)“and housing so that they after serving their sentence can re-enter society and not relapse into crime.”

The plan wants to shift focus from the perpetrator to the crime victim and particularly points out that it is unreasonable that perpetrators can receive more compensation than their victims. The counter-proposal's demand for easier repayment obligations and broader mitigation for the convicted goes in the opposite direction from this commitment. The plan does not, however, comment on income limits as such.

• victim before perpetratordecisive»Införa en ny brottsbalk för att skifta fokus från gärningsmannen till brottsoffer« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Introduce a new criminal code to shift focus from the perpetrator to the crime victim”
• perpetrators should not benefit»Det är inte rimligt att våldtäktsmannen kan få högre skadestånd för att ha suttit inlåst för länge, än vad våldtäktsoffret får för att ha blivit våldtagen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It is not reasonable that the rapist can receive higher compensation for being imprisoned too long than what the rape victim receives for having been raped.”
• increased compensation to victims»Dubbla skadestånden till brottsoffer« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Double compensation to crime victims”
• victim perspective»Brottsoffrens perspektiv är viktigt i kriminalpolitiken.« (party programme ↗)“The perspective of crime victims is important in criminal policy.”

The plan requires that policy be shaped based on the victim's best interests and not the perpetrator's, and that the individual criminal's own responsibility for their crimes is not explained away. Sweden should not be a paradise for criminals. The counter-proposal's requirement for lower repayment amounts and broader adjustment possibilities for sentenced persons shifts the burden from the perpetrator to taxpayers and thus goes against the plan.

• victim before perpetratordecisive»Utformningen av politiken måste ske utifrån brottsoffrets bästa, inte gärningsmannen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Policy formulation must be based on the victim's best interests, not the perpetrator's.”
• perpetrator's own responsibility»De partier som styrt samhällsutvecklingen har ett stort ansvar, men det fråntar inte kriminellas ansvar för de brott som begås.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The parties that have governed societal development have a great responsibility, but that does not relieve criminals' responsibility for the crimes that are committed.”
• no paradise for criminals»Sverige ska vara en plats för laglydiga, strävsamma och goda medborgare, inte ett paradis för förbrytare.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden should be a place for law-abiding, hardworking and good citizens, not a paradise for criminals.”
• criminal policy for law-abiding citizens»Förändra kriminalpolitiken i grunden för att värna goda samhällsmedborgare« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Fundamentally change criminal policy to protect good law-abiding citizens”