2023-03-152022/23:JuU11 · p.36JuUJustice
Penalties
Life imprisonment without conversion, and calculation of day-fines
What's at stake: Such a penalty would become the harshest in Swedish law, with no possibility of ever being converted to a fixed term, affecting those convicted of the most serious crimes. The day-fine question affects how financial penalties are scaled to a convicted person's income.
Case texts and AI reasoning are AI-translated from the Swedish originals; the Swedish text is authoritative.
What the vote decides
The question is whether a new form of life imprisonment with no possibility of conversion to a fixed term should be introduced as a penalty, and whether courts' method for setting day-fine amounts should change, or whether the current system should remain.
Yes Yes — the committee proposal
The committee rejects the proposals. There is no reason to introduce life imprisonment without the possibility of conversion as a new penalty, nor has any reason emerged to change how courts determine day-fine amounts.
No No — the reservations
Reservation 35 (SD)
The reservation (SD) argues that life imprisonment without any possibility of conversion to a fixed term should be introduced as a new penalty for the most serious crimes, since the current practice of converting life sentences into fixed terms makes the penalty considerably milder than intended.
Summarised from the committee report. Party labels in the summary come from the report, not from the vote.
What do the votes mean here?
Yes The committee proposal: rejecting the motions (keeping things as they are).
No Backing the counter-proposal: reservation 35 by SD.
Abstain The party marks a position of its own that is not one of the two final alternatives.
The decision would have held
Explicit commitments that contradicted the vote: MModeraterna
Ja 230–62Ja 172–120
Counterfactual: the parties above are moved to the position their own documents explicitly point at, carrying their whole contingent present. Every other party keeps its real figures, including dissenters and absentees.
How the AI parties would have voted
For each party: what its own plan – election manifesto and party programme – argues for in this case, next to how the party actually voted. The AI can only answer Yes or No; a party can also abstain.
| AI | Vote | Confidence | Evidence | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V | Yes | Yes 20/0/0/4 | match | confidence: medium | derived |
| S | Yes | Yes 92/0/0/15 | match | confidence: low | derived |
| MP | Yes | Yes 13/0/0/5 | match | confidence: medium | derived |
| C | Yes | Yes 19/0/0/5 | match | confidence: medium | derived |
| L | Yes | Yes 13/0/0/3 | match | confidence: medium | derived |
| KD | Yes | Yes 15/0/0/4 | match | confidence: medium | derived |
| M | No | Yes 58/0/0/10 | differsagainst own programme | confidence: high | explicit |
| SD | No | No 0/62/0/11 | match | confidence: high | derived |
Committee proposal
The Riksdag rejects the motions 2022/23:952 by Richard Jomshof et al. (SD) proposal 1 and 2022/23:1441 by Serkan Köse et al. (S).
Original (Swedish)
Riksdagen avslår motionerna 2022/23:952 av Richard Jomshof m.fl. (SD) yrkande 1 och 2022/23:1441 av Serkan Köse m.fl. (S).
Riksdag decision: The Riksdag said no to approximately 140 proposals in motions on criminal law matters that were received during the general motion period 2022. Some of the motions concern peace-breach offences, controlling behaviour or psychological violence against children. Other motions concern, for example, procuring, sexual offences on the internet, hate speech against a group of people, child pornography offences, animal cruelty, aiding and abetting an offender, multiple criminality, aggravating circumstances, recidivism, unauthorised residences, flag desecration and breach of confidentiality.
Counter-proposals
- The counter-proposal wants to establish a specific criminal offense for illegal road blockades. (SD) — Reservation 35
Plan vs actual vote
Every party, in chamber order: what its own plan pointed to, how it voted, and the reasoning behind both. Highlighted rows are where the two differ — but a vote that follows the plan is a result too, so the reasoning is there for every party.
The plan establishes that repression and harder approaches too often are put forward instead of tackling the deeper causes of problems, and that respect for human rights shall be fundamental to all politics.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan establishes that repression and harder approaches too often are put forward instead of tackling the deeper causes of problems, and that respect for human rights shall be fundamental to all politics. A life sentence without possibility of conversion closes the door to release completely and is precisely the repressive line the plan rejects. That some sentences may need to be raised is not sufficient support for such a step.
Original (Swedish)
Planen slår fast att repression och hårdare tag alltför ofta lyfts fram i stället för att problemens djupare orsaker angrips, och att respekten för de mänskliga rättigheterna ska vara grundläggande för all politik. Ett livstidsstraff utan möjlighet till omvandling stänger dörren till frigivning helt och är just den repressiva linje planen avvisar. Att vissa straff kan behöva höjas räcker inte som stöd för ett sådant steg.
- rejects the repression linedecisive»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 harder approaches are put forward as solutions instead of tackling problems seriously”
- tackle crime's causes»men framför allt med en kamp mot kriminalitetens djupare orsaker« (2022 manifesto ↗)“but above all with a struggle against crime's deeper causes”
- human rights fundamental»Respekten för de mänskliga rättigheterna ska vara grundläggande« (party programme ↗)“Respect for human rights shall be fundamental”
- sentence increases only exceptionally»Vissa straff kan behöva höjas men mycket mer fokus måste riktas mot att förhindra rekryteringen av nya barn till gängkriminalitet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Some sentences may need to be raised but much more focus must be directed towards preventing the recruitment of new children into gang crime”
The plan's sentence increases are enumerated and directed: gang-related crime, repeated serious offences and serious weapons crime.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan's sentence increases are enumerated and directed: gang-related crime, repeated serious offences and serious weapons crime. A new penalty in the form of life without possibility of commutation does not appear among them. The programme simultaneously maintains that long-term crime-fighting is best achieved by reducing social inequality and that individual people's right to life in freedom shall always be defended. The counter-proposal's demands therefore go further than the plan bears, although the uncompromising line against crime pulls in the opposite direction.
Original (Swedish)
Planens straffskärpningar är uppräknade och riktade: gängrelaterad brottslighet, upprepade allvarliga brott och grova vapenbrott. En ny påföljd i form av livstid utan möjlighet till omvandling finns inte bland dem. Programmet håller samtidigt fast vid att den långsiktigt bästa brottsbekämpningen är att minska de sociala klyftorna och att enskilda människors rätt till liv i frihet alltid ska försvaras. Motförslagets krav går därför längre än planen bär, även om den kompromisslösa linjen mot brott drar i motsatt riktning.
- targeted sentence increasesdecisive»Vi vill skärpa straffen bland annat för gängrelaterad brottslighet, för den som begår upprepade och allvarliga brott och för den som understödjer organiserad kriminalitet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We wish to increase sentences among other things for gang-related crime, for the person who commits repeated and serious offences and for the person who supports organised crime.”
- social crime prevention decisive»Men den långsiktigt bästa brottsbekämpningen är att bygga ett samhälle där de sociala« (party programme ↗)“But the best long-term crime-fighting is building a society where social”
- individuals' rights defended»människors rätt till liv i frihet och säkerhet måste alltid försvaras.« (party programme ↗)“people's right to life in freedom and security must always be defended.”
- uncompromising crime fighting»Kampen mot kriminaliteten ska vara kompromisslös.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The fight against crime shall be uncompromising.”
The party programme states that criminal penalties have both a crime-prevention and a rehabilitative purpose and that criminal care should be humane with the goal that the convicted person does not reoffend.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme states that criminal penalties have both a crime-prevention and a rehabilitative purpose and that criminal care should be humane with the goal that the convicted person does not reoffend. A life sentence without possibility of conversion removes precisely that rehabilitative dimension and every path back. Even where the plan wants to tighten measures (closed youth care) the tightening is linked to care, education and exit preparation. The counter-proposal's demands are therefore rejected.
Original (Swedish)
Partiprogrammet slår fast att brottspåföljder har både ett brottsförebyggande och ett rehabiliterande syfte och att kriminalvården ska vara human med målet att den dömde inte återfaller i kriminalitet. Ett livstidsstraff utan möjlighet till omvandling tar bort just den rehabiliterande dimensionen och varje väg tillbaka. Även där planen vill skärpa (sluten ungdomsvård) kopplas skärpningen till vård, utbildning och utslussning. Motförslagets krav avvisas därför.
- humane and rehabilitative criminal caredecisive»och ett rehabiliterande syfte. Kriminalvård ska vara« (party programme ↗)“and a rehabilitative purpose. Criminal care should be”
- tightening linked to exit preparation»höja maxtiden för sluten ungdomsvård och förstärka vårdinsatser och utbildning under tiden den unge är frihetsberövad, samt införa en utslussningsverksamhet när straffet är avtjänat.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“raise the maximum time for closed youth care and strengthen care measures and education while the young person is deprived of liberty, and introduce exit preparation when the sentence is completed.”
- prevention before tougher sentences»Det brottsförebyggande arbetet är grunden för ett« (party programme ↗)“Crime prevention work is the foundation for”
The plan certainly wants to see stricter sentences for the most serious crimes, but the party programme simultaneously establishes that criminal policy should encourage those who have committed crimes to a new life situation without crime.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan certainly wants to see stricter sentences for the most serious crimes, but the party programme simultaneously establishes that criminal policy should encourage those who have committed crimes to a new life situation without crime. A life sentence that can never be commuted closes that path completely and sits poorly with the plan's rule-of-law view of the individual's rights against the state. The plan thus supports stricter punishment in substance, but not a new sanction entirely without conversion possibilities.
Original (Swedish)
Planen vill visserligen se hårdare straff för de grövsta brotten, men partiprogrammet slår samtidigt fast att kriminalpolitiken ska stimulera dem som begått brott till en ny livssituation utan brottslighet. Ett livstidsstraff som aldrig kan omvandlas stänger den vägen helt och rimmar illa med planens rättsstatliga syn på individens rättigheter gentemot staten. Planen bär därför strängare straff i sak, men inte en ny påföljd helt utan omvandlingsmöjlighet.
- reintegration after crimedecisive»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 should therefore both prevent and deter crime, support crime victims and encourage those who have committed illegal acts to a new life situation without crime.”
- rule-of-law guarantees»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.”
- stricter punishment for crime»Sverige behöver fler poliser, hårdare straff och bättre förebyggande insatser« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden needs more police, stricter sentences and better preventive measures”
The party programme's criminal policy is based on the idea that no person is sentenced to remain criminal and that time in prison shall provide work, treatment, and education so that the prisoner can manage a life of freedom.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme's criminal policy is based on the idea that no person is sentenced to remain criminal and that time in prison shall provide work, treatment, and education so that the prisoner can manage a life of freedom. A life sentence without any possibility of transformation closes that way permanently and has no support in the plan. The fact that the election manifesto wants to abolish automatic release and toughen sentences is not sufficient to support this particular demand.
Original (Swedish)
Partiprogrammets rättspolitik bygger på att ingen människa är dömd att förbli kriminell och att fängelsetiden ska ge arbete, behandling och utbildning så att den intagne kan klara ett liv i frihet. Ett livstidsstraff utan någon möjlighet till omvandling stänger den vägen permanent och har inget stöd i planen. Att valmanifestet vill slopa den automatiska frigivningen och skärpa straffen räcker inte för att bära just detta krav.
- no one sentenced to remain criminaldecisive»Ingen människa föds kriminell eller är dömd att förbli kriminell.« (party programme ↗)“No person is born criminal or is sentenced to remain criminal.”
- criminal care with reintegration»Intagna på fängelser ska erbjudas arbete, behandling och utbildning under strafftiden.« (party programme ↗)“Prisoners shall be offered work, treatment, and education during the sentence.”
- toughened sentences and longer imprisonment»Vi vill avskaffa dagens mängdrabatt på brott, slopa den närmast automatiska frigivningen från fängelsestraff och skärpa straffen för bland annat vapenbrott, våldtäkt och utpressning.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to abolish today's volume discount on crimes, eliminate the nearly automatic release from imprisonment, and toughen sentences for, among other things, weapons crimes, rape, and extortion.”
- ways out of criminality»Ett nationellt avhopparprogram ska införas för att fler ska kunna lämna ett kriminellt liv bakom sig.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“A national exit program shall be introduced so more can leave a criminal life behind.”
The plan establishes that the imposed sentence normally shall be time-limited and that one who has served his sentence deserves to be treated as any other citizen, with society's responsibility for reintegration.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan establishes that the imposed sentence normally shall be time-limited and that one who has served his sentence deserves to be treated as any other citizen, with society's responsibility for reintegration. A life sentence without possibility of conversion abolishes this. The plan's requirement for significantly tightened sentences pulls in the opposite direction, but the principled starting point about time-limited penalty weighs heavier in the substantive question.
Original (Swedish)
Planen slår fast att den utdömda påföljden normalt ska vara tidsbestämd och att den som avtjänat sitt straff förtjänar att behandlas som vilken annan medborgare som helst, med samhällets ansvar för återanpassning. Ett livstidsstraff utan möjlighet till omvandling upphäver detta. Planens krav på kraftigt skärpta straff drar i motsatt riktning, men den principiella utgångspunkten om tidsbestämd påföljd väger tyngre i sakfrågan.
- time-limited penalty as normdecisive»Den utdömda påföljden ska normalt« (party programme ↗)“The imposed penalty shall normally”
- restitution after served sentence»att behandlas som vilken annan medborgare som helst.« (party programme ↗)“to be treated as any other citizen.”
- human life's inviolability»Dödsstraff är ej förenligt med synen på människolivets« (party programme ↗)“Death penalty is not compatible with the view of human life's”
- significantly tightened sentences»Skärp straffen för sexualbrott kraftigt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Tighten sentences for sexual crimes significantly.”
The plan wants to introduce a new type of preventive detention sentence so that society-threatening criminals can be held in detention as long as they are dangerous, and it wants to remove sentence discounts and limit conditional release.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan wants to introduce a new type of preventive detention sentence so that society-threatening criminals can be held in detention as long as they are dangerous, and it wants to remove sentence discounts and limit conditional release. The counter-proposal's life sentence without conversion is the same thing in substance: that the most serious crimes shall not be met with a practically lighter punishment. The plan therefore supports the requirement.
Original (Swedish)
Planen vill införa en ny typ av förvaringsstraff så att samhällsfarliga brottslingar kan hållas frihetsberövade så länge de är farliga, och den vill ta bort straffrabatter och begränsa villkorlig frigivning. Motförslagets livstidsstraff utan omvandling är samma sak i sak: att de allvarligaste brotten inte ska mötas av en i praktiken mildare påföljd. Planen stöder därför kravet.
- preventive detention for society-threatening criminalsdecisive»Införa en ny typ av förvaringsstraff så att serievåldtäktsmän och andra samhällsfarliga brottslingar kan sitta frihetsberövade så länge de är farliga för allmänheten« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Introduce a new type of preventive detention sentence so that serial rapists and other society-threatening criminals can be held in detention as long as they are dangerous to the public”
- no sentence discounts»Ta bort alla straffrabatter för den som fyllt 18 år och slopa dagens mängdrabatter« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Remove all sentence discounts for those who have reached 18 years of age and abolish today's quantity discounts”
- limited conditional release»Begränsa möjligheterna till permission och villkorlig frigivning för gängkriminella« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Limit the opportunities for leave and conditional release for gang criminals”
- life for the most serious crimes»Ändra i lagen så att mord i nära relation alltid leder till livstids fängelse« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Change the law so that murder in a close relationship always leads to life imprisonment”
The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.
The plan changes criminal policy towards incapacitation and explicitly opens for indefinite detention for the most dangerous, while the entire sentence should be served before conditions for release can be set.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan changes criminal policy towards incapacitation and explicitly opens for indefinite detention for the most dangerous, while the entire sentence should be served before conditions for release can be set. A life sentence without possibility of commutation is precisely such an incapacitation sentence for the most serious crimes. The counter-proposal's demand therefore lies in line with the plan.
Original (Swedish)
Planen lägger om kriminalpolitiken mot inkapacitering och öppnar uttryckligen för förvaring på obestämd tid för de farligaste, samtidigt som hela strafftiden ska avtjänas innan villkor för frigivning kan ställas. Ett livstidsstraff utan möjlighet till omvandling är precis en sådan inkapaciteringspåföljd för de allvarligaste brotten. Motförslagets krav ligger därför i linje med planen.
- förvaring på obestämd tiddecisive»Den som finns i gängmiljö och begår brott ska kunna dömas till särskilt långa fängelsestraff eller förvaring på obestämd tid.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“He who is in a gang environment and commits crime can be sentenced to particularly long prison sentences or indefinite detention.”
- hela strafftiden avtjänas»hela strafftiden ska tjänas av innan villkor kan ställas för frigivning för den som döms till fängelse« (2022 manifesto ↗)“the entire sentence shall be served before conditions can be set for release for he who is sentenced to imprisonment”
- inkapacitering av kriminella»Sverigedemokraterna vill lägga om kriminalpolitiken till att i högre grad låsa in och utvisa de kriminella som skapar otrygghet och begår brott.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden Democrats want to change criminal policy to a greater degree to lock up and deport the criminals who create insecurity and commit crimes.”
- kraftigt höjda straff»Kraftigt höja straffen samt avskaffa mängdrabatten vid allvarliga brott mot person« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Significantly increase sentences and abolish quantity discount for serious crimes against persons”
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Sources and documents
- The committee report on riksdagen.se (2022/23:JuU11)
- Committee report full text (HA01JuU11)
- Per-MP voting data (API)
- Case status (API)
Documents under consideration
- Motion 2022/23:1001 — Grundlag av Matheus Enholm m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2022/23:1003 — Sverigevänlig konsumentpolitik av Mikael Eskilandersson m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2022/23:1004 — Sverigedemokratisk insolvensrätt av Mikael Eskilandersson m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2022/23:1013 — Post och it i hela landet av Jimmy Ståhl m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2022/23:1079 — Om straffrabatt och villkorlig frigivning för de som återgår till brott av Camilla Brunsberg (M)
- Motion 2022/23:1086 — Översyn av förtalslagstiftningen av Ida Drougge (M)
- Motion 2022/23:1105 — All blåljuspersonal ska ha tjänstemannastatus av Ann-Sofie Alm (M)
- Motion 2022/23:1106 — Skärpt sexualbrottslag av Ann-Sofie Alm (M)
- Motion 2022/23:1111 — Eftersupning av Hans Eklind (KD)
- Motion 2022/23:1117 — Förstärkning av barns rättsskydd mot olika former av sexuellt utnyttjande av Gudrun Brunegård (KD)
- Motion 2022/23:1171 — Progressiva böter vid fortkörning av Monica Haider (S)
- Motion 2022/23:1203 — Mängdrabatt av Mattias Ottosson m.fl. (S)
- Motion 2022/23:1232 — En funktionsrättspolitik för trygghet och delaktighet av Maj Karlsson m.fl. (V)
- Motion 2022/23:124 — En översyn av lagen om hets mot folkgrupp av Ola Möller (S)
- Motion 2022/23:1315 — Kriminalisering av kontrollerande beteenden och psykisk misshandel av Aylin Fazelian (S)
- Motion 2022/23:1441 — Fastställande av dagsböter av Serkan Köse m.fl. (S)
- Motion 2022/23:149 — Kriminalisering av sexköp utomlands av Lawen Redar (S)
- Motion 2022/23:1673 — Jämställdhet för hållbar utveckling av Annie Lööf m.fl. (C)
- Motion 2022/23:1681 — Sexsomni av Helena Vilhelmsson och Anne-Li Sjölund (båda C)
- Motion 2022/23:1708 — Sexualbrott av Josefin Malmqvist (M)
Source: The Swedish Parliament