Law and Justice

The grundlagar (fundamental laws, forming Sweden's constitution) are harder to change than other laws. Sweden has four grundlagar: regeringsformen (the Instrument of Government), tryckfrihetsförordningen (the Freedom of the Press Act), yttrandefrihetsgrundlagen (the Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression), and successionsordningen (the Act of Succession). Regeringsformen states that all public power in Sweden derives from the people, that the Riksdag enacts laws, and that the government governs the country. It guarantees citizens' basic freedoms and rights, describes the role of the head of state, and how the agencies function. Tryckfrihetsförordningen protects free speech in printed form, and yttrandefrihetsgrundlagen gives everyone the right to freely express their thoughts and opinions, including on radio, television, and in newspapers — but certain statements are forbidden by law, such as defamation, incitement against a group of people (hets mot folkgrupp), and spreading secrets that could harm Sweden's security. Successionsordningen determines who will become king or queen after the current monarch. The extensive Swedish right of public access to nature (allemansrätten) — the right to be out in nature, walk, cycle, pick berries, and pitch a tent, with a responsibility not to damage nature or disturb the landowner — is protected in the constitution.

The Swedish justice system consists of several agencies that work to ensure the law is followed: the police prevent, investigate, and combat crime; the Prosecution Authority (åklagarmyndigheten) decides whether suspected individuals should be brought before a court; the courts examine evidence and decide on a sentence, such as a fine or imprisonment, or an acquittal; the Crime Victim Authority (brottsoffermyndigheten) supports people who have been victims of crime; and the Prison and Probation Service (kriminalvården) is responsible for, among other things, prisons and for ensuring that convicted persons serve their sentences.

The rule of law (rättssäkerhet) means that everyone is treated equally before the law and has the right to a fair trial. The courts are independent — neither the government nor the Riksdag can determine how they rule. Everyone also has the right to defend themselves with the help of a lawyer and can appeal a verdict they believe is wrong. There are three levels of courts: the tingsrätt (district court, the first instance, where criminal and civil cases begin), the hovrätt (court of appeal, which hears cases appealed from the tingsrätt), and the Högsta domstolen (Supreme Court, which only hears certain important cases that have already gone through the tingsrätt and the hovrätt).

The police's task is to maintain law and order and to prevent and investigate crime, in cooperation with schools, kommuner, businesses, and other agencies. The police also issue passports and national ID cards to Swedish citizens and decide on certain permits. A criminal investigation has several steps to guarantee the rule of law: polisanmälan (a police report — the victim of a crime reports it), förhör (questioning — the police gather more information), förundersökning (preliminary investigation — the police gather evidence and talk to witnesses), anhållan (detention by a prosecutor — if there is strong suspicion, the person can be detained by a prosecutor and held for up to 72 hours), and häktning (remand — if more evidence emerges, a court can decide that the person should be held for a longer period).

After a criminal investigation, a prosecutor decides whether there will be a trial in court. During the trial, the prosecutor tries to prove that the defendant is guilty; the defendant has the right to a defense lawyer who can question the evidence. The judge rules together with nämndemän (lay judges), who represent the general public and are appointed by the political parties. A person can be sentenced to, for example, a fine or imprisonment, or found not guilty and acquitted. In Sweden, a person reaches the age of criminal responsibility — can be prosecuted for a crime — at 15 years of age (in 2026, the government put forward a proposal to lower this to 13 for serious crimes). Anyone convicted of certain serious crimes is registered in the criminal record (belastningsregistret), which can make it harder to, for example, get a job, a driving license, or citizenship.