Law and justice in Sweden: police and courts

In Sweden, the same laws apply to everyone. The police investigate crimes, the prosecutor brings charges and the court gives the verdict. Here you learn how it works, your rights as a suspect and what allemansrätten (the right of public access) means.

Who does what in the justice system?

A crime is an act that the law forbids and that can lead to a penalty. Police, prosecutors, courts and prison service form the justice system.

Authority	Task
The police	Prevents crime, acts when something happens and investigates crimes
The prosecutor	Leads investigations, brings charges and argues cases in court
The court	Decides if the accused is guilty and sets the penalty
The Prison and Probation Service (Kriminalvården)	Runs prisons and remand prisons and carries out sentences

A penalty is what the court decides for a crime, for example a fine or prison.

The police: call 112 or 114 14

The police keep order and safety and give protection and help.

• Call 112 if a crime is happening now or the police must come fast.
• Call 114 14 to contact the police when it is not urgent.

The police can arrest (gripa) a suspect. Then a prosecutor decides if the person is held (anhållen), which means kept in custody. Only a court can decide that the person is remanded (häktad) in a remand prison. If the prosecutor asks, the court must hold a hearing within four days after the person is arrested or held.

How a criminal case works

In a criminal case, someone is charged with a crime. It usually works like this:

1. Report. Someone reports a crime to the police. The police can also find crimes themselves.
2. Preliminary investigation. Investigators find out what happened, who may have done it and if the evidence is enough. A prosecutor leads it. For some less serious crimes, the police lead it.
3. Charges. If the evidence is enough, the prosecutor must bring charges. Then the court can decide the case. The prosecutor must be objective. So the prosecutor must also look for evidence that helps the suspect.
4. Trial. The district court holds a hearing with the prosecutor, the accused and witnesses. The prosecutor must prove the crime.
5. Verdict. The court decides if the crime is proven. If the accused is guilty, it decides the penalty.
6. Appeal. Anyone who disagrees with the verdict can appeal to the court of appeal within three weeks. If nobody appeals in time, the verdict becomes final (laga kraft) and can no longer be changed.

The courts: district court, court of appeal and Supreme Court

The general courts decide criminal cases on three levels:

Court	What it does
District court (tingsrätt)	First court in most cases
Court of appeal (hovrätt)	Usually hears the case again on appeal
Supreme Court (Högsta domstolen, HD)	Last step: appeals against the court of appeal's verdict

The Supreme Court only takes a case if it grants leave to appeal (prövningstillstånd). It does this mainly when its judgment can show how to use the law in other cases.

In a criminal trial, the district court normally has one professional judge and three lay judges (nämndemän). For some minor crimes, one judge can decide alone. The municipal council chooses the district court's lay judges.

There are also administrative courts: förvaltningsrätt (administrative court), kammarrätt (administrative court of appeal) and Högsta förvaltningsdomstolen (Supreme Administrative Court). You can often appeal an authority's decision to the administrative court. The migration courts are administrative courts too.

Legal certainty: your rights if you are a suspect

Legal certainty (rättssäkerhet) means the laws must be clear. Someone can only be convicted if the law allows it and there is enough evidence. This protects everyone, including suspects. Important rules:

• Everyone is equal before the law. Courts and authorities must treat everyone equally.
• You count as innocent until a court convicts you. You do not need to prove your innocence.
• You can have a defence counsel, usually a lawyer. If you are held or remanded, the court must appoint a public defence counsel if you ask.
• You have a right to a free interpreter if you do not understand the court's language.
• The trial must be fair. The Instrument of Government says a trial must be fair and within a reasonable time. Hearings are normally open to the public.
• The courts are independent. The Riksdag (Sweden's parliament), the government and authorities may not control how a court decides a case.

The Instrument of Government (regeringsformen) is one of Sweden's fundamental laws. Read more in Democracy and how Sweden is governed. For discrimination, children's rights and gender equality, see Rights and the media.

Age of criminal responsibility: from what age can you be convicted?

The age at the time of the crime counts. As a rule, a crime committed before age 15 cannot lead to a penalty. So you reach the age of criminal responsibility at 15.

Since 10 September 2026 there is a temporary exception for 14-year-olds. A person who commits a very serious crime at 14 can be given a penalty. It covers crimes with a minimum penalty of four years in prison or more. It also covers attempt, preparation or conspiracy to commit them. Conspiracy means, for example, agreeing with someone to commit a crime. It applies to crimes committed before 10 September 2031.

Criminal responsibility is not legal age. You reach legal age (myndig) at 18.

Allemansrätten: nature is for everyone

With allemansrätten you may move freely in nature almost everywhere. This includes land that someone else owns. The Instrument of Government mentions this right. It also gives duties: show consideration for people, animals and nature.

What you may do	What you may not do
Walk, cycle and ski in forests and countryside	Go close to a house where someone lives (privacy protection zone) without asking
Pick berries and mushrooms	Walk on a field where crops are growing
Sleep in a tent for a night or two	Make a fire when there is a fire ban
Make a fire with sticks and cones from the ground, where allowed	Take branches or birch bark from living trees, or use fallen trees as firewood

The area closest to a home or holiday house is the privacy protection zone (hemfridszon). Residents must be left in peace. There is no fixed rule for its size. To stay, for example to camp, keep a longer distance from the house.

Always check for a fire ban. The County Administrative Board (länsstyrelsen) or the municipality (kommun) decides on it, for example in dry weather. A fire must not spread. Put it out completely before you go.

What else is in the test? Read what the citizenship test contains and how to study for the test.

Words to know

Word	Meaning
Åklagare	Prosecutor: leads investigations, brings charges
Åtal	Charges: the prosecutor asks the court to try someone
Förundersökning	Preliminary investigation, before charges
Nämndeman	Lay judge: not a professional judge, but helps decide
Överklaga	To appeal: ask a higher court to review a decision
Straffmyndig	Old enough to be convicted, normally 15