Capital punishment in Sweden
Encyclopedia
Capital punishment
in Sweden
( - literally "Death punishment") was practiced up until 1910. It is now outlawed by the Swedish Constitution which clearly states that capital punishment, corporal punishment
, and torture
is strictly prohibited.
The clause that prohibits the death penalty has been a part of the Constitution since 1975. Sweden is a state party to the Second Optional Protocol to ICCPR (ratified in ?), Protocol No. 6 to ECHR (1984), and Protocol No. 13 to ECHR (2003).
In the Riksdag of the Estates
, a majority of the peasants worked for the abolition of the death penalty, for example when the new penalty code of 1864 was discussed.
. Skarprättare, who carried out beheadings and Bödel, who carried out hangings by the neck and other types of capital punishment. Until the beginning of the 19th century hanging by the neck was reserved for commoners and beheadings reserved for nobles. During the 19th century each province of Sweden
along with the City of Stockholm had an appointed executioner who travelled the area to carry out executions. In 1900, a national executioner was appointed, a position that was filled by the last executioner Albert Gustaf Dahlman
who until then had been responsible for carrying out executions in Stockholm
.
was the last person executed in Sweden. He was sentenced to death for a murder during the course of a robbery that was committed in January 1910. His sentence was not commuted and he was executed November 23 at Långholmen
in Stockholm
using a guillotine
(the only time a guillotine was used in Sweden). The executioner was Albert Gustaf Dahlman
, who died in 1920. At his death at average high age, he was the last of all executioners in Sweden. It has been suggested that the difficulties in finding a person to carry out this kind of work might have been one of the reasons for the abolishment of capital punishment one year later.
, who was executed on August 7, 1890 by decapitation
with an axe
. Månsdotter and her son Per Nilsson had murdered Per's wife, Hanna Johansdotter. Månsdotter was also involved in an incest
uous relationship with her son, who was sentenced to life imprisonment and who was released in 1914. The last woman executed in the capital of Stockholm was Helena Katarina Löv, who was decapitated for the murder of a child 19 September 1829.
and at Lidamon (near Malmköping
). Both had been sentenced to death for the same crime, a failed robbery against a stagecoach two years earlier, which resulted in the murder of one of the passengers and the driver of the coach. The executions were carried out by Per Petter Christiansson Steineck
and Johan Fredrik Hjort.
by the neck. Hanging was available as a form of capital punishment until the Penal Code of 1864 removed that option.
). The last execution carried out for a non-fatal assault was on March 29, 1837, when Anders Gustav Lindberg was beheaded in Stockholm
.
shows that 36% of the population believes that there are crimes that should be punished by death. Support is in general more common amongst young males, but no age group shows anything but a majority against capital punishment.
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
( - literally "Death punishment") was practiced up until 1910. It is now outlawed by the Swedish Constitution which clearly states that capital punishment, corporal punishment
Corporal punishment
Corporal punishment is a form of physical punishment that involves the deliberate infliction of pain as retribution for an offence, or for the purpose of disciplining or reforming a wrongdoer, or to deter attitudes or behaviour deemed unacceptable...
, and torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
is strictly prohibited.
Dates for abolishment of the death penalty
- Capital punishment was abolished for all crimes committed in peacetime on June 30, 1921.
- Capital punishment was abolished for all crimes, including those committed in time of war, on January 1, 1976.
The clause that prohibits the death penalty has been a part of the Constitution since 1975. Sweden is a state party to the Second Optional Protocol to ICCPR (ratified in ?), Protocol No. 6 to ECHR (1984), and Protocol No. 13 to ECHR (2003).
In the Riksdag of the Estates
Riksdag of the Estates
The Riksdag of the Estates , was the name used for the Estates of the Swedish realm when they were assembled. Until its dissolution in 1866, the institution was the highest authority in Sweden next to the King...
, a majority of the peasants worked for the abolition of the death penalty, for example when the new penalty code of 1864 was discussed.
Titles
Two titles were used for the official who carried out the executionExecutioner
A judicial executioner is a person who carries out a death sentence ordered by the state or other legal authority, which was known in feudal terminology as high justice.-Scope and job:...
. Skarprättare, who carried out beheadings and Bödel, who carried out hangings by the neck and other types of capital punishment. Until the beginning of the 19th century hanging by the neck was reserved for commoners and beheadings reserved for nobles. During the 19th century each province of Sweden
Provinces of Sweden
The provinces of Sweden, landskap, are historical, geographical and cultural regions. Sweden has 25 provinces and they have no administrative function, but remain historical legacies and the means of cultural identification....
along with the City of Stockholm had an appointed executioner who travelled the area to carry out executions. In 1900, a national executioner was appointed, a position that was filled by the last executioner Albert Gustaf Dahlman
Albert Gustaf Dahlman
Albert Gustaf Dalman , was a Swedish executioner. He was the last executioner to carry out capital punishment in Sweden....
who until then had been responsible for carrying out executions in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
.
Last execution
Johan Alfred AnderJohan Alfred Ander
Johan Alfred Andersson Ander was a convicted Swedish murderer and the last person to be officially executed in Sweden, and the only to be executed by a guillotine in Sweden.-Early life:...
was the last person executed in Sweden. He was sentenced to death for a murder during the course of a robbery that was committed in January 1910. His sentence was not commuted and he was executed November 23 at Långholmen
Långholmen
Långholmen is an island in central Stockholm, between Södermalm and Kungsholmen.Långholmen is a green oasis in the city, and a popular spot for walks, picnics and swimming. The small beaches, located right outside the former prison, are usually crowded in summer. However, up until 1975, Långholmen...
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
using a guillotine
Guillotine
The guillotine is a device used for carrying out :executions by decapitation. It consists of a tall upright frame from which an angled blade is suspended. This blade is raised with a rope and then allowed to drop, severing the head from the body...
(the only time a guillotine was used in Sweden). The executioner was Albert Gustaf Dahlman
Albert Gustaf Dahlman
Albert Gustaf Dalman , was a Swedish executioner. He was the last executioner to carry out capital punishment in Sweden....
, who died in 1920. At his death at average high age, he was the last of all executioners in Sweden. It has been suggested that the difficulties in finding a person to carry out this kind of work might have been one of the reasons for the abolishment of capital punishment one year later.
Last execution of a woman
The last woman executed was Anna MånsdotterAnna Månsdotter
Anna Månsdotter, also known as Yngsjömörderskan , was the last woman to be executed in Sweden. The Yngsjö murder is one of the most famous murder-cases in Swedish history...
, who was executed on August 7, 1890 by decapitation
Decapitation
Decapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
with an axe
Axe
The axe, or ax, is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood; to harvest timber; as a weapon; and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol...
. Månsdotter and her son Per Nilsson had murdered Per's wife, Hanna Johansdotter. Månsdotter was also involved in an incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
uous relationship with her son, who was sentenced to life imprisonment and who was released in 1914. The last woman executed in the capital of Stockholm was Helena Katarina Löv, who was decapitated for the murder of a child 19 September 1829.
Last public executions
The last public executions in Sweden were carried out May 18, 1876. Both executions, by means of beheading, are supposed to have been carried out at the same time in the morning, at 7. The executed were Konrad Lundqvist Petterson Tector and Gustav Erikson Hjert and the executions were carried out at Stenkumla Backe near VisbyVisby
-See also:* Battle of Visby* Gotland University College* List of governors of Gotland County-External links:* - Visby*...
and at Lidamon (near Malmköping
Malmköping
Malmköping is a locality situated in Flen Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 2,000 inhabitants in 2005.Malmköping is located about 15 kilometers north of the municipal seat Flen . It is a tourism attraction due to its two annual markets...
). Both had been sentenced to death for the same crime, a failed robbery against a stagecoach two years earlier, which resulted in the murder of one of the passengers and the driver of the coach. The executions were carried out by Per Petter Christiansson Steineck
Per Petter Christiansson Steineck
Per Petter Christiansson Steineck, was a Swedish executioner. Per Petterson Christensson Steijnech was born in Malmo, Sweden on 7 October 1822.-Career:...
and Johan Fredrik Hjort.
Last use of other method than beheading
The last time other method than beheading was practiced was in 1836 and the method used was hangingHanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
by the neck. Hanging was available as a form of capital punishment until the Penal Code of 1864 removed that option.
Last execution for other crime than murder
The last time a death sentence was carried out for any other crime than murder was on August 10, 1853 when Mårten Pehrsson was executed for aggravated assault at Rögla (near YstadYstad
Ystad is a "locality", or town, and the seat of Ystad Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden, with 17,286 inhabitants .Settlement dates back to the 11th century and the town has become a busy ferryport, local administrative centre and tourist attraction...
). The last execution carried out for a non-fatal assault was on March 29, 1837, when Anders Gustav Lindberg was beheaded in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
.
Number of executions during 1800-1866, 1867-1921
Between 1800 and 1866, 644 executions were carried out in Sweden. In 1864, the Penal Code was reformed, and the use of capital punishment got more restricted. In the following years (from 1866) up until the abolishment of the death penalty in 1921, fifteen people were executed (out of ca 120 sentenced). The only crime that after 1864 carried the death penalty without any other sentencing possible (absolute capital punishment) was the slaying of a prison guard by a prisoner serving life sentence. Two of the executions carried out after 1864 were for this crime; the execution of Jonas Magnus Jonasson Borg in 1866 and the execution of Carl Otto Andersson in 1872.Attitude towards capital punishment in the general public
The support for capital punishment in Sweden varies between 30-40%. A 2006 study from SIFOSifo
SIFO is a Swedish company earlier known as Sifo Research International in the area of opinion and social research. The company was founded in 1954 as Svenska institutet för opinionsundersökningar and known by the public under the abbreviation SIFO which is one of the strongest brands in Sweden...
shows that 36% of the population believes that there are crimes that should be punished by death. Support is in general more common amongst young males, but no age group shows anything but a majority against capital punishment.