the Judicial system in Sweden is permeated by racism and prejudice. It is an established fact. For example, we know that people with migrant background are exposed to structural discrimination through the whole legal process. They are being prosecuted to a greater extent than people with a Swedish background. In addition, the folds, the more often and receive harsher penalties. This is not to be equal before the law, which is a fundamental principle in a democracy.
the measures to remedy the discrimination is to educate the judiciary in the anti-discrimination. This is the view of both the Crime and the current national plan against racism and hate crimes.
That education is the key learn not to surprise anyone, but despite this, we have after six semesters of study programme at the university of Stockholm, has not yet been able to see the smoke of any education in anti-discrimination. Judging by the study plan, it will not be able to. And as far as I can see, it is no other of the country’s juristutbildningar devoted the issue any more attention.
is to create lawyers who understand what the rule of law is and who has the hang of the Swedish constitution (which says that all shall be equal before the law). Against this background it is incomprehensible that you have chosen to totally ignore the biggest threat to achieving this, namely discrimination.
In the judicial system, however, are more than lawyers. I’m not a cop, but judging by how the police work, it is clear that their education has shortcomings in this aspect.
There are, to name an example, a policing method called ”stop and search” that the police stop and check people without any particular reason beyond the fact that they perceive them as suspects. The method should be named ”stop and search young men of color” because research shows that it is just young boys with a migrant background are stopped and checked.
that shows that the police is more inclined to suspect people with an immigrant background for a crime than those with a Swedish background. As a Christian Diesen, professor of procedural law at Stockholm university, says there are ” a professional suspicion” against persons with an immigrant background within the police.
Police officers, judges, prosecutors, and all the other people in the judicial system, are just people. With all the shortcomings that that implies. To believe that we would be able to alienate ourselves from the prejudices of the without the right tools is naive, to put it nicely.
and everyone’s equality before the law should not only be a chimera, something that looks good on paper, need to the legal profession and the police force actively learn about the bias and how to avoid the pitfalls. And no, a 45-minute seminar in the half is not enough.
Research that shows prejudice and racism in the justice system have been conducted for several decades. It is time that the law and the police academy takes its responsibility and train lawyers and police officers who do not make a difference on the people and the people. It is not too much to ask of a democracy.
Hanna Bergwall, a law student