The assessment of suicidal behaviour in the context of Polish and Swedish legal culture

Marta Kowalczyk-Ludzia

Uniwersytet Warmińsko-Mazurski w Olsztynie UWM
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0981-6941

Joanna Romanowska-Jackowska

Uniwersytet Łódzki
https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8606-3924


Abstract

Reflection on a scientifically based explanation of the phenomenon of suicide repeatedly points to diverse interpretations. The assessment of suicidal behaviour leads to the creation of many perspectives, approached from victimological, forensic, criminological, and legal aspects. The correlation of these fields of study allows for a comprehensive analysis based on these areas of knowledge. Diverse observations, although they have become a source for discourse, have often created both mythical and scientific indications. The subject and purpose of this article is an attempt to present the reasons for the occurrence of this phenomenon, but also to explain its interpretation both in the Polish and Swedish legal systems, taking into account their respective legal traditions and cultures. In conclusion, the analysis presents a comparative approach to the scale and causes of the phenomenon of suicide – including suicides resulting from honour-based violence – which will enable the presentation of diverse judgments, formulated differently due to the adopted cultural idea. This interpretation opens a broader scientific context, allowing for the deepening of research in this area.


Keywords:

criminal law, suicide, social pathology, cultural differences, directed murder, right to life


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Published
2026-06-17

Cited by

Kowalczyk-Ludzia, M., & Romanowska-Jackowska, J. (2026). The assessment of suicidal behaviour in the context of Polish and Swedish legal culture. Studia Prawnoustrojowe, (72). https://doi.org/10.31648/sp.11658

Marta Kowalczyk-Ludzia 
Uniwersytet Warmińsko-Mazurski w Olsztynie UWM
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0981-6941
Joanna Romanowska-Jackowska 
Uniwersytet Łódzki
https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8606-3924