The Leaking Law

This chapter starts with the question of how damages for violation through crime are determined by law. Compensation for criminal injuries is the predominant type of nonpecuniary damages in Swedish tort law. Yet, a fundamental uncertainty exists regarding computation of damages and the legal meaning of ‘violation’. The general consensus in the legal profession is that norms for computation of damages for compensation of violation are lacking and that the violation and the financial compensation are incommensurable. The analysis and results of my empirical study show several central dichotomies between formal and informal norms and between the internal and external view of law. But this is not simply meant as a critique to show a ‘gap problem’ or a disconnect between ‘law in books and law in action’. Rather, I want to illustrate that what can be described as ‘leaking law’ is a central dimension of a normative system that deals with values, language and the application of general rules through interpretation in a certain context. Accordingly, the question here is how the law leaks rather than whether it does and, further, if in the eyes of legislators estimating such compensation should leak. These aspects raise questions regarding the law’s limits or boundaries and inflow to the legal system. My theoretical approach is inspired by analytical jurisprudence and analytical philosophy expressed by questions like ‘what is the law?’ and ‘what is the relationship between law and its context?’. And finally, I will detail later in this chapter with what is meant by ‘leaking’ and why it is relevant to compensation for violation of personal integrity