straffebudet

Straffebudet is a legal term used in Norwegian and other Scandinavian legal traditions to denote the punishment provision of a statute. It refers to the portion of a law that prescribes the sanctions to be applied when a person commits an offense defined by that same law. In practice, the straffebudet links the definition of the criminal act to the corresponding penalties, such as imprisonment, fines, community service, or other sanctions.

The straffebudet typically appears within the same statute that defines the offense (the substantive provisions) and may specify the range of penalties, including minimums and maximums. It may also address special circumstances that influence the severity of the penalty, such as aggravating or mitigating factors, or separate penalties for specific subtypes of conduct. In many legal systems, the statute also traces how penalties are determined in practice, sometimes referring to sentencing guidelines or accompanying regulatory rules.

Relation to broader criminal law: The straffebudet is a core element of the principle of legality, which holds that criminal penalties must be prescribed by law. It coexistS with procedural rules that govern how charges are brought and how sentences are administered. While the exact structure and terminology vary by country, the fundamental function is to translate a criminal act into a corresponding sanction in a transparent and predictable way.

Overview: Straffebudet thus serves as the binding link between criminal conduct and punishment, providing clarity for courts, prosecutors, and the public about what acts are punishable and what penalties may be imposed.