How does a criminal procedure work? What are your rights in a criminal proceeding? Which authorities are involved? What are the different possible sentences in Swiss criminal law? How long can an offence be registered in the criminal record? How to contest a criminal order? What is the maximum length of pre-trial detention?
Find the answers to your questions by consulting this page of our site dedicated to your rights in criminal law, criminal procedure and execution of sentences.
Do you need concrete information in a particular area of criminal law? Discover our thematic files.
Criminal law
PENALTIES
What are the different types of criminal sanctions in Swiss law? What is the maximum penalty under Swiss law? Do I risk going to jail if I don’t pay a fine? What is internment?
Criminal Procedure
THE RUNNING
From beginning to end
How does a criminal procedure work? How does it start? What are the steps? How does it end?
THE AUTHORITIES
Who prosecutes and who judges
What are the different authorities involved in criminal proceedings? What are their skills? When and why do they occur?
THE PARTICIPANTS
Rights and duties of participants
Who are the participants in a criminal proceeding? What are their rights? What should they look out for? I am accused, do I have the right to remain silent? I am a witness, do I have to testify? What if someone close to me is targeted?
Execution of sentences
Preventive detention
pre-trial detention
What is pre-trial detention? Under what conditions can it be ordered? How long can it last? Who is competent to order it? How to avoid it?
Execution of sentences
AFTER THE CONVICTION
What happens after the conviction? Is the convict allowed to work? To continue studying? Can he be released before he has served his full sentence? Under what conditions? And the electronic bracelet?
CRIMINAL RECORD
What remains of the judgment
What is a criminal record? What is it for? Who has access to it? How long does a conviction stay on the criminal record? What about an expulsion?
KNOWLEDGE BASE (FAQ)
Still haven’t found the information you were looking for?
Consult our knowledge base to find answers to the most frequently asked questions (FAQ) in criminal law, criminal procedure and execution of sentences.
