Dozens of primarily female prosecutors openly protest as the government proposes a reduction in the age of criminal responsibility for especially serious crimes. Several prosecutors even threaten to leave the profession, as they believe it is wrong to lock up children, even if they have committed murder.

The government wants to lower the so-called age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 13 years, for certain serious crimes. This concerns crimes where the minimum sentence is at least four years in prison, as well as preparation or conspiracy to commit such crimes.

The stated purpose is to address the increasingly serious gang crime in Sweden, with murders and bombings, where the gangs often use very young perpetrators. And where innocents are increasingly falling victim to bullets and bombs.

Even the Social Democrats are in favor of lowering the age of criminal responsibility, but to 14 instead of 13 years.

Meeting resistance

However, these plans are facing strong opposition from the judicial system. Both the Swedish Prosecution Authority and several courts say in their responses to the referral no to prosecuting 13- and 14-year-old gang murderers.

Luleå District Court is practically the only judicial authority that does not think the proposed law is wrong.

“The draft deals with an issue that is exclusively the responsibility of politics to consider. Therefore, the district court refrains from expressing opinions on the matter,” writes Chief Judge Erik Graeske in his response to the referral.

Even the Swedish Prison and Probation Service objects. Not least because it is not deemed that there are resources to handle all the criminal children who will need to be detained and put behind bars.

Several referral bodies fear that criminality will creep even further down in age if the age of criminal responsibility is lowered.

Prosecutor protest

In early October this year, Dagens Nyheter publishes an article signed by 26 prosecutors, five men and 21 women, all protesting against the government’s plans.

Five of the signatories are chief prosecutors, while 20 are senior prosecutors. Together, they urge the government to “reconsider.” Not least, they object to lowering the age of criminal responsibility in a way that only certain types of crimes become punishable, while others do not.

“Unfortunately, this investigation is inadequate and it is truly sad that it should form the basis for such extensive changes in the judicial system,” they write.

But the 26 prosecutors also believe that it is fundamentally wrong to arrest, prosecute, and lock up children in prison.

“The idea that the development can be reversed by locking up children lacks support in research – and can be directly counterproductive,” it is claimed in the article.

Encouraged to sign a protest list

And on Wednesday, this week, a protest list begins to be circulated to employees at the Swedish Prosecution Authority and Sweden’s various courts, which prosecutors and judges are encouraged to sign. The collected names will then be submitted to the government.

“From both prosecutor and judge perspectives, we have also heard that there are people considering leaving the profession as they cannot support a criminal justice system that deprives freedom and punishes children as young as 13 years old. Therefore, there is a question in the form about whether one has considered leaving their job,” the petition reads.

Behind the petition are Oscar Johansson and Hanna Rosqvist, both working as prosecutors at the Gothenburg Prosecutor’s Office. Hanna Rosqvist has a background as a left-wing activist and has previously demanded a so-called “norm-critical perspective” in Sweden’s legal education.

Samnytt has been in contact with Hanna Rosqvist, who when we spoke with her did not know how many had signed the petition. She then asks us to email our questions, as she is extremely hoarse and cannot answer them on the phone. We have not received a response to our written questions.

That prosecutors and judges engage in this type of petition is something that, among others, is criticized by the X-profile Ridefixer, which a prosecutor is said to be behind. “These actions give those who criticize authorities for containing activists pools of water in their mills,” he writes in a post on X.