Criminal networks in Sweden are recruiting increasingly younger individuals to reduce their own risks and to allow the perpetrators to avoid punishment despite committing serious crimes. Police officers testify that it is not uncommon today for 10-13-year-olds to commit gang-related violent crimes, including shootings and bombings. The Tidö government aims to halt this trend and increase safety on the streets, including proposals to allow children who commit serious crimes to be sentenced to prison. However, in a response, the Correctional Service has rejected the government’s proposal to place 13-year-olds who have committed serious crimes in prison.
The government and the Sweden Democrats’ plan to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 13 years, so that children who have committed serious crimes can be placed in prison, is now facing strong opposition from the Correctional Service.
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The authority is resisting and argues that it is neither ready nor equipped to accommodate such young children, despite the increasing number of child soldiers making public places and residential areas increasingly dangerous and unsafe for citizens.
From July 1 next year, the Correctional Service is to have completed units specifically tailored for children, including their own school premises. The new units will be able to accommodate not only 15-17-year-olds, but also 13- and 14-year-olds convicted of serious crimes.
At the same time, the current Sis homes, which currently accommodate teenage offenders, will be phased out, meaning that more young people will instead serve their sentences in prison.
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But the Correctional Service does not approve of the Tidö government’s plans. The authority’s management has been given the opportunity to express their thoughts and is resisting, stating that imprisoning child soldiers “as young as 13 years old” can have negative consequences. Instead, the authority wants to see
The authority writes that children “as young as 13 years old should be handled in other ways”.
Director General: “In my heart and soul, I don’t think…”
Martin Holmgren is the Director General of the Correctional Service and began his assignment in 2020 for a three-year term. In 2023, his mandate was extended for another three years, meaning that his current assignment will expire on March 31, 2026, after which he will step down.
In September, Martin Holmgren participated in SVT’s interview program 30 minutes, where he clearly expressed his opposition to the Tidö government’s plans to lower the age of criminal responsibility and allow prison sentences for 13-year-olds who commit serious crimes.
“In my heart and soul, I don’t think so. A 13-year-old is typically so immature that he or she, when making a mistake, should be handled in a different way,” Holmgren said in SVT.