Background from 2023 Investigation

In August 2023, the government received the report En översyn av regleringen om frihetsberövande påföljder för unga. In the report, it is proposed that the penalty sluten ungdomsvård shall be phased out and that young offenders instead shall be sentenced to prison, and that the prison sentence shall be executed in special youth departments at Kriminalvården‘s existing institutions.

The government has therefore previously given Kriminalvården the assignment to carry out preparations to establish special youth prisons for offenders aged 15–17 years. The activities in the youth prisons shall be adapted to the needs of children and young people. The starting point shall be that children and young people shall not serve the sentence together with adults.

Inclusion of Younger Children

In the draft for the Council on Legislation referral Sänkt straffbarhetsålder för allvarliga brott, it is proposed that prison shall be able to be sentenced for the 13- or 14-year-old who is sentenced for crime covered by the lowered criminal responsibility age. The assignment to Kriminalvården to prepare the establishment of youth prisons is therefore supplemented and shall also include the new target group.

Adaptations for Youngest Inmates

Against the background of the differences that may exist between a 13- or 14-year-old and an older child, there is reason to adapt the execution content and the premises for the younger children. It concerns, among other things, adapting the premises, in the way that Kriminalvården deems appropriate, so that the youngest children can be kept separated from the oldest children. The activities must also meet the provisions in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Political Reactions

– A lowering of the criminal responsibility age for the most serious crimes is needed for several reasons. It is important to strengthen the redress for crime victims, to protect society and to help children leave the criminal path. This also gives a five-year respite for the preventive work to catch up with today’s reality. Kriminalvården now gets the assignment to prepare the activities in the best way to receive the youngest target group, says Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer.

– When 13–14-year-olds run around with automatic weapons, it must be met with society’s full force. To protect others, they must be able to be locked up and by lowering the criminal responsibility age, we open up the police’s toolbox. It gives us a chance to both stop continued violence and turn the development for these children before it is too late, says Henrik Vinge, chairman of the justice committee, Sverigedemokraterna.

– The number of children, as young as 13–14 years, who commit serious violent crimes has increased dramatically. Measures to prevent this and to also take measures after completed crimes are a must. At the same time, the execution needs to be adapted based on the perpetrator’s age. It is welcome that Kriminalvården now gets the assignment to see how the activities need to be adapted, says Torsten Elofsson, legal policy spokesperson for Kristdemokraterna.

– I have great confidence in Kriminalvården and how they solve the strained situation they have, not least with lack of places. I am convinced that they will also be able to ensure that the 13 and 14-year-olds who are sentenced to prison will be taken care of in the best way, says Martin Melin, legal policy spokesperson for Liberalerna.

Planned Youth Facilities

Kriminalvården plans to establish special youth departments for boys at the institutions Högsbo, Rosersberg, Österåker, Kumla, Skenäs and Täby. Departments for girls are planned at the institutions Ystad and Sagsjön. All institutions will not, however, receive children from 1 July 2026, but it happens in stages.

On 24 September, the Ministry of Justice referred a draft for Council on Legislation referral with proposal that the criminal responsibility age shall be lowered to 13 years for crimes that have minimum punishment prison in four years or more as well as attempt, preparation and conspiracy to such crimes. The regulation is proposed to be time-limited to five years.

Source

Original Publication: Komplettering av uppdrag till Kriminalvården om att förbereda för ungdomsfängelser
Published: 27 oktober 2025
Authority: Swedish Government / Justitiedepartementet