Sweden Plans to Establish Prisons for Young People Aged 13 and Above

In Sweden, offenders as young as 13 will be placed in youth prisons starting next summer.

Some time ago, the government commissioned the National Prison and Probation Service to create sections in prisons for 15- to 17-year-olds who have committed serious crimes. This task is now being expanded to include 13- and 14-year-olds, according to the Swedish Ministry of Justice.

Sweden has been struggling for years with criminal gangs that repeatedly recruit minors to commit serious crimes on their behalf – including murder. Under current law, 13- and 14-year-olds are not yet criminally responsible. A bill proposed by Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s liberal-conservative government aims to change this in future for particularly serious crimes.

Lowering the age of criminal responsibility for the most serious crimes is important, among other things, to protect society, but also to help children leave the criminal path, said Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer. He spoke of initially 100 to 150 places for offenders aged 13 to 17.

According to government information, the separate youth departments are to be operational from 1 July 2026. Departments for boys are to be set up in six prisons and for girls in two. The younger and older adolescents are to be separated from each other – and the plans are not expected to violate the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the ministry said.

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