The Tidö parties are moving forward with the proposal to temporarily lower the age of criminal responsibility to 13 years for the most serious crimes. The proposal is being pushed despite extensive criticism from left-wing politicians, the media, and so-called experts.
The issue has previously been a subject of political conflict. The government then tasked investigator Gunnel Lindberg with addressing the question of lowering the age of criminal responsibility, and she concluded that it should not be lowered. This position was contrary to that of the Tidö parties, especially the Sweden Democrats, who want to strengthen tools against growing gang violence.
“There are those who claim that this social development requires no new actions. Things will work out through various social initiatives. It’s just a passing wave,” she says, and urges us to think about the children:
“If you lower the age of criminal responsibility, you have a very negative impact on the children.”
READ ALSO: Government investigator says no to lowering age of criminal responsibility
Since then, several authorities have commented on the issue, while left-wing politicians and the media, according to critics, have run a campaign against lowering the age of criminal responsibility, arguing that children should not be punished as adults.
On Thursday, Gunnar Strömmer (M), Adam Marttinen (SD), Torsten Elofsson (KD), and Martin Melin (L) announced that the parties are now moving forward with the proposal. In an opinion piece in Aftonbladet, they argue that Sweden must tighten the rules for children who commit serious crimes. The proposal involves a temporary reduction of the age of criminal responsibility for five years.
READ ALSO: Government investigator says no to lowering age of criminal responsibility
They refer to a trend where very young people are linked to serious crime, highlighting that last year, 52 children under 15 were involved in legal proceedings for murder or plans to commit murder.
“By temporarily lowering the age of criminal responsibility to 13 for truly serious crimes, we strengthen protection for society while giving the social system a chance to catch up.”
The crimes included are said to be, among others, murder, attempted murder, serious bombings, serious weapons offenses, and aggravated rape. Even younger offenders should be able to be sentenced to various forms of youth sanctions, and in the most serious cases, imprisonment.
“We are not talking about stealing scooters here. Not even assault or robbery. We are talking about children who commit murder.”
In the opinion piece, they describe how criminal networks exploit weaknesses in society’s systems and that gangs recruit children through structures that authorities have struggled to manage.
At the same time, they criticize today’s sanction system for young people, which they say does not work effectively enough to break the cycle of crime.
“Nine out of ten of the 15–17-year-olds who are currently sentenced to secure youth care at SIS homes and have gang connections reoffend with serious criminality.”
According to the writers, the proposal means that the age of criminal responsibility is lowered for a limited period and only for the most serious crimes.
The government also wants to change how young offenders are handled in practice. The Prison and Probation Service will take over responsibility for 15–17-year-olds who are sentenced for serious crimes from the SIS homes, and according to the writers, even 13–14-year-olds in the most serious cases will be covered by the system.
They also emphasize that the reform will be combined with preventive measures and that the change is intended to give social services and other actors time to catch up.
“The reality is that today’s system fails to protect citizens from deadly violence, provide justice for victims, or break the destructive patterns around these children.”
The proposal is part of a bill now being put forward by the government. The writers conclude by stressing that the change is necessary.
“And one thing we know for certain: what Sweden as a country has done so far has not worked, otherwise we would not be in this situation.”