The Swedish parliament has approved lowering the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 14, a measure aimed at addressing gang-related crime. The vote passed with 281 votes in favor and 66 against, and the new law will come into force on 10 September.
Under the new law, children aged 14 can be sentenced to prison for particularly serious offenses, including murder, aggravated rape, and aggravated weapons offenses. This marks a shift from the previous age threshold of 15.
The number of parliamentarians who voted in favor of lowering the age of criminal responsibility to 14.
The government and its supporting party, the right-wing Sweden Democrats, had initially sought to lower the age to 13 but withdrew the proposal in June due to insufficient parliamentary support. A government-appointed commissioner had recommended 14, and most of the 126 groups consulted on the lower age, including the police and prison service, opposed it.
This is a step in the right direction.
In addition to the age change, parliament approved stricter conditions for family immigration, passing the measure by 176 votes to 171. Under the new rules, a person must generally have held a residence permit for at least two years before a relative can obtain a permit based on family ties.
Parliament also voted to abolish sentencing reductions for people convicted of multiple offenses, a measure referred to as the
These measures come as Sweden has been experiencing gang battles for more than a decade, particularly regarding control of the drug market. The country's minority conservative government, led by Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, relies on the backing of the Sweden Democrats.
A recent Demoskop poll for the Svenska Dagbladet newspaper indicated that the governing parties and the far right would receive 47% of the vote, while opposition parties would receive 51%, suggesting that the current coalition may face challenges in the upcoming elections.
