Sweden Opts Against Jailing Serious Offenders Aged 13

Sweden has abandoned plans to allow serious offenders as young as 13 to be imprisoned after failing to secure sufficient parliamentary backing.

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Instead, the centre-right government will introduce legislation to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 14 ahead of legislative elections scheduled for September.

Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer said the change would enable authorities to impose sanctions that are more proportionate to serious crimes while improving opportunities for rehabilitation.

“By lowering the age of criminal responsibility... fairer and proportionate sanctions can be imposed, and we will be able to create better conditions for rehabilitation than today,” Strömmer said.

Concern Over Youth Gang Violence

The move comes as Sweden continues to face growing problems with children being recruited by violent criminal gangs.

According to Strömmer, more than 50 children under the age of 15 appeared in court last year on charges of murder or attempted murder.

Under current law, children younger than 15 cannot be imprisoned and are instead placed in youth detention facilities known as SiS homes. The government argues that the existing system has failed to prevent reoffending and, in some cases, has contributed to further criminal involvement.

Although plans to imprison 13-year-olds have been dropped, authorities have instructed eight prisons to prepare dedicated sections for younger offenders, separated from adult inmates.

Strömmer said the proposed reforms were aimed at protecting society from serious violent crime and safeguarding victims, many of whom are also children.

Critics Question Effectiveness

Children’s rights advocates have criticised the proposal, arguing that strengthening existing youth facilities would be more effective than lowering the age of criminal responsibility.

Maria Frisk, secretary general of Swedish children's rights organisation Bris, said there was no evidence that reducing the age threshold to 14 would reverse current trends.

At the same time, concerns have grown over reports that some SiS homes have become recruitment grounds for criminal networks.

Gang Conflict Fuels Security Concerns

Sweden has experienced a rise in deadly violence over the past decade. The Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention reported 121 homicides in 2023, compared with 87 ten years earlier, although the figure fell to 92 in 2024.

One of the country's most notorious criminal groups, the Foxtrot gang, has frequently used teenagers to carry out crimes ranging from shootings and bomb attacks to contract killings.

Violence surged in 2023 during a feud between Foxtrot leader Rawa Majid and rival gang leader Ismail Abdo. Abdo was arrested in Turkey in 2025, while Majid is believed to be in the Middle East.

Several attacks involving suspects aged 13 and 14 have also targeted sites linked to Israel, including facilities belonging to Elbit Systems in Gothenburg and the Israeli embassy in Stockholm.

Sweden's security service, Säpo, has alleged that Iran recruited Swedish gang members to carry out attacks on Israeli and Jewish targets. Iran has denied the accusations, describing them as unfounded and based on misinformation.

In 2025, both the United States and the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on Foxtrot and Majid, citing their alleged involvement in attacks on Jewish and Israeli targets in Europe on behalf of the Iranian government.

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Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 13 June 2026

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