US EditionSweden Aims to Lower Age of Criminal Responsibility to 13 as Gangs Recruit Children
The proposal aims to curb gang recruitment of children under 15 amid a doubling of registered offences by this age group in the last decade, officials said.
- On Monday, Sweden's government submitted a bill to lower the criminal responsibility age from 15 to 13, effective July 2026 until July 2031, allowing up to two years in a new "youth prison".
- Authorities cite a surge in organised violent crime in Sweden tied to rival gangs and the drug market, with 52 young people under the age of 15 involved in murder cases in 2025.
- A consultation sought input from 126 authorities and organisations, with police, prison officials and prosecutors largely critical or opposed, warning of risks to children and prisons.
- As well as lowering the age, the proposal alters youth sentencing rules by abolishing the so-called `ungdomsreduktion` for over-18s, reducing cuts for 13–18-year-olds, and raising the maximum sentence for under-18s to 18 years.
- Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer said the measures reflect the seriousness and will take effect on July 3rd, expiring unless parliament votes to extend in 2031.
63 Articles
63 Articles
Sweden is moving ahead with plans to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 13 in serious cases, at a time when it is grappling with a growing number of children recruited into gangs to commit violent crimes without serious legal consequences.
The Swedish government has announced plans to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 13 for some of the most serious crimes, which would allow a triplet convicted of murder to spend one or two years in a juvenile prison. Under the proposed plan, in addition to lowering the age of criminal responsibility, the government has also introduced stricter measures for offenders under the age of 18. Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer told a news confe…
The Swedish government wants to lower the age at which children can be held responsible for serious crimes from 15 to 13. The government also wants to impose harsher sentences on minors. In Sweden, young children are increasingly being recruited by gangs to commit serious crimes, precisely because they cannot be prosecuted under the age of 15. They often come from deprived neighborhoods and are used to plant explosives, commit assault, or even m…
The Ministry of Justice, Gunnar Strömmer, intends to limit this reform to serious offences, paving the way for prison sentences in some cases.
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