According to a new investigation, young people who commit serious crimes should be transferred from the State Board of Institutions to the Correctional Service.
– The criminal justice system has a completely different experience and is equipped in a completely different way to take care of, for example, murderers, says Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer (M).
Children and young people between the ages of 15 and 17 who have committed serious crimes such as murder, rape and serious assault can today be sentenced to closed youth care for a maximum of four years in a home under the auspices of the Norwegian Institutional Board, a so-called Sis home. But now an investigation by the Supreme Court suggests that the responsibility for young people who commit serious crimes should be transferred from the State Board of Institutions to the Probation Service.
And Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer stands behind the assessment, which will now be further investigated by the government.
– The criminal justice system has a completely different experience and is equipped in a completely different way to take care of, for example, murderers. And in that way, you can build prisons that are adapted specifically for young people, it’s not about mixing children and adults, but you can use the security of the correctional service and experience in education and care, says Strömmer.
The Professor’s Objection
Jerzy Sarnecki, who is a professor of criminology, also comments on the investigation’s recommendation. That the Probation Service takes over responsibility for young criminals is reasonable, he believes, as the Sis homes are unable to rehabilitate the seriously criminal young people who are placed with them today. And the great need for rehabilitation is what Sarnecki believes is most important to take forward when the issue is investigated.
– My very firm opinion is that this should not be a question of punishment but a question of treatment. Because it makes no sense to punish teenagers for crimes, they are far too immature to react properly to punishment. We must have sophisticated treatment methods that eventually return these young people to society, says the professor.
Could become a reality in 2028
Building up the new system will take time as the Correctional Service is already hard pressed by overcrowding and lack of staff. Therefore, the introduction of youth prisons may not become a reality until January 2028, according to the inquiry’s proposal.