In Sweden, the number of suspected serious crimes under 15 years of age increased last year. Serious crimes include murders and attempts to murder.
The Swedish government is considering calculating the penal age for serious crimes for 14 years.
Such a discount in question would be a case if the sentence for the offense would be at least four years in prison.
The proposal is based on a statement presented by the Minister of Justice Gunnar for Strömmer Tuesday. The background is that younger age groups are increasingly involved in serious crime, such as shooting and explosions. Sentence Research Research Senior Research Fellow Gunnel Lindberg suggest that the change is initially a five -year experiment, says Dagens nyheter -leaf.
The proposal is part of a larger entity to prevent serious violence by children.
In Sweden, the proportion of suspects under the age of 15 in serious crimes has increased. For example, last year, 120 children under the age of 15 were suspected of murder, aid to murder, or attempted murder says SVT. The figure is almost three times higher than until 2023, when 46 children were suspected of being involved in murder.
Scientists: No evidence of preventing crimes
The proposal has been criticized in Sweden. According to researchers, there is no evidence that lowering the age limit would help reduce crimes.
In Denmark, a similar experiment was conducted in 2010, but was canceled after two years because there was no evidence of the effects. The criminologist of Lund University David Sausdal According to a sentence, imprisonment alone is not a good way to reduce crime.
He emphasizes For Dagens Nyheterthat it would be more effective to focus on guiding young people on a trail before they end up committing crimes.
In Finland, the minimum age for criminal liability is 15 years. It is slightly above the European average. There are major differences between European countries. In Ireland, for example, up to 10 years of age can get a murder sentence.
Proposal to share the opinions of young people
SVT visited school outside Stockholm on Täbs and asked a few seventh grade students, What do they think.
“Good because they can grab more committing crimes, but it is bad if the gangs start to recruit even younger,” said Olivia Froelich.
Lucas Mjörnefeldt Stenberg He believed that lowering the penalty would make people think before committing a crime. Vendela Setréus I was concerned about how imprisonment would affect young people and their potential to return to society.