“Criminals” confess to crimes they did not commit

Children and young people in criminal networks confess and are convicted of serious crimes committed by older people. This is stated by criminals in a study from the Crime Prevention Council (Brå).

– Children are easier to manipulate and often do not understand the long-term consequences, says Katharina Tollin at Brå.

Taking on crimes committed by older people – and thus becoming a so-called “punishment target” – is pointed out as a fast track to rise in rank within the networks.

– It is clear that it is mainly about “running boys” and it is described as that they have to take this on, says Katharina Tollin, project manager for the Brå report on children and young people in criminal networks, where nearly 30 people who have been or is involved in criminal networks interviewed.

It is said to be primarily gun violence. Either one can be pressured to take on a crime or it is done voluntarily against the promise of compensation, according to those interviewed.

– It can be about material things, that you are offered some type of payment to serve a sentence, says Tollin.

Promise of a new car

– Several also say that promises are made that you will take care of their families when they are serving a sentence, for example that the family will get a car or a new apartment.

Either it is planned in advance for a younger person to go there, for example by having him leave fingerprints on objects used in the crime, or the idea appears after the crime when someone has become a suspect, according to the interviews. Then it may be that the child goes to the police and falsely confesses to the crime.

On such occasions, the child may have been told exactly how the crime took place by someone who was actually involved in carrying it out, in order to be able to talk about it credibly in police interrogations, according to several interviewees in the study.

The report does not provide an answer to how widespread the phenomenon could be. But the fact that similar information is provided by people from different networks and cities gives some support that it actually occurs, believes Tollin.

The interviewees also state that the method actually works.

– Those who told about the procedure and had insight into it have not described it as something that has failed, but that it is people who have been out of time.

Couldn’t they have reason to lie about it?

– Single people could have an interest in questioning the judiciary. However, we do not believe that it would recur in several interviews if there is no type of basis.

Gunnar Appelgren, criminal inspector and gang expert at the police, has known the term “penalty” for many years and knows that criminal networks try to get younger people to confess to crimes they did not commit.

On the other hand, he questions that it leads to the wrong people actually being sentenced for, for example, murder and attempted murder.

Misleads and delays

– It takes very powerful evidence to get someone convicted. It is not enough that someone claims something and that you have an impression. More is needed, you have to be able to tie yourself to the crime itself at the scene, he says.

– I can imagine that several have been arrested and detained for a while and that the hunt for the perpetrators is being confused and delayed. But it would surprise me if we have many convicted innocents who have taken on crimes as “targets”.

Children convicted of serious crimes are usually placed in Sis homes. Their press service states in a comment that they generally have no reason to question what appears in Brå reports, but cannot comment on the matter further.