Sweden’s government will move ahead with a proposal to temporarily lower the age of criminal responsibility to 13 for the most serious crimes, Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer announced on Monday, despite strong opposition from several organizations during the consultation period.
The proposal, backed by the Tidö parties, would apply for a five-year period and represents a major shift from Sweden’s current system, under which the age of criminal responsibility is 15. A total of 126 authorities and organizations were consulted during the legislative process, with most expressing criticism or outright opposition.
Nevertheless, the government has chosen to proceed. “The changes we are making now are both desirable and necessary,” Strömmer said at a press conference, as cited by Aftonbladet. He argued that the measure must be weighed against what he described as the reality of an increasing number of serious violent crimes committed by very young offenders. “It is about protecting society,” he said, adding that while he placed “great value” on the risks identified by consultation bodies, the government believed action was required.
In a post on Instagram, Strömmer’s Moderate party wrote, “52 children under the age of 15 were involved in legal trials for murder or attempted murder last year. A breathtaking and painful number. This is not how it should be in our society.
“One thing is certain. If we continue as we have done so far, things will go as they have so far. And there is no alternative. Therefore, society must find a better way to deal with the 13- and 14-year-olds who commit the most serious crimes, such as murder and attempted murder.”
The Swedish Prison and Probation Service has opposed the proposal in principle, as have many public prosecutors. In its consultation response last November, the authority warned that imprisoning children as young as 13 could have severe negative consequences.
Alongside the proposal to lower the age of criminal responsibility, the Tidö parties also want to abolish the so-called youth discount in sentencing. Under this change, everyone over the age of 18 would be sentenced as an adult. “If you are an adult and commit a crime, you should also be punished as an adult,” Christian Democrats MP Camilla Brodin said at the press conference.
The proposals come amid heightened political pressure over youth violence in Sweden. In recent years, authorities have reported that organized criminal networks increasingly recruit minors to carry out serious violent crimes, exploiting the fact that they cannot be imprisoned under current law.
In January this year, an Afghan migrant previously convicted of the aggravated rape of a 13-year-old girl at knifepoint in Malmö in 2024 was arrested again on suspicion of committing a similar crime. Despite being convicted of aggravated rape, offensive photography, child pornography, and assault, he avoided prison because he was registered as being 15 at the time of the offense and was sentenced instead to ten months of youth care. He is now being tried once again for the latest offenses as a 17-year-old.
In another case from October 2025, a 13-year-old boy was arrested in Norrköping carrying a bag containing a loaded pistol, a magazine, and 15 cartridges after traveling from Katrineholm. Prosecutors said he was on a planned assassination mission to Stockholm. The boy told police at the scene, “I am here to murder,” and later said he had been threatened. Because of his age, he cannot be held criminally responsible.
Similarly, in September 2025, two 14-year-old boys were arrested for a grenade attack on a family home in Eskilstuna while the family and children were inside. Although they were convicted of the attack, they were released without punishment due to their age.
The debate over youth violence ties in with political arguments over immigration and integration. Last month, former prime minister Carl Bildt drew criticism after telling Göteborgs-Posten that Sweden had handled mass immigration “relatively well” and describing gang crime as a “marginal phenomenon.”
In the interview, Bildt said, “I still think that we have handled it relatively well in Sweden. Something that we didn’t really foresee is this marginal phenomenon that is gang crime. A dominant marginal phenomenon, though.” He added that Sweden would “sooner or later” overcome the problem, despite giving no suggestions as to how this would actually be achieved.
