Opinion: Social Democrats Should Reject Lowering Criminal Responsibility Age to 14

An opinion piece published in Dagens Nyheter argues strongly against lowering the age of criminal responsibility in Sweden to 14 years old. The author, Peter Hagman, a retired social worker and licensed psychotherapist, urges the Social Democrats not to support the proposal put forth by the Tidö parties.

“

The biggest parliamentary party should not vote yes to putting 14-year-olds in prison.

Hagman highlights a concerning trend: the number of children under 15 suspected of involvement in murder plots has surged dramatically. He notes that during the first eleven months of 2023, 36 children were suspected, a figure that rose to 158 during the same period in the previous year under the current Tidö government and the leadership of SD figures in the justice committee. "This is alarming! Now they want to introduce child prisons for 14-year-olds. This is outrageous!" Hagman writes.

“

The number of children under 15 years who have been suspected of involvement in murder plans has increased from 36 during the first eleven months of 2023 to 158 children during the same period last year.

The article criticizes the government's push to pass a "hastily conceived and legally insecure criminal justice package" during an extraordinary summer parliamentary session. A key component of this package is the highly controversial proposal to lower the age of criminal responsibility. Hagman expresses disappointment that the Social Democrats appear to support this measure, suggesting they are doing so without sufficient empirical or scientific basis.

“

Now they want to introduce child prisons for 14-year-olds. This is outrageous!

Instead of supporting what Hagman terms the "populist punitive hysteria" of the Tidö parties, he calls on the Social Democrats to protect Sweden's children. He advocates for them to abstain from voting on the proposal and to shift their focus towards developing a robust Swedish preventative policy following the next election.

“

The Social Democrats need instead to protect Sweden's children from the Tidö parties' populist punitive hysteria and abstain from voting in the Riksdag.