Sweden is set to begin housing children as young as 13 in adult prisons as part of a government crackdown on gang violence. The country's largest high-security prison, Kumla, is preparing to receive its first child inmates in its 60-year history, with new furniture, repainted walls, and classrooms being installed.
The Swedish parliament has approved plans for 15- to 17-year-olds convicted of serious crimes to serve sentences in prison from July, and is expected to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 13 for crimes carrying a minimum four-year sentence. Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer described the situation as an 'emergency' driven by a decade-long surge in gang-related violence, including drug dealing and fraud.
Kumla prison chief Jacques Mwepu, who opposes imprisoning children, said he will 'do as much as we can' to make the environment comfortable, aiming for a 'home-like' atmosphere. Currently, under-18s are held in secure care homes run by the Swedish National Board of Institutional Care (SiS), which have faced criticism over security and management.
The move has been condemned by researchers, lawyers, and NGOs including Unicef and Save the Children, who argue it violates the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which stipulates child imprisonment should be a 'last resort'. Critics say the policy is a kneejerk reaction driven by political pressure from the far-right Sweden Democrats, whose support the centre-right coalition government relies on.
Fatal shootings have fallen slightly, but experts warn gangs are increasingly recruiting young children to commit violent crimes. The prison population has nearly doubled in the past decade, with plans to expand capacity from 12,000 to 19,500 by 2035. Peter Helenius, head of a local SiS home, called the decision 'purely political', noting that 13-year-olds lack the brain development to take responsibility like adults.
