Sweden, grappling with a surge in gang-related crime, announced Monday that starting next summer it will place offenders as young as 13 in youth detention centers, expanding an earlier plan that covered only 15- to 17-year-olds.
The government in Stockholm had previously tasked the national prison authority with creating sections in detention facilities for 15- to 17-year-olds who have committed serious crimes.
This mandate is now being expanded to include 13- and 14-year-olds, the Swedish Justice Ministry announced.
For years, Sweden has been grappling with criminal gangs that frequently recruit minors to carry out serious crimes, including murders.
Under current legislation, 13- and 14-year-olds are not yet criminally liable, though a legislative proposal from the liberal-conservative government of Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson aims to change this for particularly serious offences.
