The government is expected to give the new assignment to the Swedish Prison and Probation Service on Tuesday.
"It's a matter of thousands of places. There's no doubt about that," says Jermsten.
The government wants the Swedish Prison and Probation Service to examine how to increase the already high pace of expansion by speeding up the construction of new prisons and the renovation of old ones.
The agency will also analyse whether it is possible to build quick, temporary solutions using modules in more places than today. Existing prisons have already been densified with modular buildings.
Increased violence
The Seko union has warned that a lack of prison space is a ticking time bomb that could lead to increased violence. Threats and violence between inmates have increased, according to the Swedish Prison and Probation Service's annual report for 2025.
Therefore, Jermsten does not see further densification of prisons as the way forward.
"We must ensure that there is no increased risk of violence inside prisons and detention centres. That is central," he says.
Another challenge is finding places where it is possible to both expand and recruit staff.
Jermsten still believes that the task is possible.
I am absolutely certain that the Prison Service can fulfil its mission.
Ordered shapes
However, Jermsten emphasizes the importance of the increased penalties taking effect in a certain order.
I welcome the fact that the entry into force can take place in an orderly manner so that everything does not happen at once, he says.
On Thursday, the Riksdag will decide on the quantity discount that is included in the government's major criminal law reform part 2. The government then wants to get the Riksdag's mandate to later decide on its own when the various parts of the reform will come into force.
Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer (M) wants to prioritize abolishing today's quantity discount and promises that it will happen in the next four years if the Tidö parties win the election.
The Social Democrats promise to abolish the volume discount for serious violent crimes and want to start with sexual crimes in the next term. The party intends to vote no to the government's bill, which they believe is frivolous because both time for entry into force and funding are lacking.
V, MP and C are also expected to vote no.
Ahead of Thursday's parliamentary decision, the Moderates will present a plan for how the bill will be introduced.
There is no credibility in the Social Democrats' claim that they are actually in favour of this, says Strömmer.
We are a prerequisite for this to be implemented during the next term of office.
Facts: Criminal justice reform part two
The Riksdag will make a decision on Thursday.
Part two of the reform contains several parts
Some grounds for mitigating punishment are removed
Courts should use the higher end of the sentencing scale to a greater extent than today
A system of conditional imprisonment is introduced
The punishment of conditional sentence and probation is removed.
The penalty discount when convicted of multiple crimes is reduced
The court shall use the penalty for the three most serious crimes as a guideline when imposing the sentence.
This can lead to several years longer in prison for a person who is, for example, convicted of three aggravated robberies at the same time.
Source: Bill 2025/26:297
