As the Tidö parties tighten punishments, the pressure on the Swedish Prison and Probation Service increases. As part of this, the government has commissioned a review of the Detention and Prison Act.
The investigator, MP Fredrik Kärrholm (M), presents a series of proposals, which together could provide around 100 places, while reducing the administrative burden.
"None of this constitutes a dramatic change; it's about many small measures," says Kärrholm.
No solitary confinement
Among other things, he proposes abolishing the right to a private room in detention.
"In practice, this will not create additional places, since the Swedish Prison and Probation Service already uses double occupancy in detention centers," says Kärrholm.
He also wants to introduce the possibility of briefly placing detainees in police custody if the person is 18 or older.
It is also proposed that the Prison and Probation Service be given the opportunity to postpone the serving of prison sentences due to a lack of space. This should be possible for a maximum of nine months and for sentences of up to one and a half years. In the short term, this could free up places, Kärrholm believes.
More people could also be allowed to serve sentences wearing ankle shackles, for example when prison sentences are combined with probation, which would also free up places.
Government support
Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer (M) will now send the proposals out for consultation, but says that the government's direction is that they should be implemented.
"Much of what the investigation addresses is what the Swedish Prison and Probation Service has requested," says Strömmer.
The legislative amendments are proposed to enter into force on July 1, 2027.
Kärrholm's assignment also includes reviewing the placement of inmates who have changed their legal gender. The issue was raised last fall after a father, sentenced to life in prison for murdering his children, was to be moved to a women's prison. Kärrholm has said his focus is to ensure that female prisoners do not have to be locked up with biological men. However, the proposal will not be presented in its entirety until December, when the investigation is due to submit its final report.
