The Prison and Probation Service has warned that it will not have time to prepare if the change is initiated as early as January 1, 2026.
But in a legislative proposal that the government decides on on Thursday, it stands firm on the timetable, announces Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer (M) at a press conference with representatives from SD, KD, and L.
The need to protect society from dangerous individuals has increased, says SD's legal policy spokesperson Katja Nyberg.
It is also important for the credibility of the penal system that the absolute majority of the sentence is served in prison.
The legislative proposal means that those sentenced to prison must serve at least three-quarters of the time in prison before conditional release can be granted - compared to today's two-thirds.
The new rule for conditional release will apply to all prison sentences, but is introduced gradually and initially applies to sentences of at least six years.
Recidivism risk
The proposal also means that conditional release is postponed for those serving a longer sentence for a serious violent crime or organized crime, if there is a concrete risk of recidivism in serious crime.
Some outcomes of today's rules have been difficult to endure, for example when serial rapists have been released prematurely without the Prison and Probation Service even having had the opportunity to weigh in the risk of recidivism in their considerations, says Strömmer.
It will also become easier to postpone conditional release if the inmate misbehaves in prison, according to the proposal.
The Prison and Probation Service advised against
The Prison and Probation Service has, among other things, pointed out that it will not have time to develop a system support by January 1 to calculate when release should occur with the new rules. The agency has further advised against abolishing the current two-thirds release. The reasons are several, one being the uncertainty surrounding how many more prison places will be required.
Even the government's own investigator has advised against abolishing the two-thirds release.
Gunnar Strömmer says that they are meeting justified questions from the Prison and Probation Service by implementing large parts of the reform gradually.
And the effect itself occurs at the end of the sentence, it does not come immediately but gradually over time.
The tightening of conditional release applies to judgments that become final after January 1.
Conditional release may occur at the earliest after three-quarters of the sentence has been served
The general prison minimum is increased to one month
All prison sentences will be covered by the system with conditional release
In a first step, from January 1, sentences of at least six years will be covered
The probation period after conditional release will be at least two years, today it is one year
The entire conditionally granted freedom will be forfeited in the event of recidivism during the probation period
Conditional release will be easier to postpone in the event of misconduct
Conditional release will be postponed for those serving a sentence of at least four years for violent crime or two years for organized crime - if there is a concrete risk of recidivism in serious crime
Source: Ministry of Justice
