During Friday evening, the Social Democratic Party decided on its new law and order policy at the congress in Gothenburg. A novelty is that the party wants to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 14 years for serious crimes. The party wants to temporarily test and evaluate this, but is still opposed to general reductions of the age of criminal responsibility.
But not everyone in the party backs up the new line. In the debate, several representatives pointed out that there is a lack of evidence that the measure is effective.
It's not a good idea, says Catherine Borgkvist from Skåne.
There is a great risk that criminal networks would exploit even younger children. To punish instead of helping is wrong.
Teresa Carvalho holds on to that a lowered age of criminal responsibility should be tried.
We must have the perseverance, courage, and decisiveness to try new methods when we see a new development, when so many children and young people commit these terrible crimes.
It is also morally right to give a consequence for the 14-year-olds who commit contract crimes.
Massive criticism
Last winter, a proposal suggested that the age of criminal responsibility should be lowered to 14 years for crimes that have a minimum sentence of four years in the penal scale. The government is now considering how to proceed. The Sweden Democrats, however, want to 13 years.
But the proposal has received criticism. It can lead to even younger children being recruited, warn the police, prosecutors, and courts.
The National Board of Health and Welfare notes that no new knowledge has emerged about children's development that makes it more reasonable for a 14-year-old to be considered mature enough to be sentenced for crimes.
Other parts of the Social Democratic Party's law and order policy are to introduce a mafia legislation to get at gang leaders and to give new tools to make life harder for gang criminals, for example, through contact or business bans.
Targeting young people
The Social Democratic Party also wants to see a new outreach risk family program for children and families with special risk factors. The social services should also be given the opportunity to target young people, for example, through a personal companion or electronic tagging.
The party notes that both preventive measures and crime fighting should be prioritized. The latter has been a conflict issue. For example, the Social Democratic Party in Skåne, the largest party district, has criticized that the party has had too great a focus on repressive measures.
