At a press conference, Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer (M) presents step two in the government's comprehensive penal reform.
One of the proposals is to abolish today's quantity discount.
It is not reasonable that certain crimes are in practice free if you have committed many crimes, Strömmer says about today's system with quantity discounts.
The amendment means that when a sentence for multiple crimes is to be determined, the penalty values for all crimes must be added together. At least the sum of the penalty values for the three most serious crimes, the government believes.
The Legal Council is critical
For example, a person convicted of three rapes with three years in prison for each crime will receive nine years in prison after the change in the law, instead of five years as today.
In certain cases, it should be possible to deviate from this principle, for example if the sentence is disproportionately long considering the seriousness of the crime.
The Legislative Council has been critical of the legislative changes. According to Strömmer, the government has taken some of the views into account, but not the proposal to abolish the quantity discount.
It is a principled choice, he says.
We simply don't see a better way forward.
Unclear timing
Other proposals in the bill are that conditional sentences and probation will be abolished. For adults, fines or imprisonment will mainly apply as penalties. Another proposal is that the entire penalty scale should be used, so that the maximum penalty is used more often.
Several so-called fairness reasons are also abolished. For example, a convicted person should not receive a lighter sentence because he or she loses his or her job.
The government has not specified a date for when the legal changes will come into force. They will take effect on a date decided by the government, which in turn depends on the pace at which the Swedish Prison and Probation Service can carry out its ongoing expansion of prison places.
The first part of the penal reform included double sentences for gang criminals and the possibility of life imprisonment for repeated rapes. These legal changes will come into effect in August.
