The government has recently appointed an inquiry into special legislation for gang criminals. The aim is to "red flag" criminals from, among other things, benefits and positions in companies.
But that is not enough, according to Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer (M) and members of parliament Henrik Vinge (SD), Christian Carlsson (KD) and Martin Melin (L).
"In recent years, we have seen how people with a criminal background have in some cases been able to build careers and earn big money by portraying their own criminality," they write on Aftonbladet's debate page, mentioning music, books and documentaries.
Restriction of freedom of expression
The inquiry should therefore examine how such income can instead go to crime victims.
Gunnar Strömmer points out that it is not about banning music or literature as such, but the possibility of making money from it. But he admits that it will be difficult to confiscate commercial profits from, for example, a book publication without curtailing the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression.
"There is no doubt that this would be a restriction on freedom of expression. It is about finding a balance between ends and means," he says.
Boundaries
It will be up to the investigator to clarify issues such as where the limit for profit should be drawn and what types of crimes should not be commercialized.
"Our starting point is that it should primarily be about serious violent crimes linked to gang crime. You can also imagine other serious crimes such as serious sexual crimes," says Strömmer.
