Sweden’s Tough New Approach: Prison Instead of Care for Child Gang Members

Sweden is facing an unprecedented surge in youth gang violence, with some 17,500 active gang members operating across the country. Over the past decade, the Nordic nation has been shaken by shootings and bomb attacks on a scale previously unseen, many orchestrated by teenagers and children as young as 11 who have been recruited online into criminal networks. The government is now taking a hardline stance ahead of upcoming elections, lowering the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 13 and sending young offenders to prison rather than welfare institutions.

The shift represents a dramatic departure from Sweden’s traditionally rehabilitation-focused approach to youth crime. Instead of placement in care facilities designed to address underlying social issues, children as young as 13 convicted of serious offences will now face incarceration alongside older prisoners. The policy reflects growing public concern over gang-related violence, which has included sophisticated bomb attacks previously associated with organised crime rather than juvenile delinquency.

Opposition politicians have expressed alarm at the move, arguing that 13-year-old children require therapeutic support and intervention, not custodial punishment. Critics contend that prison sentences risk deepening criminal entrenchment rather than providing the educational and psychological help needed to break the cycle of gang recruitment. The debate highlights a fundamental tension in how democratic nations respond to youth crime: whether to prioritise punishment and public safety, or rehabilitation and social reintegration.

Source: Ynet — Original article in Hebrew.