Sweden Revises Controversial Proposal on Criminal Responsibility Age

Sweden's government has retracted its proposal to lower the criminal responsibility age to 13, settling for 14 instead. This decision comes amidst mounting gang crime and increasing juvenile involvement in violent offenses. Lack of parliamentary support and recommendations from the U.N. influenced this policy shift.

In a significant policy shift, Sweden's government announced on Thursday the withdrawal of its contentious proposal to reduce the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 13 years.

Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer expressed that the new plan is to set the age at 14, reflecting insufficient parliamentary backing for the initial proposal and aligning with U.N. recommendations.

The decision comes in response to Sweden's rising gang-related incidents, marking the country among Europe's leaders in shootings. Despite strengthened policing and sentencing reforms, the challenge of juvenile gang recruitment persists.