Sweden has set itself apart from its European and other leftist leaning countries after announcing the building of prisons for minors, children around 13 years of age.
The Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe has seen a surge in crimes committed by minors, including gang-related shootings and bombings over the last decade.
These heinous crimes have prompted the government, in power since 2022, to take strict actions against the culprits.
Due to European regulations it is tough to send children under 15 to prison despite their crimes; however, the Swedish government says the softly-softly approach of the past has failed.
The European country has seen a surge in gang-related crimes, including fraud, robbery and drug-dealing over the last decade which result in the loss of $20 billion on average a year.
According to Reuters, gangs have been using social media to manipulate and recruit teenagers, sometimes as young as 11, to carry out crimes across the Nordic.
There are over 17,500 active gang members and 50,000 associates, as per Swedish police.
The government has proposed a new law, lowering the age of criminal responsibility to 13 from 15. Separate cells for girls and boys have been established and the convicted will be locked in special facilities.
The Swedish legislature will vote to adopt the proposed law on June 15, 2026, and it will be reviewed after 5 years.
The convicted children will be given a chance to change their life for good as they will be offered schooling, gym facility, video games and they may also be allowed to watch television until 8 p.m. each evening before getting locked in their cells again.Â
