Sweden lowers criminal age to 14
Sweden is set to lower its age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 14 after failing to pass a bill lowering it to 13.
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Jul 24, 2026
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Children as Criminals: Sweden's New Child Prisons
At 16:49 · chapter starts 15:12
Maighna Nanu visited Roschesberg Prison outside Stockholm, where a newly built wing was preparing to receive its first child inmates when she arrived in early July [1] — Maighna Nanu "Sweden opened eight child prison units in July for convicted offenders aged 15 and above. The government is now pushing to lower the age of…" 15:12 . Sweden has long prided itself on a rehabilitative approach to crime, but eight prisons have now opened child-specific units, and the governing coalition is pushing to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 14. A more ambitious bill targeting a threshold of 13 was withdrawn when the votes weren't there. The debate is live, contested, and not uniquely Swedish: Argentina's Javier Milei lowered his country's threshold from 16 to 14 in February, and politicians in the Philippines and South Korea are exploring similar moves. The UN, meanwhile, recommends 14 as the minimum — placing these new laws right at the edge of international norms. The driving force everywhere is gang violence, and the political logic is simple: voters want action, and lowering the age is something governments can point to.
Sweden Builds Its First Child Prison Units
Sweden opened eight child prison units in July for convicted offenders aged 15 and above. The government is now pushing to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 14. This is part of a worldwide trend — Argentina, the Philippines, and South Korea are all moving in the same direction.
Argentina lowered criminal age from 16 to 14
In February, Javier Milei lowered Argentina's age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 14.
UN recommends age of criminal responsibility at 14
The United Nations recommends that the minimum age of criminal responsibility be set at 14.
Gangs Use Children Because It Works — Lowering the Age Won't Stop Them
UK County Lines gangs recruit children as young as 7, below even Britain's already-low age of criminal responsibility of 10. Studies show that lowering the threshold is unlikely to deter gangs — they simply don't care. The real risk is a race to the bottom with no end.
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