Sweden’s parliament on Thursday approved legislation lowering the country’s minimum age of criminal responsibility to 14, according to Swedish media, in a major shift in the country’s criminal justice policy.
Under the new rules, 14-year-olds can be sentenced to prison for particularly serious crimes, including murder, aggravated rape and serious weapons offenses.
The measure passed by 281 votes to 66, with two lawmakers absent.
The government and the right-wing Sweden Democrats had previously sought to lower the age to 13, but withdrew that proposal after determining that it lacked sufficient parliamentary support.
Sweden Democrats leader Jimmie Åkesson welcomed the decision, describing it as “a step in the right direction.”
The vote came during an extraordinary parliamentary session in which lawmakers also approved tighter rules on family immigration and abolished sentence reductions for people convicted of multiple offenses.
The family immigration measure passed by 176 votes to 171. Among other provisions, it generally requires a person in Sweden to have held a residence permit for at least two years before a relative can obtain a permit on the basis of family ties.
Parliament also voted by the same margin to abolish Sweden’s so-called “quantity discount” for multiple offenses, meaning people convicted of several crimes at the same time will face longer prison sentences.
The changes represent a significant tightening of Sweden’s criminal justice and immigration policies, amid an ongoing political focus on serious crime and gang-related violence.
