Sweden is moving to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 13 in serious cases as the government responds to what it has described as an “emergency situation” involving the use of children by organised criminal gangs.
The proposed legislation would allow children as young as 13 to be held criminally responsible for offences including murder, attempted murder, aggravated bombings, aggravated weapons offences, and aggravated rape.
Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer said the measure was aimed at tackling the recruitment of children into violent criminal networks, describing the issue as a “crucial task” for the government and an “emergency situation.”
Strömmer stressed that the proposal would not amount to a general lowering of the age of criminal responsibility and would only apply to the most serious offences.
Under the proposal, some offenders aged 13 and 14 could face prison sentences in certain cases if the legislation is passed. The government has said it hopes the law could come into force as early as this summer.
Data from the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention shows that the number of registered offences linked to suspects under the age of 15 has doubled over the past decade.
The current government came to power in 2022 pledging to take tougher action against organised crime. At the beginning of last year, a government-ordered inquiry recommended lowering the age of criminal responsibility to 14 for serious crimes.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson confirmed in September that the age would be lowered from 15, citing the increasing use of children by criminal gangs.
“Children are being ruthlessly exploited by criminal networks to commit serious crimes,” he said at the time.
“Both to protect these children and their potential victims, the government is taking strong action against this type of cynical exploitation.”
Following that announcement, the government said it would seek to lower the age further to 13 and circulated draft legislation to 126 authorities and organisations for consultation.
The proposal has faced criticism from some quarters, with opponents expressing concern that lowering the age of criminal responsibility could lead to even younger children becoming involved in serious crime.
The move comes amid growing concern across Scandinavia and Europe over the use of minors in organised violence.
As reported by Gript in June 2025, several suspects, including children as young as 14, were arrested in Denmark and Sweden over their alleged involvement in a cross-border “violence-as-a-service” network.
According to Europol, seven suspects aged between 14 and 26 were either arrested or surrendered to Danish authorities, with the network accused of recruiting teenagers through social media to carry out contract killings using encrypted messaging platforms.
“Teenagers being paid to pull the trigger – this is what organised crime looks like in 2025,” said Andy Kraag, head of Europol’s European Serious Organised Crime Centre.
“This is calculated outsourcing of murder by criminal networks that treat human lives as disposable assets.”
Europol has said the trend places minors at the centre of organised criminal activity, with gangs exploiting the fact that younger offenders often face lighter sentences.
Swedish authorities have previously acknowledged the scale of the issue. In January 2023, figures showed that 80% of suspects arrested in Stockholm were minors, with some as young as 14 linked to gun crime.
Fredrik Gårdare, a Swedish gang expert, said at the time that the justice system was struggling to cope with the growing number of children involved in serious offences.
“Our justice system is not built for so many children to be involved in crime,” he said.
In recent years, Sweden has experienced a series of gang-related shootings and bombings, particularly in Stockholm, adding to pressure on the government to address youth involvement in organised violence.