Sweden delays prison sentence reforms as jails reach capacity

Sweden’s government and the Sweden Democrats want parliament to approve the second part of a major criminal justice reform before the election, but the Swedish Prison and Probation Service will not have space for all additional prisoners until at least 2040, SVT reports.

Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer said the government intends the changes to take effect during the next parliamentary term, which would mean by 2030 at the latest.

“Our direction is for this to enter into force during the next term,” Strömmer said.

He said the plan was realistic, reasonable, legally secure and implementable, but added that it would require extensive work to ensure the Swedish Prison and Probation Service could manage the consequences.

The government’s bill, presented on June 30, does not specify when the proposed tougher penalties would take effect. One measure would abolish the current sentence discount for people convicted of several similar or different offences, such as multiple thefts. Under the proposal, the sentence value of each offence would instead be added together.

The government is asking parliament to leave the decision on when the changes should enter into force to a future government.

The Swedish Prison and Probation Service estimates that it will not have room for all the additional prisoners, including those serving longer sentences, until at least 2040, according to the bill.

The four left and green opposition parties have said they will vote against the bill as a whole. The Council on Legislation and several government agencies have criticised the proposal for lacking sufficient analysis and preparation.

The vote is expected to be close. All MPs from the governing parties and the Sweden Democrats, including independent members, must be present for the government to pass the bill.

The opposition parties have mainly criticised the lack of an implementation date and the absence of details on how the reform would be funded. They have called the proposal irresponsible, while the Social Democrats have described it as a bluff.

When fully implemented, the reform is expected to cost up to 45 billion kronor a year.

“This is a major investment in citizens’ security and in redress for crime victims,” Strömmer said.

Asked what he believed would happen to the reform if there were a change of government in the September election, he said the sentence discount was unlikely to be changed.

Key points in the criminal justice reform

The principle of avoiding prison sentences whenever possible would be removed.

The full range of available sentences would be used in more cases.

The current sentence discount for people convicted of several offences would be abolished.

Some grounds for reduced sentences, including age and health, would be removed.

Parliament is due to vote on the bill on August 13.