Tightened rules on conditional release: the government's bill
What's at stake: The decision affects how long people sentenced to prison must serve before they can be conditionally released, with consequences both for victims and public protection on one hand, and for offenders' reintegration and the correctional service's workload on the other.
Case texts and AI reasoning are AI-translated from the Swedish originals; the Swedish text is authoritative.
What the vote decides
The question is whether the share of a prison sentence that must be served before conditional release can occur should be raised from two-thirds to three-quarters, with the rules otherwise tightened, or whether the current arrangement should be kept as more proportionate and less burdensome on the correctional service.
Yes Yes — the committee proposal
The committee shares the government's assessment that the rules on conditional release need to be tightened and recommends the bill, which raises the release quota in stages from two-thirds to three-quarters, allows the release date to be postponed in more cases, and toughens the response to reoffending, in order to strengthen the credibility of the penal system and public protection.
No No — the reservations
Reservation 1 (MP)
The reservation opposes raising the release quota, arguing there is no scientific support that longer imprisonment reduces reoffending, that the proposal lacks proportionality, and that it risks hampering reintegration - especially for young offenders - while adding further strain on an already stretched correctional service.
Summarised from the committee report. Party labels in the summary come from the report, not from the vote.
V–
S–
MP–
C–
L–
KD–
M–
SD–
YesNoAbstainAbsent
What do the votes mean here?
Yes The committee proposal: adopting the government's legislative proposal and rejecting the motions (keeping things as they are).
No Backing the counter-proposal: reservation 1 by MP.
Abstain The party marks a position of its own that is not one of the two final alternatives.
The plan's stance / Actual vote
AI
Vote
Confidence
Evidence
V
–
Yes 19/0/0/3
S
–
Yes 91/0/0/15
MPown reservation
–
No 0/15/0/3
C
–
Yes 21/0/0/3
L
–
Yes 14/0/0/2
KD
–
Yes 16/0/0/3
M
–
Yes 59/0/0/9
SD
–
Yes 63/0/0/9
Committee proposal
The Riksdag adopts the government's proposal for
1. act on amendment to the Penal Code,
2. act on amendment to the Penal Code,
3. act on amendment to the Penal Code,
4. act on amendment to the Act on Enforcement of Fines (1979:189),
5. act on amendment to the Act (2006:45) on Conversion of Life Imprisonment,
6. act on amendment to the Prisons Act (2010:610),
7. act on amendment to the Sentence Time Act (2018:1251).
Thereby, the Riksdag grants proposition 2025/26:34 points 1-7 and rejects motion
2025/26:3841 by Ulrika Westerlund et al. (MP) points of order 1 and 2.
Original (Swedish)
Riksdagen antar regeringens förslag till
1. lag om ändring i brottsbalken,
2. lag om ändring i brottsbalken,
3. lag om ändring i brottsbalken,
4. lag om ändring i bötesverkställighetslagen (1979:189),
5. lag om ändring i lagen (2006:45) om omvandling av fängelse på livstid,
6. lag om ändring i fängelselagen (2010:610),
7. lag om ändring i strafftidslagen (2018:1251).
Därmed bifaller riksdagen proposition 2025/26:34 punkterna 1-7 och avslår motion
2025/26:3841 av Ulrika Westerlund m.fl. (MP) yrkandena 1 och 2.
Riksdag decision: The Riksdag approved the government's proposal to tighten rules for conditional release.
The proposals address, among other things:
the proportion of the sentence that must be served before conditional release can occur is raised from two-thirds to three-quarters, and this increase is implemented gradually starting with the longest prison sentences
the threshold for postponing conditional release if the convicted person misbehaves during imprisonment is lowered
it should be possible to postpone conditional release if there is a risk that the convicted person will reoffend in serious crime
general minimum imprisonment, the shortest prison sentence, should be raised to one month, and all prison sentences should be covered by the conditional release system
the probation period after conditional release should be at least two years, instead of today's one year, and the conditionally released person should as a general rule be subject to supervision
the entire conditionally granted freedom should be forfeited upon reoffense during the probation period, and no new conditional release should be given from the forfeited portion.
One purpose of the government's proposal is to shift focus from the offender to the crime victim and public safety.
The legislative changes come into force on 1 January 2026, except for certain legislative changes regarding the increase in the proportion of the sentence that must be served before conditional release can occur. Those legislative changes come into force on a date determined by the government.
Counter-proposals
The counter-proposal wants parliament to reject the increase in the threshold for conditional release from two-thirds to three-quarters of the sentence. (MP) — Reservation 1