Calculation of the statute of limitations for young offenders

The party programme demands that sentences and penalties be carefully designed so they actually reduce crime and do not worsen problems, and that the child's best interests be weighed in every case according to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The counter-proposal's demand for a specific proposal on how the statute of limitations should be calculated for younger offenders follows directly from that commitment. The election manifesto also emphasizes that focus should be on preventing children from being drawn into criminality rather than on generally harsher rules.

• carefully designed penaltiesdecisive»Straff och andra påföljder för brott behöver vara noggrant« (party programme ↗)“Sentences and other penalties for crimes need to be careful”
• child's best interests in every case»barnkonventionen och principen att i varje läge se till barnets« (party programme ↗)“the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the principle that in every case take into account the best”
• prevent recruitment of children»Vissa straff kan behöva höjas men mycket mer fokus måste riktas mot att förhindra rekryteringen av nya barn till gängkriminalitet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Certain penalties may need to be increased but much more focus must be directed toward preventing the recruitment of new children to gang crime.”
• penalties must not worsen problems»utformade för att faktiskt leda till lägre brottslighet och inte förvärra« (party programme ↗)“designed to actually lead to lower crime and not worsen”

The party programme requires that the best interests of the child be considered in all decisions and the election manifesto builds youth policy on no young person becoming criminal, with social action rather than just sharpened outcomes. The counter-proposal does not reject the new statute of limitations calculation but requests a special proposal for younger offenders, which follows from these commitments. The election manifesto's sentence increases are directed at gang-related crime and repeated serious crime, not at young people as a group.

• best interests of child in all decisionsdecisive»Alla barn ska ha rätt till en trygg uppväxt i enlighet med FN:s barnkonvention.« (party programme ↗)“Every child has the right to a safe childhood in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.”
• young people away from crime»Ingen ung ska bli kriminell.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“No young person shall become criminal.”
• social action for young people»Vi vill se fler och mer långtgående sociala insatser och föräldrar ska vara skyldiga att medverka när deras barn behöver socialtjänstens åtgärder.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to see more and more far-reaching social action and parents shall be obliged to participate when their child needs social services action.”
• sharpened sentences for gang crime»Vi vill skärpa straffen bland annat för gängrelaterad brottslighet, för den som begår upprepade och allvarliga brott och för den som understödjer organiserad kriminalitet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to sharpen sentences including for gang-related crime, for those who commit repeated and serious crime and for those who support organized crime.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan is based on sentences being rehabilitative and the child perspective permeating decisions through the Convention on the Rights of the Child as law and child impact assessments. A requirement for a special proposal on how the statute of limitations should be calculated for younger offenders is precisely such an impact assessment for young people. At the same time, the plan accepts tougher measures against young people who commit serious crimes, but never discusses the statute of limitations as such.

• rehabilitative sentencesdecisive»Brottspåföljder har både ett brottsförebyggande och ett rehabiliterande syfte.« (party programme ↗)“Sentences for crimes have both a crime prevention and a rehabilitative purpose.”
• child impact assessment of decisions»FN:s barnkonvention ska bli svensk lag och politiska beslut bör föregås av en barnkonsekvensanalys.« (party programme ↗)“The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child should become Swedish law and political decisions should be preceded by a child impact assessment.”
• humane criminal care»Kriminalvård ska vara human och ha som mål att den som dömts inte ska återfalla i kriminalitet.« (party programme ↗)“Criminal care should be humane and aim to prevent those convicted from reoffending.”
• stricter but caring youth sentence»höja maxtiden för sluten ungdomsvård och förstärka vårdinsatser och utbildning under tiden den unge är frihetsberövad« (2022 manifesto ↗)“raise the maximum duration of closed youth care and strengthen care and education while the young person is deprived of liberty”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan lacks commitments regarding statutes of limitations, but the party programme establishes that criminal policy should also encourage those who have committed crimes to a new situation and that children's rights and perspective weigh most. A special analysis of how longer statutes of limitations affect young offenders is close to that principle. At the same time, the election manifesto wants to toughen sentences and prevent recruitment, which makes the basis weak.

• rehabilitation of offendersdecisive»Kriminalpolitiken ska därför både förebygga och avskräcka från brott, stödja brottsdrabbade och stimulera dem som har begått olagliga handlingar till en ny livssituation utan brottslighet.« (party programme ↗)“Criminal policy shall therefore both prevent and deter from crime, support crime victims and encourage those who have committed illegal acts to a new situation without crime.”
• child perspective in decisions»Samhällets aktörer ska inta individens perspektiv. Av största betydelse är då barnens rättigheter och perspektiv.« (party programme ↗)“Society's actors shall take the individual's perspective. Of paramount importance is children's rights and perspective.”
• every child's rights»Särskilt viktigt är att värna varje barns rätt att bli respekterad och att bli sedd för den man är.« (party programme ↗)“It is particularly important to protect every child's right to be respected and to be seen for who they are.”
• stricter sentences against gang crime»För att besegra dem krävs bättre insatser som förebygger nyrekrytering, mer resurser till polis, åklagare, domstolar och kriminalvården och strängare straff.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“To defeat them requires better measures that prevent recruitment, more resources for police, prosecutors, courts and prisons and stricter sentences.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan's line toward young offenders is tightening, not leniency: the multiple offender discount shall be abolished, the maximum duration of closed youth care is extended and crimes by suspects under 15 as a main rule are investigated by police. A special regulation that reduces the statute of limitations precisely for younger offenders goes in the opposite direction to this commitment. The plan therefore speaks against the counter-proposal's demand.

• increased sentences, no discountdecisive»Vi vill avskaffa dagens mängdrabatt på brott, slopa den närmast automatiska frigivningen från fängelsestraff och skärpa straffen för bland annat vapenbrott, våldtäkt och utpressning.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to abolish today's multiple offender discount, eliminate the nearly automatic release from prison sentences and increase sentences for, among other things, weapons crimes, rape and extortion.”
• stricter penalties for young people»Den maximala vårdtiden för sluten ungdomsvård ska förlängas, så att unga mördare som i dag inte ska kunna släppas fria efter fyra år.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The maximum duration of closed youth care shall be extended, so that young murderers who today must not be released free after four years.”
• young crimes shall be investigated»Huvudregeln ska vara att alla brott som anmäls till polis och där den misstänkte är under 15 år ska utredas av polis.« (party programme ↗)“The main rule shall be that all crimes reported to police where the suspect is under 15 shall be investigated by police.”
• stricter sentences upon reoffending»Påföljdssystemet ska förändras så att återfall och upprepad brottslighet ger strängare straff, liksom medverkan i organiserad brottslighet.« (party programme ↗)“The penalty system shall be changed so that reoffending and repeated crime incur stricter sentences, as does participation in organized crime.”

The plan does not address limitation periods, but it treats young offenders as a separate group: community service shall always be considered first for young people, authorities shall react particularly quickly to crimes by young people, and the sanction shall break a criminal pattern and adapt the young person to a meaningful life. Demanding a special proposal on how the limitation period shall be calculated for younger offenders follows from that special treatment. Since the support rests on general principles, certainty is low.

• young people are specially treated in the sanction systemdecisive»Samhällstjänst ska alltid övervägas i första hand« (party programme ↗)“Community service shall always be considered first”
• rapid reaction to youth crime»är särskilt viktigt att myndigheterna reagerar snabbt på« (party programme ↗)“it is especially important that authorities react quickly to”
• reintegration of the young person»och anpassa denne till ett normalt och meningsfullt liv.« (party programme ↗)“and adapt him to a normal and meaningful life.”
• the sanction shall provide insight»Straffet ska vara så utformat att det ger brottslingen« (party programme ↗)“The sanction shall be designed so that it gives the perpetrator”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan's bearing line is stricter and earlier consequences for young offenders: all sentencing discounts for those who have turned 18 should be removed, the age of criminal responsibility should be investigated and youth prisons established. The counter-proposal instead demands a special regulation to protect younger offenders from the effects of a statute of limitations calculated on maximum penalty. This conflicts with the plan's commitment that those who choose the path of crime should be met with early and clear consequences.

• no sentencing discountsdecisive»Ta bort alla straffrabatter för den som fyllt 18 år och slopa dagens mängdrabatter« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Remove all sentencing discounts for those who have turned 18 and eliminate today's quantity discounts”
• early clear consequences»de som ändå väljer den brottsliga vägen ska mötas av tidiga och tydliga konsekvenser« (2022 manifesto ↗)“those who nevertheless choose the criminal path should be met with early and clear consequences”
• stricter accountability for youth»Utreda sänkt straffmyndighetsålder och inrätta ungdomsfängelser« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Investigate lowered age of criminal responsibility and establish youth prisons”
• personal responsibility from youth»skolan och socialtjänsten ska inskärpa den enskildes ansvar« (party programme ↗)“schools and social services shall instil personal responsibility from young years”

The election manifesto's stance towards young offenders is harder, not softer: sentence reductions for those who commit serious crimes as young people should be removed and the age of criminal responsibility should be lowered. The counter-proposal, on the other hand, wants the period of limitation to be calculated specially for younger people because the new rule risks being harsh on them. The plan moreover requires that law violations be punished swiftly and consistently, which speaks against special leniency for this group.

• abolished youth sentence reductiondecisive»Straffrabatter för den som begått flerfaldig brottslighet eller begått en rå gärning som ung ska tas bort« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sentence reductions for those who have committed repeated crimes or committed serious crimes as young people shall be removed”
• lowered age of criminal responsibility»Sänka straffmyndighetsåldern« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Lower the age of criminal responsibility”
• swift and consistent punishment»lagöverträdelser bestraffas snabbt och konsekvent« (party programme ↗)“law violations are punished swiftly and consistently”
• harder approach early»Ge socialtjänst, skola och rättsväsende möjlighet att ingripa med tuffare tag i ett tidigt skede« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Give social services, schools and the justice system the ability to intervene with a harder approach at an early stage”