Sweden has separated itself from its European and other left-leaning countries by announcing the construction of prisons for minors, children around 13 years old.
The Nordic country, located on the Scandinavian peninsula in northern Europe, has seen an increase in crimes committed by minors, including gang-related shootings and bombings, over the past decade.
These heinous crimes have prompted the government in power since 2022 to take strict action against the culprits.
Due to European rules, it is difficult to send children under the age of 15 to prison despite their crimes; However, the Swedish government says that the soft-soft approach of the past has failed.
The European country has seen an increase in gang-related crime, including fraud, robbery and drug-trafficking, over the past decade, resulting in an average loss of $20 billion a year.
According to Reuters, gangs have used social media to manipulate and recruit teenagers, sometimes as young as 11, to commit crimes across the Nordic region.
There are over 17,500 active gang members and 50,000 associates according to Swedish police.
The government has proposed a new law that lowers the criminal minimum age to 13 from 15. Separate cells have been set up for girls and boys, and those convicted will be locked up in special facilities.
The Swedish legislature will vote to adopt the proposed law on June 15, 2026, and it will be reviewed after 5 years.
The convicted children will get a chance to change their lives forever as they will be offered schooling, gym, video games and they may also be allowed to watch television until 10am. 20 every night before they are locked in their cells again.
