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När leken blir allvar - En analys av regeringens förslag att sänka straffbarhetsåldern

Jonsson, Lowa LU (2025) LAGF03 20252
Department of Law
Faculty of Law
Abstract (Swedish)
Under senare år har en ökning av allvarlig brottslighet bland lagöverträdare under 15 år i Sverige konstaterats. Efter riksdagsvalet 2022 presenterade den nytillträdda regeringen, med stöd av Sverigedemokraterna, att bekämpning av ung-domskriminalitet skulle utgöra en av mandatperiodens mest prioriterade frå-gor. I september 2025 remitterade Justitiedepartementet ett utkast till lagråds-remiss om att sänka straffbarhetsåldern till 13 år, med möjlighet att utdöma fängelse. I avsaknad av praktisk erfarenhet av en straffbarhetsålder under 15 år i Sverige har förslaget väckt omfattande debatt och mötts av kritik av ett flertal sakkunniga aktörer.
I uppsatsen undersöks i vilken utsträckning motiven bakom regeringens ut-kast till lagrådsremiss... (More)
Under senare år har en ökning av allvarlig brottslighet bland lagöverträdare under 15 år i Sverige konstaterats. Efter riksdagsvalet 2022 presenterade den nytillträdda regeringen, med stöd av Sverigedemokraterna, att bekämpning av ung-domskriminalitet skulle utgöra en av mandatperiodens mest prioriterade frå-gor. I september 2025 remitterade Justitiedepartementet ett utkast till lagråds-remiss om att sänka straffbarhetsåldern till 13 år, med möjlighet att utdöma fängelse. I avsaknad av praktisk erfarenhet av en straffbarhetsålder under 15 år i Sverige har förslaget väckt omfattande debatt och mötts av kritik av ett flertal sakkunniga aktörer.
I uppsatsen undersöks i vilken utsträckning motiven bakom regeringens ut-kast till lagrådsremiss att sänka straffbarhetsåldern är väl avvägda i förhål-lande till den bakomliggande utredningen samt tillgänglig statistik om unga lagöverträdare. Vidare har det analyserats huruvida lagförslaget kan anses vara kunskapsbaserat i ljuset av utvecklingspsykologisk och kriminologisk forskning, samt sakkunnigutlåtanden. Slutligen har möjliga konsekvenser av en sänkt straffbarhetsålder analyserats genom en komparativ jämförelse med England och Wales, där straffbarhetsåldern sedan länge är 10 år.
Följande slutsatser har konstaterats. Regeringens motiv bakom förslaget om att sänka straffbarhetsåldern är till övervägande del väl avvägda i förhållande till den bakomliggande utredningen och tillgänglig statistik. Däremot kan för-slaget inte anses vara kunskapsbaserat i ljuset av relevant forskning på områ-det och sakkunnigutlåtanden, som framhåller att straffrättsliga ingripanden mot barn tenderar att få negativa konsekvenser för deras utveckling. Erfaren-heter från länder med låg straffbarhetsålder pekar i samma riktning, där hår-dare straff inte har minskat risken för återfall i brott.
Sammantaget talar det samlade underlaget för att en sänkt straffbarhetsålder kan medföra betydande utmaningar och risker, som i ett längre perspektiv riskerar att överstiga reformens avsedda positiva effekter. (Less)
Abstract
In recent years, Sweden has seen an increase in serious criminal activity among juveniles under 15 years of age. After the 2022 election, the newly elected government, with the support of the Sweden Democrats, identified the fight against juvenile crime as a top priority. In September 2025, the Swedish Department of Justice submitted a draft proposal referral to the Council on Legislation, proposing that the age of criminal responsibility be lowered from 15 to 13 years for serious crimes. Given Sweden’s lack of practical experience with an age of criminal responsibility below 15, the proposal has sparked public debate and drawn criticism from several experts.

This thesis examines the extent to which the government’s draft referral... (More)
In recent years, Sweden has seen an increase in serious criminal activity among juveniles under 15 years of age. After the 2022 election, the newly elected government, with the support of the Sweden Democrats, identified the fight against juvenile crime as a top priority. In September 2025, the Swedish Department of Justice submitted a draft proposal referral to the Council on Legislation, proposing that the age of criminal responsibility be lowered from 15 to 13 years for serious crimes. Given Sweden’s lack of practical experience with an age of criminal responsibility below 15, the proposal has sparked public debate and drawn criticism from several experts.

This thesis examines the extent to which the government’s draft referral pro-posing to lower the age of criminal responsibility is balanced in relation to the underlying report and available data on young offenders. Furthermore, the study analyses whether or not the proposal is based on existing knowledge and research on developmental psychology and criminology together with expert statements. Finally, possible consequences of lowering the age of cri-minal responsibility are examined through a comparative analysis of England and Wales, which have long had an age of criminal responsibility of 10 years.

The study reaches the following conclusions. The government's motives for the bill are, to a large extent, well balanced in relation to the underlying report and the available statistical data. However, the proposal cannot be considered fully evidence-based in light of relevant research in the field and expert opin-ions, as the predominant share of these sources emphasise that criminal law interventions against children tend to have negative consequences for their psychological development. Data from other countries with low ages of cri-minal responsibility all point in the same direction, harsher penalties for juve-niles do not reduce the risk of relapsing in crime.
Collectively, the findings indicate that a lowered age of criminal responsibility may result in significant challenges and risks that, in the long term, may outweigh the intended positive effects of the reform. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Jonsson, Lowa LU
supervisor
organization
course
LAGF03 20252
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Straffrätt, Straffbarhetsålder, England, Wales, Forskning, Unga lagöverträdare
language
Swedish
id
9217580
date added to LUP
2026-02-09 15:20:13
date last changed
2026-02-09 15:20:13
@misc{9217580,
  abstract     = {{In recent years, Sweden has seen an increase in serious criminal activity among juveniles under 15 years of age. After the 2022 election, the newly elected government, with the support of the Sweden Democrats, identified the fight against juvenile crime as a top priority. In September 2025, the Swedish Department of Justice submitted a draft proposal referral to the Council on Legislation, proposing that the age of criminal responsibility be lowered from 15 to 13 years for serious crimes. Given Sweden’s lack of practical experience with an age of criminal responsibility below 15, the proposal has sparked public debate and drawn criticism from several experts.

This thesis examines the extent to which the government’s draft referral pro-posing to lower the age of criminal responsibility is balanced in relation to the underlying report and available data on young offenders. Furthermore, the study analyses whether or not the proposal is based on existing knowledge and research on developmental psychology and criminology together with expert statements. Finally, possible consequences of lowering the age of cri-minal responsibility are examined through a comparative analysis of England and Wales, which have long had an age of criminal responsibility of 10 years. 

The study reaches the following conclusions. The government's motives for the bill are, to a large extent, well balanced in relation to the underlying report and the available statistical data. However, the proposal cannot be considered fully evidence-based in light of relevant research in the field and expert opin-ions, as the predominant share of these sources emphasise that criminal law interventions against children tend to have negative consequences for their psychological development. Data from other countries with low ages of cri-minal responsibility all point in the same direction, harsher penalties for juve-niles do not reduce the risk of relapsing in crime. 
Collectively, the findings indicate that a lowered age of criminal responsibility may result in significant challenges and risks that, in the long term, may outweigh the intended positive effects of the reform.}},
  author       = {{Jonsson, Lowa}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{När leken blir allvar - En analys av regeringens förslag att sänka straffbarhetsåldern}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}