HELSINKI, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Sweden will establish dedicated youth units in prisons for children as young as 13 years old, in a bid to address rising youth crime, the Ministry of Justice announced Thursday.
Minister for Justice Gunnar Strommer told a press conference that youth gang crime has become an acute problem in the country. The new units will house offenders aged 13 to 17, and in some cases up to 20.
The reform will move convicted youths away from the current system of "incarcerated youth care" in state-run youth homes. In these existing residential facilities, minors are placed under compulsory care and supervision, typically with a focus on treatment and rehabilitation rather than conventional imprisonment. According to the ministry, nine out of 10 youths with gang links reoffend after a stay in such "closed care."
Strommer said convicted youths will receive better support in the new prison units than in the youth homes. Each youth will be assigned a case officer to monitor progress. The maximum time allowed in a cell will be 11 hours per day, less than 14 hours for adult inmates. The children will be kept separated from adult inmates and have more flexible leave rules than adults.
The youth units are expected to open in three prisons in July. Existing youth homes will continue to serve young people with social or behavioral problems who are not serving sentences. ■