Punish teen criminals with curfews: Reinfeldt
Night and weekend curfews ought to be one of the punishments facing criminal offenders between 15- and 17-years-old, Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt suggested on Tuesday.
He added that the teens sentenced to curfew should also be fitted with ankle bracelets to have their movements tracked.
According to Reinfeldt, the measures could be combined with or replace less forceful penalties such as youth community service, fines, or suspended sentences.
The prime minister also wants to implement a rule requiring social services to contact parents within 24 hours of the arrest of someone under the age of 15.
The measure would be primarily directed toward first-time offenders who are too young to have their offences handled in the criminal justice system and instead have their cases handled by social services.
"That way we can show quite quickly that there is a reaction and that criminality has consequences," Reinfeldt told reporters at the Riksdag.
Reinfeldt also suggested recently that Sweden should consider scrapping reductions in criminal sentences for offenders aged 18 to 21.
All of the proposals to address youth criminality are to be discussed at the Moderate Party's party conference later this year.
Social Democrat justice policy spokesman Morgan Johansson labelled the proposals desperate and unrealistic, arguing they would add more work to already overburden social services offices.
"It's unrealistic to believe that a few nights at home will get teenagers to stop robbing other teens in the city. If such behaviour is to be stopped, there needs to be more preventative work taking place seven days a week, 365 days a year," Johansson said in a statement.
TT/The Local/dl
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He added that the teens sentenced to curfew should also be fitted with ankle bracelets to have their movements tracked.
According to Reinfeldt, the measures could be combined with or replace less forceful penalties such as youth community service, fines, or suspended sentences.
The prime minister also wants to implement a rule requiring social services to contact parents within 24 hours of the arrest of someone under the age of 15.
The measure would be primarily directed toward first-time offenders who are too young to have their offences handled in the criminal justice system and instead have their cases handled by social services.
"That way we can show quite quickly that there is a reaction and that criminality has consequences," Reinfeldt told reporters at the Riksdag.
Reinfeldt also suggested recently that Sweden should consider scrapping reductions in criminal sentences for offenders aged 18 to 21.
All of the proposals to address youth criminality are to be discussed at the Moderate Party's party conference later this year.
Social Democrat justice policy spokesman Morgan Johansson labelled the proposals desperate and unrealistic, arguing they would add more work to already overburden social services offices.
"It's unrealistic to believe that a few nights at home will get teenagers to stop robbing other teens in the city. If such behaviour is to be stopped, there needs to be more preventative work taking place seven days a week, 365 days a year," Johansson said in a statement.
TT/The Local/dl
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