The overall reoffending rate in Sweden is between 30 and 40% over three years – to compare that with another European country, the number is around half that of the UK. One thing that has kept reoffending down and the number of prisoners in Sweden below 70 per 100,000 people is that the age of criminal responsibility is 15. In the UK, for example, children aged ten to 17 and young people under the age of 21 have the highest reoffending rates. In Sweden, no young person under the age of 21 can be sentenced to life – this is not the case in many other countries – and they try to keep young offenders out of prison.
What is true of young offenders in many countries that is not true in Sweden?
Offenders under 21 can be given a life-term prison sentence Offenders under 21 are actively kept out of prison Offenders under 15 cannot be legally accountable for their crimes Offenders over 15 can be legally accountable for their crimes