Click to expand Image The Anstalten Rosersberg prison facility in Rosersberg, north of Stockholm, Sweden, on March 4, 2026. © 2026 Jonathan Nasktrand/ AFP via Getty Images The Swedish government has dropped its proposal to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 13 for serious crimes, Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer said on June 11. Instead, officials will present parliament with a proposal to lower the age from 15 to 14.While that is better than 13, it would still be the wrong move. Sweden should keep its current minimum age of criminal responsibility at 15.Victims affected by gang violence, including children, deserve safety, accountability, and support. Lowering the age of criminal responsibility neither helps victims nor makes communities safer. Rather, it risks pulling children into the criminal justice system at precisely the age when child-centered, multidisciplinary responses are most needed.Adolescence is a period of rapid brain development, when children are still developing impulse control, risk assessment, and resistance to pressure from peers and adults. Precisely because children are still developing, they are also especially capable of change. Evidence from other countries shows that child-centered rehabilitation systems are more likely to prevent future harm than exposing them to harsher criminal punishment, suggesting that serious offences should be addressed through protection, rehabilitation, and support.A coalition of 18 Swedish civil society groups has proposed no fewer than 100 alternatives to jailing children. They include stronger social services, better mental health care, school-based support, targeted help for children exploited by criminal networks, and meaningful assistance for families and communities. These responses will make communities safer.The Swedish government should avoid the political temptation to respond to fears of gang violence with policies that make it easier to punish children but do little to protect the public.The proposal was withdrawn when it became clear that the government lacked the votes necessary to pass the change. That’s welcome news. Swedish parliamentarians across the political spectrum should continue to send the message that protecting children’s rights and protecting public safety are not opposing goals. The government should abandon its plan to lower the age of criminal responsibility and instead implement rights-respecting alternatives that focus on rehabiliation.