Sweden's broader gang-crime rule can double sentences

Sweden's Riksdag has put a broader gang-crime sentencing rule into force from 1 August, exposing defendants to substantially longer prison terms when an offence is connected to a criminal network.

Under the Riksdag's enacted legal package, sentencing value should as a starting point be twice what it otherwise would have been. The defendant's role or other circumstances can justify a different assessment, so every sentence is not automatically doubled. A fixed term may exceed the ordinary maximum, but not by more than double or beyond 18 years.

The package also tightens nearly 50 sentencing ranges, including for aggravated assault, aggravated rape, aggravated theft, fraud, money laundering and tax offences. It removes the ten-year ceiling for fixed terms, allows life imprisonment in exceptional cases involving repeated serious violent or sexual crimes, and expands the presumption of remand for offences including aggravated domestic abuse and honour oppression.

The law passed by 299 votes to 21, with 25 abstentions. The Government's published bill presents the changes as stronger protection for victims and the public. The legislative record also notes court concerns that combined doubling rules could create disproportionate or uneven outcomes.

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