Sweden’s parliament approved on Thursday lowering the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 14, according to local media. The measure allows children as young as 14 to be sentenced to prison for particularly serious crimes, including murder, aggravated rape and serious weapons offenses.
The proposal was approved with 281 votes in favor and 66 against, with two lawmakers absent.
The government and the right-wing Sweden Democrats had previously sought to lower the age to 13, but withdrew the proposal after determining it did not have sufficient support in parliament.
The leader of the Sweden Democrats, Jimmie Akesson, welcomed the result, describing it as “a step in the right direction.”
During the extraordinary parliamentary session, lawmakers also approved stricter conditions for family immigration and removed sentence reductions for people convicted of multiple criminal offenses.