For a long time there has been a limit that those who have been sentenced to prison must report to an institution within a maximum of 50 days, a few years ago the limit was raised to 75 days and now it is raised to 100 days. 

- The reason why we have changed the time limit has only to do with the occupancy situation.

That we have chosen to increase the limit is of course problematic and something we intend to move away from as soon as possible, but at present we see no alternatives, says Joakim Righammar, section manager at the Swedish Prison and Probation Service. 

More convicts on the streets

This has meant that more convicts than before go out on the streets waiting to start serving their sentences. 

Preliminary statistics from the Swedish Prison and Probation Service, which SVT has read, show that the number of convicted prisoners who go free in society has increased - the highest record during the period to which the statistics apply, the years 2018 to 2020 was reached in July this year.

At that time, 2696 were convicted on bail.

- The situation is serious.

Today we have an influx of clients that is significantly higher than it was a few years ago.

We are building new, 700 places in the last two years, but that is not really enough, says Joakim Righammar.

Have time to organize their lives

The courts have ruled that in these cases it is acceptable for the criminals to be out between the sentence and imprisonment.

But a longer period of freedom also means an increased risk of new crimes, according to the Swedish Prison and Probation Service. 

- By increasing this time from 50 to 100 days, the risks naturally also increase, says Joakim Righammar. 

The idea of ​​letting a criminal be out between the sentence and the prison sentence is that the person should have time to sort things out in their life, such as taking time off from their job before the time in prison begins.

But there are cases where new crimes have been committed in the meantime in freedom. 

- Every crime is detrimental to the judiciary.

If it is also a serious crime, a crime against a person, it is of course horrible, says Joakim Righammar.