The Social Democrats summon Strömmer to the Justice Committee after the Prison and Probation Service's alarm about lack of space

The government and SD's proposal for stricter penalties will put a lot of pressure on Sweden's prisons.

The Director General of the Swedish Prison and Probation Service, Martin Holmgren, said in Thursday's 30 minutes that the expansion that is currently planned will not be enough if all the proposals in the Tidö Agreement were to be implemented at the same time.

Requires a plan to be presented

Ardalan Shekarabi (S), vice chairman of the Justice Committee, says that he reacted strongly to the information that emerged in the interview and that they are now demanding that Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer be summoned to the Justice Committee.

"We demand that Gunnar Strömmer and the government present a plan. We have been doing this for several months now. A plan for what the government wants to do so as not to damage the Prison and Probation Service's operations, says Shekarabi.

"There is clear information now that the government's policy risks harming the Prison and Probation Service's operations, which can lead to higher recidivism," says Shekarabi.

Shekarabi says that the government must adapt the timetable to the reality described by the Prison and Probation Service and listen to the proposals presented by the Prison and Probation Service.

Higher penalties

The Tidö parties have presented 13 proposals that the Prison and Probation Service believes will have a major impact on the capacity of the prisons.

The Social Democrats have also presented a number of proposals for tougher penalties, including for crimes that are common in criminal networks.

Martin Holmgren at the Swedish Prison and Probation Service, on the other hand, says that other types of measures need to be considered in addition to expanding prison capacity in order for the authority to meet the intentions of the Tidö Agreement.

He proposes, among other things, an expansion of the probation service where more people can get electronic ankle bracelets and monitoring. As well as sentence reductions for those with shorter prison sentences and a low risk of recidivism.