Swedish prison youth section aims for rehabilitation over punishment amid national debate on youth incarceration

Täbyanstalten, a Swedish prison, houses 10 inmates between the ages of 18 and 21 in a special youth section. The inmates are separated from adult prisoners and are supervised by a team of 10 correctional officers, including Haider Al-Badri. Al-Badri believes that building relationships with the inmates is a crucial first step towards their rehabilitation. His approach involves listening to the young inmates and encouraging them to understand that there is a life beyond pursuing thrill-seeking activities.

Täbyanstalten’s youth section is the only one left out of eight that were established across the country in 2006. The others have been closed due to a lack of space. The remaining youth section could serve as a model for designing a youth prison, which the government has asked the Prison and Probation Service to have ready by summer 2026. Fredrik Thunberg, the prison director, views this task as a significant challenge, particularly given the difficulties faced by the National Board of Institutional Care in dealing with young offenders.

Sweden typically does not sentence children aged 15-17 who commit serious crimes to prison. Since 2018, only twelve minors have been imprisoned nationwide. However, children’s rights organizations like Bris, Save the Children, and UNICEF argue that youth prisons are not the right solution. They believe the focus should be on rehabilitation and reintegration into society rather than punishment.

Thunberg disagrees with the concern that a criminal identity might be reinforced while children are in prison. He maintains that the young offenders in question are already in a criminal environment and that their identities have long been established. In the youth section, the staff constantly challenge criminal values and attitudes. Thunberg insists it is important not to allow these attitudes to persist and to make the inmates understand that such views are not shared by the majority.

In recent years, the number of minors sentenced to prison in Sweden has been low, with no sentences in 2019, 2022, 2023, and 2024, and only two sentences each in 2020 and 2021.