Study on children's involvement in judicial proceedings : contextual overview for the criminal justice phase : Sweden

Sweden has several specialised laws that apply to children and young offenders and there are guidelines for authorities and professionals who deal with children, such as social services, the police and judiciary. Training is also available for those professionals who deal with children in judicial proceedings, although it is not compulsory. There is also a requirement for authorities to cooperate when children are involved. Sweden does not have a juvenile court system; however, special provisions for young offenders under 21 apply instead of the general provisions for adults. Children under 15 years cannot be held criminally liable and fall under the care of social services, while child offenders over 15 years old are subject to less stringent penalties than adults. Young offenders are subject to imprisonment only on very rare occasions. If the crime they committed is serious, they can instead be subject to institutional care where they do not interact with convicted adults.