The Swedish government, in collaboration with the Sweden Democrats, has announced a significant allocation of nearly 1.4 billion SEK to the Swedish Prison and Probation Service for the year 2024. This funding, one of the largest single investments in the upcoming spring amendment budget following healthcare, is primarily aimed at increasing the number of prison places due to rising crime severity.

According to Richard Jomshof, chair of the Justice Committee, the urgency to expand the correctional facilities stems from a commitment to curb the escalating crime through incarceration of those posing threats to society.

The Prison and Probation Service is also tasked with exploring ways to reduce the cost per inmate per day, which could involve lowering standards or increasing cell sharing, in an effort to manage the significant financial implications of this expansion.

The anticipated expansion requires tripling the current facility capacity to 27,000 places within a decade, highlighting the acute situation within the Swedish correctional system.