Nordic Countries Change Course in Fight Against Gangs

Researchers from Denmark and Sweden analyzed how the policies of their countries, as well as Norway, regarding gangs have changed over the past fifteen years. As the Norwegian online science newspaper Forskning.no writes, the authors studied government policy documents and concluded that the approach of the Nordic countries has significantly changed.

While offenders were previously predominantly viewed as people whose behavior was largely conditioned by social problems, they are now increasingly perceived as a threat to public safety. Accordingly, measures to combat crime are also changing — from prevention to stricter control and punishment.

Denmark was the first to embark on this path of change, with its government adopting the first program to combat gangs in 2009 after several shooting incidents in large cities. Since then, a number of new measures have been adopted, and the criminal code has gradually become stricter.

The study's authors believe that the reason for this was not only the crime rate but also a change in political culture, which began to prioritize control measures.

In Sweden, the shift towards a tougher criminal policy began after 2019, when the number of armed attacks and firearm incidents related to gang activity sharply increased in the country.

Since 2022, Swedish authorities have further intensified the fight against organized crime and juvenile delinquency. Today, the country is even discussing the possibility of lowering the age of criminal responsibility, which is currently 15 years old.

In Norway, the shift towards a tougher approach is happening gradually. While until the mid-2010s the main focus was on social support and integration, a government report on child and adolescent crime, prepared in 2020, already primarily linked it to gang activities and organized crime. Although the document was never considered by parliament, its approaches were later used in the development of new programs to combat gangs.

From Assistance to Risk Management

The authors of the study note that not only has legislation changed, but also the very logic of combating crime.

While previously the main goal was to prevent young people from entering criminal environments through work with families, schools, and local communities, now police control, risk assessment, surveillance, and intelligence play an increasingly important role.

In policy documents, gang members are increasingly described not as people in need of help, but as a threat to society.

The authors of the study note that the toughening of criminal policy exacerbates another problem — the need to find a balance between public safety and the rights of children and youth.

Although the principle of rehabilitation for convicts in Scandinavian countries has not been formally abolished, in practice, opportunities for its implementation are becoming increasingly limited.

Prisons face a shortage of staff and other resources, so rehabilitation programs are gradually being cut. Simultaneously, open correctional facilities, where the reintegration of convicts into normal life was one of the main priorities, are being closed.

The composition of inmates is also changing. Prisons now house more young men convicted of violent and sexual offenses. They serve longer sentences, and their rehabilitation requires different programs and methods than those traditionally used in Scandinavian prisons.

Another important finding of the study is that gangs are increasingly less likely to operate exclusively within the borders of one country. They use social media to recruit children and adolescents, maintain international ties, and operate in several countries simultaneously.

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