Just in: A proposal to toughen penalties against criminals, alternatives to imprisonment, and debt relief.

According to local media, Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard, along with Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen and Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt, held a press conference at Vestre Fængsel prison to unveil the outlines of the Danish government's new criminal justice reform proposal, which the Justice Minister described as "historic" in its impact and direction. The key points are summarized at the end of the article.

Stricter penalties and a focus on violent crimes

Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard announced that the reform aims first and foremost to address what he called "extremely low sentences" for crimes affecting personal safety. He explained that the government intends to double the penalties for serious and very serious violent crimes, increasing the sentence for crimes that endanger the lives of others to five years instead of two. Penalties for gang rape and violent sexual assault will also be increased by 50%.

Hummelgaard stressed that this tightening comes not only from the perspective of deterrence, but also from the perspective of justice towards the victims, saying: “These reforms do not start from the perpetrator, but from the victim, because 'violence must disappear from the street”.”.

Proposals for reforming the prison system and criminal justice

Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen explained that the government will create 2,000 new prison spaces over the next ten years to cope with the increasing number of convicts and relieve pressure on existing facilities.

Making the most of legal penalties

Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen criticized the failure to fully utilize the maximum penalty in some cases, citing an assault case in Aalborg where the sentence was four to six months in prison even though the maximum penalty is six years, describing this as “offending the public’s sense of justice.”.

New alternatives to punishment: work and social rehabilitation

The reform allows those convicted of minor offenses—especially young people—to perform work on farms or in factories instead of serving their sentences in prison. The period for wearing the electronic ankle bracelet will also be extended to 12 months instead of six.

Settling the debts of criminals

One of the key points of the reform is dealing with criminals' debts to the judiciary, which, according to TV2 reports, rose from 3.6 billion kroner in 2014 to 6.4 billion kroner in 2024.

Under the plan, the government will forgive the debts of young people aged 15-24 if they do not commit any crimes for five years. Adults over 24 will be forgiven upon their first prison sentence, provided the sentence is less than six months and they have not committed serious violent crimes.

The story of a young Arab man who had accumulated debts from previous cases was cited and used as an example on the TV2 website of how debt can become an obstacle to reintegration into society.

The government's stance on employment in prisons

Jakob Engel-Schmidt pointed out that the success of this reform depends largely on having a sufficient number of prison staff, saying that the government is open to bringing in staff from abroad to fill the shortage in prison personnel, if it is not possible to appoint a sufficient number locally.

These are the main points in brief:

Providing 1,000 new prison places: Space must be made available for a larger number of prisoners. Therefore, the government has promised to provide 1,000 additional prison places and to build a completely new prison.

Double penalties for aggravated violence: The government will double penalties for aggravated violence and particularly aggravated violence.

Electronic ankle bracelets for up to 12 months: More people should be able to serve their sentences using electronic ankle bracelets, with the maximum prison term increased from six months to twelve months.

Hard work as an alternative to prison: Some convicts should be able to obtain employment instead of going to prison – for example, in agriculture or in a factory. This applies particularly to young people with less serious convictions.