The Danish government has unveiled a comprehensive penal reform package, backed by 7 billion kroner, aimed at strengthening the justice system. Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard, Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen, and Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt presented the reform, which includes increased penalties for violent crimes, prevention initiatives, and the creation of 2000 new prison places.

A key component of the reform is the doubling of penalties for serious and particularly serious crimes. The reform also calls for stricter punishments for the most egregious forms of rape, including gang rape and aggravated rape. Furthermore, the government intends to double the punishment for “simple” violence against children or partners, even for first-time offenders.

To accommodate the expected increase in the prison population, the reform includes plans to modernize existing prisons to improve conditions and the working environment for employees. The government is also exploring the recruitment of labor from abroad to staff the facilities. A significant part of the plan is the creation of 2000 new prison places. This will be achieved through expansion of existing prisons and the construction of two new prisons.

While the locations of the new prisons are yet to be determined, one will be a women’s prison located in Western Denmark and the other will be a closed prison with 400 places. In addition to punitive measures, the penal reform emphasizes resocialization and prevention of recidivism. The initiatives include exploring the possibility of company detention and other alternatives to traditional prison sentences.

First-time offenders who have not committed serious crimes may have the opportunity to have their debt to the public waived in connection with serving their sentence on specific conditions. The government has allocated 1 billion kroner specifically for crime prevention efforts and plans to hire 300 new employees in prisons to focus on these preventive initiatives.