Government to double sentences for violence

The Danish government has announced a new penal reform aimed at increasing penalties for serious violence and rape, coupled with a significant expansion of prison capacity. Key initiatives include doubling the punishment for particularly serious offenses and adding over 2000 new prison spaces by 2036, with 400 spaces planned in a new closed prison. A new women’s prison in Western Denmark and additional spaces in Greenland and the Faroe Islands are also part of the plan. Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard emphasizes the need for harsher consequences for offenders and a focus on the victims’ perspectives. Nearly two billion kroner will be invested in corrections facilities and staff, aiming to avoid low conviction rates like those witnessed in Sweden.