NCJ Number
106202
Date Published
1987
Length
5 pages
Annotation
Correctional reforms enacted in Sweden in 1973 emphasize a preference for community-based corrections and alternatives to incarceration.
Abstract
Sweden has one of the lowest inmate populations in the industrialized world. Offenders who are referred to the prison system get short sentences, and extensive use of probation has resulted in three times as many probationers as inmates. Alternatives to prison sentences available to the courts include the day-fine system, conditional sentences (a declaration of guilt without supervision requirements), community service orders, conditional imprisonment (in which the sentence is suspended if the offender agrees to court-ordered treatment), and placement outside correctional institutions. In addition, Sweden has a half-time parole scheme for inmates serving 2 years or less.