Treatment of Long-term Prisoners - The Swedish Approach (From Confinement in Maximum Custody, P 131-146, 1981, David A Wood and Kenneth F Schoen, ed. - See NCJ-77087)

• NCJ Number: 77099
• Author(s): G Marnell
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 16 pages
• Sale Source: D C Heath and Co
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article discusses Swedish polices for dealing with long-term prisoners and gives particular attention to a description of the facilities and programs of the maximum-security prison of Kumla.

Abstract

Following the presentation of data on Swedish corrections, the administration and philosophy of Swedish corrections are discussed. The policy is that those with sentences up to 1 year are assigned to local prisons, while those with longer sentences are committed to national prisons. A prisoner with a sentence of 2 years or more is assigned to a closed national prison if he lacks close connections with the country and is to be extradited after release, if he is judged to be an escape risk, and if he is deemed prone to relapse into serious criminality. Kumla is one of the maximum-security prisons used to house such prisoners. The architectural design and security measures of the prison are described, followed by descriptions of staff roles and inmate characteristics. At Kumla, as at the other security prisons, there are, in addition to the more traditional workshops, special full-time study programs for studies from the elementary to the university level. Inmates also experience a great deal of contact with persons from the outside community who come to the prison to provide various services for the inmates. In 1977, as a result of some prison disorders, the prison population was reduced from 435 to 224, and the prison was divided into smaller units, with no unit to hold more than 48 inmates. Notes are provided.