Post by Bozur on Mar 21, 2005 18:32:53 GMT -5
Escapes Lead Sweden to Rethink Liberal Prison System
By LIZETTE ALVAREZ
Published: March 20, 2005
Rob Schoenbaum for The New York Times
A new "open" prison near Kolmarden has no fences, and room doors are locked by the prisoners themselves.
SODERTALJE, Sweden - Sweden, like the rest of Scandinavia, prides itself on treating prisoners humanely and running the sort of prison system that values rehabilitation over punishment.
Metal detectors are rare, conjugal visits routine and unlocked cell doors the norm. Bored inmates, even those in high-security prisons, can simply switch on their television sets - there is one in every room or cell - or request off-campus leaves. Some "open prisons" even lack fences.
Sweden's reputation for operating cozy prisons is so widespread that after Saddam Hussein was captured, one of his lawyers asked whether he could be moved to a Swedish prison. The request was denied.
But several audacious escapes by dangerous criminals last year, including one at the Hall high-security prison near here, has plunged Sweden into a debate about its penal policies and has led the government to tighten prison security, especially for criminals with a history of violence. "The Swedish people were actually shaken to their roots by what happened," said Lars Nylen, a former police chief who is the new director of the Prison and Probation Service. "There is no doubt that the general opinion is that there are some prisoners who should be locked up and that having these prisoners running around is a big problem."
"But then again they say, of course, 'We need to stick with our philosophy of humanization,' " he added. "There is an intellectual move to try to balance this."
The three high-profile escapes created a public and media outcry here and ultimately led to the resignation of the Prison Service director. Calls were made for the removal of Justice Minister Thomas Bodstroem.
Mr. Bodstroem, a Social Democrat, did not resign. Treading carefully to avoid disparaging the country's commitment to treat prisoners with dignity, he said he would begin a comprehensive review of Sweden's prison system and build a bunker-style prison for the most violent offenders, though that plan has been abandoned.
The recent escapes - the first from Sweden's maximum-security prisons in a decade - underscore a change in the prison population. With close to 5,000 inmates in the prison system, Sweden's 43 medium-security prisons and 4 maximum-security prisons are operating at capacity.
Inmates are savvier, bolder, more organized and more violent than in the past, Swedish officials say. The inmates have become more adept at smuggling in contraband, including weapons and cellphones. Prisons are also handling an increasingly large number of hard-boiled inmates from Eastern European countries, more people doing time for drug crimes and a record number of prisoners serving life sentences.
Although the plan for a bunker has been abandoned, the government is planning to upgrade the maximum-security wings of three prisons and to convert a fourth prison to high security. It also has rolled out new procedures and proposals to help curb escapes. Most of the procedures focus on minimizing contact between inmates and accomplices on the outside, including jamming calls from smuggled-in cellphones.
The government is also planning to scrutinize longstanding policies common in a number of European countries that encourage guards to mingle with the inmates as a way to build trust and track suspicious activity. But this can also make staff members more vulnerable to threats, flattery and bribery.
Last July, Tony Olsson, who had been convicted of killing two police officers, escaped from Hall after his cell door was left unlocked, apparently intentionally. He walked out just before midnight, carrying a gun and a mobile phone, which had been smuggled in by a guard who was dissatisfied with his job, according to court documents by the chief prosecutor in the case. After forcing a guard to hand over his keys, Mr. Olsson released three other prisoners. A getaway car outside spirited the four men away.
The men were captured, one by one, over three days, and eventually five prison employees were implicated in the escape.
The chief prosecutor in the case, Stefan Bergman, said in court papers that a combination of factors had contributed to the escape. "The poor technical design of the cell doors, the poor control over what visitors and staff were able to take into the prison, a young and poorly trained staff member and manipulative criminals who skillfully succeeded in persuading the employees to cooperate made the escape possible," he said.
One week later, three inmates broke out of another high-security prison, in Norrtalje, northeast of Stockholm, with help from masked accomplices carrying automatic weapons. This was followed by a third escape, in which two inmates with knives fled Mariefred prison after taking a warden hostage. "There is a crisis," said Johan Pehrson, a Liberal Party member and chairman of Parliament's Justice Committee. "People in general have always felt that the government was naïve on this issue. The rules in prisons are very old and based on the ideology of the 70's."
But, Mr. Pehrson added, in the rush to react, the government now risks losing sight of one of the hallmarks of Swedish prisons - the emphasis on rehabilitation. "They are paying for bricks and concrete but not funding things like education in prison or helping those who are very mentally disturbed," he said.
The government denies that charge, saying it is working hard to come up with a broad plan that would improve security while maintaining the focus on rehabilitation.
Recently, a group of American prison officials who came to the Hall prison to take custody of an inmate expressed astonishment at what they saw, said Roger Nielsen, who is in charge of security at Hall. "They said, "This is cute,' " Mr. Nielsen recalled, with a laugh.
Before last summer's escape, Hall prison had no metal detector to screen staff and visitors. Criminal records checks on potential employees were spotty. Staff members were allowed to bring in cellphones.
That has all changed. Another fence is to be erected on the perimeter, perhaps electrified. The prison has a new cross-checking system to ensure that doors are locked and inmates accounted for.
Hall retains its comforts, though. Prisoners get their own rooms with television sets. Conjugal visits by spouses or partners are permitted in two apartments set up for the purpose. Cellblock doors are unlocked during the day so prisoners can walk about their wings freely.
Prisoners can also apply for leaves of up to four hours, accompanied by staff members. The prisoners also have access to rehabilitation programs, although prison officials say the budget for these has shrunk over the years.
A new open prison outside the town of Kolmarden, reserved mostly for white-collar criminals who are not addicted to drugs, has no fences, and room doors are locked by the prisoners themselves. A few prisoners commute to town to work. They also make their own appointments at health clinics and can borrow a bicycle to get to them. The prison even has a tanning bed operated by a private company.
As can be expected, open prisons have the most escapes, but since the prisoners are seldom dangerous, the problem has caused less public concern. Still, Kolmarden plans to begin an electronic bracelet monitoring system for these minimum-security prisoners in April.
"You calculate the risk," said Cecilia Holmquist, an administrator at Kolmarden prison. "From an open prison, they can always escape. You can't stop them. But when they are caught, they are typically not going to be sent back to an open prison."
By LIZETTE ALVAREZ
Published: March 20, 2005
Rob Schoenbaum for The New York Times
A new "open" prison near Kolmarden has no fences, and room doors are locked by the prisoners themselves.
SODERTALJE, Sweden - Sweden, like the rest of Scandinavia, prides itself on treating prisoners humanely and running the sort of prison system that values rehabilitation over punishment.
Metal detectors are rare, conjugal visits routine and unlocked cell doors the norm. Bored inmates, even those in high-security prisons, can simply switch on their television sets - there is one in every room or cell - or request off-campus leaves. Some "open prisons" even lack fences.
Sweden's reputation for operating cozy prisons is so widespread that after Saddam Hussein was captured, one of his lawyers asked whether he could be moved to a Swedish prison. The request was denied.
But several audacious escapes by dangerous criminals last year, including one at the Hall high-security prison near here, has plunged Sweden into a debate about its penal policies and has led the government to tighten prison security, especially for criminals with a history of violence. "The Swedish people were actually shaken to their roots by what happened," said Lars Nylen, a former police chief who is the new director of the Prison and Probation Service. "There is no doubt that the general opinion is that there are some prisoners who should be locked up and that having these prisoners running around is a big problem."
"But then again they say, of course, 'We need to stick with our philosophy of humanization,' " he added. "There is an intellectual move to try to balance this."
The three high-profile escapes created a public and media outcry here and ultimately led to the resignation of the Prison Service director. Calls were made for the removal of Justice Minister Thomas Bodstroem.
Mr. Bodstroem, a Social Democrat, did not resign. Treading carefully to avoid disparaging the country's commitment to treat prisoners with dignity, he said he would begin a comprehensive review of Sweden's prison system and build a bunker-style prison for the most violent offenders, though that plan has been abandoned.
The recent escapes - the first from Sweden's maximum-security prisons in a decade - underscore a change in the prison population. With close to 5,000 inmates in the prison system, Sweden's 43 medium-security prisons and 4 maximum-security prisons are operating at capacity.
Inmates are savvier, bolder, more organized and more violent than in the past, Swedish officials say. The inmates have become more adept at smuggling in contraband, including weapons and cellphones. Prisons are also handling an increasingly large number of hard-boiled inmates from Eastern European countries, more people doing time for drug crimes and a record number of prisoners serving life sentences.
Although the plan for a bunker has been abandoned, the government is planning to upgrade the maximum-security wings of three prisons and to convert a fourth prison to high security. It also has rolled out new procedures and proposals to help curb escapes. Most of the procedures focus on minimizing contact between inmates and accomplices on the outside, including jamming calls from smuggled-in cellphones.
The government is also planning to scrutinize longstanding policies common in a number of European countries that encourage guards to mingle with the inmates as a way to build trust and track suspicious activity. But this can also make staff members more vulnerable to threats, flattery and bribery.
Last July, Tony Olsson, who had been convicted of killing two police officers, escaped from Hall after his cell door was left unlocked, apparently intentionally. He walked out just before midnight, carrying a gun and a mobile phone, which had been smuggled in by a guard who was dissatisfied with his job, according to court documents by the chief prosecutor in the case. After forcing a guard to hand over his keys, Mr. Olsson released three other prisoners. A getaway car outside spirited the four men away.
The men were captured, one by one, over three days, and eventually five prison employees were implicated in the escape.
The chief prosecutor in the case, Stefan Bergman, said in court papers that a combination of factors had contributed to the escape. "The poor technical design of the cell doors, the poor control over what visitors and staff were able to take into the prison, a young and poorly trained staff member and manipulative criminals who skillfully succeeded in persuading the employees to cooperate made the escape possible," he said.
One week later, three inmates broke out of another high-security prison, in Norrtalje, northeast of Stockholm, with help from masked accomplices carrying automatic weapons. This was followed by a third escape, in which two inmates with knives fled Mariefred prison after taking a warden hostage. "There is a crisis," said Johan Pehrson, a Liberal Party member and chairman of Parliament's Justice Committee. "People in general have always felt that the government was naïve on this issue. The rules in prisons are very old and based on the ideology of the 70's."
But, Mr. Pehrson added, in the rush to react, the government now risks losing sight of one of the hallmarks of Swedish prisons - the emphasis on rehabilitation. "They are paying for bricks and concrete but not funding things like education in prison or helping those who are very mentally disturbed," he said.
The government denies that charge, saying it is working hard to come up with a broad plan that would improve security while maintaining the focus on rehabilitation.
Recently, a group of American prison officials who came to the Hall prison to take custody of an inmate expressed astonishment at what they saw, said Roger Nielsen, who is in charge of security at Hall. "They said, "This is cute,' " Mr. Nielsen recalled, with a laugh.
Before last summer's escape, Hall prison had no metal detector to screen staff and visitors. Criminal records checks on potential employees were spotty. Staff members were allowed to bring in cellphones.
That has all changed. Another fence is to be erected on the perimeter, perhaps electrified. The prison has a new cross-checking system to ensure that doors are locked and inmates accounted for.
Hall retains its comforts, though. Prisoners get their own rooms with television sets. Conjugal visits by spouses or partners are permitted in two apartments set up for the purpose. Cellblock doors are unlocked during the day so prisoners can walk about their wings freely.
Prisoners can also apply for leaves of up to four hours, accompanied by staff members. The prisoners also have access to rehabilitation programs, although prison officials say the budget for these has shrunk over the years.
A new open prison outside the town of Kolmarden, reserved mostly for white-collar criminals who are not addicted to drugs, has no fences, and room doors are locked by the prisoners themselves. A few prisoners commute to town to work. They also make their own appointments at health clinics and can borrow a bicycle to get to them. The prison even has a tanning bed operated by a private company.
As can be expected, open prisons have the most escapes, but since the prisoners are seldom dangerous, the problem has caused less public concern. Still, Kolmarden plans to begin an electronic bracelet monitoring system for these minimum-security prisoners in April.
"You calculate the risk," said Cecilia Holmquist, an administrator at Kolmarden prison. "From an open prison, they can always escape. You can't stop them. But when they are caught, they are typically not going to be sent back to an open prison."