“The modern prison service in Sweden is very different from when I joined as a young prison officer in 1978,” says Kenneth Gustafsson, governor of Kumla Prison, Sweden’s most secure jail. However, he doesn’t think the system has gone soft. “When I joined, the focus was very much on humanity in prisons. Prisoners were treated well – maybe too well, some might say. But, after a number of high-profile escapes in 2004, we had to implement changes to make prisons more secure.” The Swedes still managed to maintain a broadly humane approach to sentencing, even of the most serious offenders: jail terms rarely exceed ten years. Sweden was the first country in Europe to introduce the electronic tagging of convicted criminals and continues to strive to minimize short-term prison sentences wherever possible by using community-based punishments, which have been proven to be more effective at reducing reoffending.
What caused prisons to reevaluate their security in 2004?
Multiple escapes from prisons The arrest of many high-profile prisoners Gustafsson’s complaint that prisoners were treated too well A request from the Swedish government