Treatment of female juvenile offenders inSweden

Christer Isaksson
Office for International Affairs
Swedish Prison and Probation ServiceInternational perspective••••••••

Great variations as to when a person is responsible for his offending
Great variations in the alternatives for handling/helping juvenile offenders
In many countries very young boys and girls are put in prison
In some countries there are several agencies, kinds of institutions, to takecare of young offenders – in other countries not so many
In most countries far more young men then girls are offending
In many countries this means that there are more alternatives for handlingboys than girls
In many countries the stigma attached to offending, to having been put into
institutions, is different for girls – harsher, more restricting – e g sheltersneededIn Sweden comparatively few are treated within the prison system but inspecial institutions for young offenders with much more staff and specialists
available- 152 -Government Assignment about
young offenders
2013-2016”The Prison and probation service shall conduct a
special effort during the execution of young clientssentence, taking measures designed to prevent
recurrence of criminal offences”

150 million skr.

Young offenders• Age of criminal responsibility 15 years• Persons under 18 rarely receive custodial
sentences – special legislation, special institutions• Young offender is less than 21 years old whenentering remand, prison or non custodial care
• (max until the age of 24)- 153 -

Young offenders•

Every day there are close to 2,000 young people in prison andprobation service. About 180 of them are women.

The young offenders• The majority have been subject to previous socialinterventions• 70% have some sort of addiction problems.
• 53% live in metropolis• 86 % Swedish nationals• 70 % live with their parents(Source: Client mapping in 2013)- 154 -

The female young offender• Often a background of abuse. Physical or sexualor harassment in general• Many see themselves as “the inferior sex”
• Many female offenders have been subjected toprostitution• Drug abuse

The young offenders - the crimes• 60% of young people are convicted of violent
crimes, the most common is robbery.
• 35% are convicted of drug-related crime, andnearly as many for acquisitive.
• Average penalty if custodial sanction 10 months,
if non custodial sanction 1 year.

- 155 -

The young female offenders – thecrimes• Most common crimes are drug related crimes• Second most common is theft of some kind
• In third place comes violent crimes – although
among older women there is a tendency, not very
prominent, towards more violent crimes

Reactions to drug abuse andoffending in the Swedish society• In Sweden there are 7 institutions, SIS, for giving
treatment and care for offenders of the age 15-17,
56 places.
• In 2014, 40 boys were placed in these institutions,only one girl• Some girls with an offending behavior are placedin psychiatric care instead of any of the other kindsof institutions. Reason for this may be drug abuse,self harming behavior or – of course – otherpsychiatric problems- 156 -

What works according to science?
• The principle of Risk -high risk of recurrence – many efforts• No difference mandatory or voluntary
Multimodal operations• Therapeutic treatment of social problem solving and angercontrol• Professional mentors• Education• Efforts related to work
• ADHD investigation and treatment• Drug treatment

Early efforts• Early investigation of – risk, needs andsusceptibility• Motivate to treatment early• Study early• Specialist departments for young- 157 -

Efforts in Prison• Small specialized departments for 100 young
offenders – today only about 10 young girls inprison• Special cognitive treatment programs• ADHD-investigation• Cooperation with other authorities like employment
agency or social services• The female prisoners are relatively few whichmeans less institutions for them, often far awayfrom home

Efforts in probation service• Specialized probation officers• More treatment programs• Intensified probation - The lay probation officer
and/or Professional Mentor or coach?
• Network?
• Cooperation with other authorities like employment
agency or social services
Employment agency or healthcare located withprobation service- 158 -

Conclusions• Female juveniles slightly different picture than formen – more abused, sexual components, low self
esteem• More empirical data on male juveniles – adjust
treatment programs to match• Fewer females – fewer places for good treatment– adjust!
• Early and broad approach to treatment is vital• Other alternatives than imprisonment for juveniles
is always preferrable• Postponing entry into prison gives better
prognosis, is more humane and cost effective- 159 -