Scandinavian American. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1945-1958, 1948-01-01

Nooii'iy WHICH mas enjoyed peace
for nearly $50 years and which
has a very homogeneous popula-
ton, almost entirely native-born
The living standards of the peo-
pie reach few peaks, on the one
hand, and no real lows, on the
other. The general prosperity is
solidly established.
During recent times social re-
forms have contributed greatly to
giving the public at large a share
In this prosperity and to equaliz-
ing the living standards of var
lous social groups. The cities do
not have the Stun areas and mixed
population which create such sew
ere problems in many metropoli-
tan centers of the world and pro-
vide a constant source of Grimm
atty and other forms of social
conduct. The relatively 'idyllic"
crime situation in Sweden and the
leniency and generosity shown to-
ward the criminal must be viewed
against this background. I believe
that the road Sweden is follow
ing in the treatment of the Of
fender is the right one, but I do
not believe that her solution of
the problem can be exported gen.
orally.
At present there are about 1000
persons in Sweden's penal institu
tions, out of population of about
100000. To this might properly
be added about 500 offenders who
have been declared mentally ire
sponsible by the courts and have
been placed in mental hospitals
not managed by the prison admin
istration. Outside the institutions
there are generally about 5000
persons on probation or parole.
All Sweden's prisoners could
easily be placed in single insti-
tuition, which would not have to
be particularly large according to
American standards However, the
authorities have not aimed at
achieving any such concentration.
Prisoners are divided among some
fifty institutions, this system of
distribution having been in force
for many years. Large concentra-
lions have their dangers; it is diff
ficult to avoid unfavorable con-
facts among the inmates even
when the most careful attempts
at classification within the insti-
tuition are made. Furthermore it
is impossible for the head of an
institution to learn to know each
inmate. A system of smaller pris-
ons is expensive, but criminality
is no gigantic problem in Sweden,
and the nation feels it can afford
this generosity.
Swedens penal institutions are,
broadly speaking, divided into
thirty walled and twenty open in
stitutions, with a total of 1900
inmates in the former and 500 in
the latter. Institutions of the open
type are often extremely small
simply farms or camps accommo-
dating from 20 to 80 persons each
Even the walled institutions are
small. The largest prison. in
Stockholm, (Which has a popula-
ton of some 7OO,OOO) has about
300 prisoners and the two next
in size about $50 each.
About 1000 prisoners are serv-
ing sentences at hard labor, and
of these some $50 are serving
sentences less than one year. At
the moment there are only six
serving life terms. but there are,
in addition, a few dozen convicted
murderers in mental hospitals. A
person convicted of murder in
Sweden nowadays is rarely turned
over to the prisons. When he is
subjected to the mental eXamina-
ton required for every prisoner
accused of such a crime, he is
usually found to be so abnormal
mentally that he must be given
hospital care instead of prison
treatment. The death penalty was
abolished in 1921. but the last