Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - III. Constitution and Administration. Introd. by E. Hildebrand - 2. State Administration. By E. Söderberg - Prison System. By V. Almquist
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III. CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION.
measure, however, it depends on a more humane exercise of the law. It is now
especially customary to pardon prisoners sentenced for life, if they have shown
good behaviour for a long time. In 1855, there were in the prisons of Sweden
1 520 life prisoners compared to only 58 in 1913.
The average number of new prisoners, sentenced to penal servitude, received
each year during 1904—13 was 1 839, of which number only 164 were women.
The yearly number sentenced to imprisonment without the option of a fine
during the same period was 1 070, and the number sentenced to prison in
default of payment of fines was 15 562. Of the last-mentioned two groups,
there were 46 and 721 women respectively.
Finally, in this connection may be stated the number of executions in earlier
and more recent times. Of each million inhabitants 14’9i were executed yearly
during the period 1749—73, but in 1774—95 the average number had already
decreased to 4’06. During the last 10 years only one person has been executed.
From 1907 inclusive, since the system of conditional release has been applied
in the country, such released prisoners were, down to Okt. 1914, 203 in number.
The effect has been remarkably good, inasmuch as only one was reported to
have lapsed during the time of probation.
The inmates of prisons are employed chiefly on work for the benefit of the
State, especially carpentry, tailoring, shoemaking, saddlery work, and brushwork.
in which the prisoners are instructed by qualified foremen. For this purpose,
those undergoing sentence are distributed among the various prisons according
to the callings they seem best adapted to, and each of the larger prisons is
utilized for one trade or more. At the compulsory workhouse in Svartsjö, to
which is joined a large area of land, extensive farming, cattle raising, and
quarrying operations are carried on with the help of prison labour. At that in
Landskrona a number of females are occupied in the cultivation of gardens,
especially for the raising of medicinal herbs.
Touching the development of carrying on work among prison institutions we
may state that, during 1904, the value of the labour amounted to 211 372’7S
kronor, with a net profit (after deducting expenses of 153 702’i2 kronor, while
the year 1913 can show for its respective figures 730 837’23 kronor and 637 486’5i
kronor.
With regard to the treatment of prisoners, it has already been stated that it is
based chiefly on the separate confinement system. Only the relatively few
prisoners sentenced to penal servitude for a term exceeding three years and those
sentenced for life are transferred, after three years of separate confinement, to
work together in large workshops, but are carefully kept apart while not working,
and spend the night in solitary cells. The compulsory workhouses, where the
prisoners are always together at work, have all night-cells provided.
In the application of the separate confinement system, the aim has always
been, as far as possible, to prevent results of isolation injurious to the prisoners,
and to make their conducive to their own reformation. Various means are
employed for this, such as systematic and regular work which demands assiduous
attention from the foremen; daily exercise in the prison yards for at least half
an hour; rational physical exercise and gymnastics, both in the cells and under
supervision outside in the grounds; libraries chosen with discrimination (about
50 000 vols, altogether); instruction in religion and school-subjects; and by visits
in the cells by the prison officials, as well as by other voluntary visitors;
absolutely strict obedience to rules and regulations is required, and all means for
self-indulgence, as for instance tobacco and snuff, are totally forbidden for those
sentenced to penal servitude or to imprisonment in default of payment of fines.
Prisoners on trial and those sentenced to simple imprisonment may procure
betteT diet and more comfort than can commonly be had in the prison, if they
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