RB 68

summary 357 The treatment of prisoners in Sweden, connected with the Reform of 1945, was considered as pioneering on the international arena. There were several purposes behind the reform. In the broader perspective of society the idea was to integrate prisoners into the Swedish welfare system. It was leading Social Democratic politicians, such as the chairman of the Committee of Penal Law (Sw. Strafflagberedningen) Karl Schlyter, that brought the reform about. General objectives were stressed in the “objective paragraph” (Sw.målparagrafen), such as the criterion concerning elementary human rights.The purpose was to adapt the offenders to a society, primarily through work performed during their sentences, to a life outside prison.Openness became a key word and the cell system, inspired by the Anglo-American treatment model, was abandoned. An important aim with the 1945Act of Correctional Treatment in Prison was also to co-ordinate previous laws and similar regulations with the reality of prison life.The Act of 1945 is considered to be a dividing line between the old and the modern prison system.However, the prohibitive system was deemed as a failure when the number of prisoners increased after the reform. During the period from1930to1950, it is important to consider the ramifications of Sweden becoming a welfare state. Perhaps the new prison model resulted more from the potential of improving the standard of life and human rights for prisoners. Maybe the reform was rather a step forward in the ordinary development of society, than a result of the legislators and scholars.Often the standard in a country’s prison reflects the standard of those individuals who are the worst off in the country.The importance of prison reform as such is considered and the real meaning and effects of the reform are studied. The main issue in this thesis is to find out if the implementation of the treatment model in the execution of the sentence only was marginal in Sweden, in a historic perspective.Also to explore the history of the ideas behind the preventive treatment model in the Prison reform of 1945 and throw light on the legal process behind the law and the penal political presumptions. It is implemented by studying the legal policy and the legislative policy, the ideals, and the institutions actual approach, the reality, at the entry of the 1945Act of the Prison Reform and explore a possible reality gap. Chapter 5-7 represent a theoretical ideal while chapter 8 provides the actual implementation of the reform in prisons. These parts also view the actors’ perspective behind the treatment model, which is represented by legal scholars, legislators and authorities from the Prison

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