Swedish vs American Prisons
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ม.ค. 2021
- In this quick video I highlight some of the key differences between the prison systems in Scandinavia and America. The differences are actually pretty astounding!
With clips from: The Infographics Show, Now This News, CNN
Here's a swedish prison anecdote for you: One night, the prison guards forgot to lock up 6 of the cells at shift change. The prisoners could have just walked out. What did they do? Bake a kladdkaka and watched television together.
That’s pretty awesome.
🤣
😆
I heard this story. They apparently really appreciated the extra time they could spend together. It was at a low-security prison though. I hope things turned out good for them both for their and society's sake
I was hoping to find this
As Jim Jefferies pointed out it's interesting that the "land of the free" has the highest incarceration rates in the western world.
your not free in a country that hides there numbers on statistics tho.
In the whole world! The W-H-O-L-E world. Per capita ofcrs.
That's because in America, the prison system is a business and the more people they send to prison, the more money the prison industrial complex makes and they are in bed with prosecutors and judges!
Not just the western world
The only reason Sweden isn't speaking Russian is because the USA protects it. The US should remove all troops from ALL foreign nations and let them fend for themselves.
Seems pretty predictable that if you treat people like irredeemable animals, they will behave like irredeemably animals. Likewise, I think it makes sense that if you treat people as humans deserving of respect who made some bad choices they can come back from, they are probably more likely to do just that.
Those murdered, incapacitated, raped or traumatized for life by the deeds of psychopathic criminals can't come back easily. Their suffering and loss is what's worthy of respect, not the perpetrator, and this respect means proper Retribution, regardless of "therapeutic outcome". Respect, moreover, is something you can earn and lose, you don't deserve it merely for being human.
@@hieronymuslarsson1388 the problem is that if it isn't life time prison sentence, there will be more victims if they aren't rehabilitated, so you can also see it as a way to protect future victims instead of helping the offenders
@@mettelindegardnielsen9411
Well, that's the utilitarian argument, that rehabilitating incarceration is best for society. This issue however is connected with the matter of length of sentence - the shorter the sentence the more effective your rehabilitation of criminals will have to be.
In contrast is the view that retribution is a principle of equal or greater significance than utilitarian aims. If the rehabilitation means the punishment isn't really a punishment, this aspect of retribution is lost. Justice and utilitarianism doesn't always get along great.
@@hieronymuslarsson1388 but wait, that argument is only relevant if keeping the offenders in worse prison conditions somehow makes it so that the victims do recover.
Is that your claim? Do you have any evidence whatsoever for that?
@@IUEC38 What? No that would look like that utilitarian thinking in legal justice again, "what's best for everybody".
If I have an argument here it's that the right way to view legally dispensed justice is as retribution. And that everything that isn't retribution in a sentence can be seen as forced therapy, social improvement or whatever; but that that kind of utilitarian therapy is not part of creating justice.
If for example someone is assaulted and they get a brain injury so they can't talk properly, then the perpetrator should get locked away to lead a paltry life in unpleasant conditions for 15 years. Or whatever the general public think is fitting. Because justice through retribution. Not because therapy, or likelihood of future crimes, or how this particular victim is doing.
Today, I learned that the US has only 5% of the world’s population but 25% (!!!) of the world‘s prison population!😳
It is actually insane!!
@@StefanThyron tv-program. translated from norwegian the title was "from halden to attica".
th-cam.com/video/OaXWT2tsFlA/w-d-xo.html
and this "lecture" from jan strømnes for the staff of attica
th-cam.com/video/pB037gVIpJc/w-d-xo.html
@@StefanThyron I think you should watch this video and watch more on that channel as there are several I think you will find interesting
th-cam.com/video/HfEsz812Q1I/w-d-xo.html
Too many black people
I'm not quite sure i believe that. First of all it's almost impossible to find a decent statistic for that number. China, North Korea, Russia and a lot of countries like that does not keep a reliable statistic of those things. Secondly. There's approximately 11.5 million prisoners according to those statistics there are available. Reliable or not. And since the US only have 2 million prisoners that doesn't add up to a 25% total.
The question is, isnt there a possibility that the problems with violence inside the prisons would reduce if the system changed more towards rehabilitation? I think a reason for why americas prison population is so big and a reason why the environment in the prisons are so hostile is the system it self. Also there are higher security prisons in sweden which have more safety measutes.
Yes, of course it would reduce, and that is precisely why it isn't done. The objective is to grow bigger. Always and ever bigger and bigger.
As a Swede who's been in prison, even I was surprised. It wasn't for a violent or serious crime, so I got a low level security... "prison". It was a farm. I got my own room, 3 proper home cooked meals a day, we had classes 3 days a week after dinner, 7am to 6 pm it was farm work, learning to drive a tractor, milk cows, care for orphan lambs... There were only 4 other prisoners not counting me. It was only 12 weeks, but just like military training, it's more of a fond memory and I did learn a lot about myself. The punishment is that your freedom is taken away, if you don't behave, they move you to a more secure location. You can't leave and do as you want, this is the best you get and if you don't accept it, it just gets worse for you.
"Smaller country"? Only 200.000 of the 2.500.000 inmates in US are federal prisoners, the rest is state or local, a majority of those entities (states / counties) are way smaller the 10m people.
Love love LOVE this comment. Thank you 🙏
To compare a country to a state/county isn't really fair tho
@@MarcusGPG Most states in America though are the size of countries in Europe (Sweden is about 11% larger than California in landmass, of course California has a population that is almost 4 times larger than Sweden's though), and I would assume that most of those states produce money, goods, etc, that is on the same scale as countries in Europe. Granted, states are not as independent as actual countries, but as far as I know they do have a very considerable level of independence from the the nation as a whole, that can do almost what ever they wish (within a certain set's of rules at least I guess), otherwise each states laws and regulations and all that would not be as different as they.
But... I can't say that I know enough about all of those things when it comes to USA to make an actual judgment call on how they would compare to nations in Europe. Mostly because I do not live there after all, being a Swede and all... and of course because I have not studied it, and my "research" only consists of googling around for half an hour or so when writing this... so take all of what I have said with a huge grain of salt (like a grain of salt the size of a rock or something... XD ).
It just sort of makes sense to me that at least some states in America would be in a lot of ways the same as some nations in Europe when comes to certain things, like the ability to decide how their prison system works and all that.
@@MarcusGPG Why not? Dosent the diffrent US states have there own laws that govern them and there own prison time for these diffrent crimes. If u are charged on a federal lvl that may change. But isent that why lawyers need certifications in the diffrent states to practise law becouse there laws are diffrent.
Justice doesn't mean revenge. People tend to mix them up. I see it this way: It's a greater success if a criminal reaches out to his victims to ask for forgiveness and tell them he is now drug free, attending therapy, getting an education and dreaming of starting a new honorable life, than if he comes out still a broken man, ready to traumatise more people. With pure punishment there are no winners, it's a hopeless downward spiral doomed to end in the drain.
what about your views on individuals who cause murders or mass murders. will have the same opinions like the views you have on petty criminals like drug dealers?
@@ismaela.6973 there's never a simple answer to a complicated question, so I think there always have to be an individual evaluation of each prisoner. Some people simply enjoy hurting others and are probably not susceptible for rehabilitation. Those we should keep locked up forever if there's no progress in the programs. It's still not about revenge though, it's a matter of protecting the general public from society's most dangerous citizens. However, I believe the psychopaths are a minority even among murderers. Overall I see the amount of people locked up in jail as a pretty good barometer of the health of a society. Incarceration rates are generally very low in wealthy countries with good social security systems, free education, free healthcare, et c. I believe most criminals aren't born evil, they're normal people who have been put through a lot of unfortunate events such as growing up in poverty and/or abuse. It's primarly those people I'm talking about, as I think most of them will choose a better lifestyle if taught how and given the chance. If the majority of prisoners comes back to be locked up again, it's a sign of failure for the whole system, both prisons and society.
@@ismaela.6973 We're talking about American, a country which imprisons more people than any society which has ever existed. The mass murders, and others of that variety represent *maybe* 0.00001% of the prison population.
@@carlkolthoff5402 Sure it's a matter of revenge. It's actually one of the primary reasons prisons exist. It's better that the government takes care of justice than some angry mob. but If the government stop punishing criminals you can be sure that the angry mob eventually will come back. Imagine some psycopath had raped someone you love till death. If that person got away with a few years in prison? People would loose faith in the criminal justice system and start taking care of it by them self.
And yes people are born evil. May i recommend the book "Ordinary men" on the topic. It's surely something to think about.
I love Sweden for SO many reasons! This is one of them tho a problem I say.. the prisoners get treated better then the elders..
Å det daltas med ruttna ägg som Anders Eklund...😬😤
I would say that's on the municipalities for not prioritizing the elderly. Not on a national agency like Kriminalvården.
Finland litle better🇫🇮🇸🇪
@@Who_is_Toast In 2020 (1 January to 15 December), 44 people were registered as dead as a result of gun violence in Sweden. In recent years, we have seen an increase in the use of firearms, but homicides and killings related to the population have not increased in the past 250 years.
Om du tycker att äldre i Sverige missbehandlas så tror jag att du inte vill se hur de behandlas i USA. Tycker vi borde uppskatta äldreomsorgen nu mer än någonsin sedan corona brast ut.
jag hoppas att alla som ser denna kommentar har en bra dag:)
Jag har sett den ;)
When the corprotocracy is treated better than breathing humans, and the business of prisons has goals to make the quarterly report show a profit, we get the current American system. People are a means to an end for them, not human beings to be rehabilitated or seen as valuable lesson for being human in any way.
Well, some people can't be rehabilitated and should never be given a second chance after the depraved crime that they have committed. Some belong behind bars forever or ought to receive the capital punishment to prevent recidivism.
Something that wasn't mentioned in this video is the fact that many criminal gangs and networks are abusing Sweden's weak judicial system for their own gain, because the police and law enforcement won't do a thing to deter or punish these criminals. The young are recruited en masse to criminal networks because the young receives even more lenient sentences. The rate of bombing in Sweden is equivalent to countries in civil war, it's unprecedented. The same applies to certain other categories of crime.
@@SerenityM54L2SAM5L5N1 An example of that is how gang members use minorities or younger members to commit more serious crimes because they know the punishment isnt that hard on them. I think the solution to all of this is to higher the number of stenced years at least for crimes such as murder/violence and rape. The rest can stay as it is.
In Sweden, “lifetime sentence” is a thing. However it doesn’t necessarily mean that the prisoner will be locked up for the rest of their lives. What it means is basically not knowing when you’re going to be released. Prisoners serving lifetime can apply for a release date but it can take multiple years before receiving it, since it all comes down to the outcome of the rehabilitation. This has been argued about a lot in Sweden, since many people consider it unethical locking people up not knowing for how long they will be held. Others say it can be ”good” because not knowing is a punishment in itself.
A lifetime prision i sweden is 20 years
Matteus Fredin That’s a common misunderstanding. Lifetime is not a determined period
@@matteus7691 Nope.
Lifetime in Sweden originally means that the prisoner does not know when he or she will get out. After 10 years the prisoner can apply for the right to have their sentence re-evaluated into a fixed-term sentence. If that's approved the sentence can not be shorter than 18 years. I think for this reason a lifetime sentence in Sweden is often misunderstood to last 18 years.
I thought it was 25 years.
One guy in the video talked about Sweden not having a drug problem and that made me laugh. In Sweden, we have the highest drug-related deaths per capita in the whole of EU thanks to our harsh and restrictive drug policy. Not treating them as sick people but as criminals. There is some things Sweden needs to improve on and this is one of many.
The worst thing with being in prison is still that you're locked up and can't move freely. It does help to have a playstation in your cell though I can imagine, or being able to get a college education for free.
And it makes time pass and not left the prisoners to constantly think about their shortcomings in life, which typically just spike the adrenaline levels and makes people a pain in the ass among other people.
Why should we coddle prisoners? PS4? They should be locked ina. Dark room to starve!
In my opinion, The problem with American prisons is that they mess offenders up even more. Causing them to recommit crimes when they’re back in society. Rehabilitation instead of punishment would drastically reduce the re-offender rate.
This. The stated purpose is "rehabilitation." But that isn't the purpose, clearly.
Hello. I agree when it comes to smaller crimes but when it comes to murder rape and other peoples getting their lives destroyed i would like to have more of your system. Hugs from Sweden.
@@martinericsson2055 even a rapist will eventually rejoin society. Even in the US. Longer sentences could however be appropriate. But that's on the judiciary not the prisons themselves
@@oddjonsson2815 thats what im talking about Jonsson. When a rapist would walk in my streets again he would not be able of any rapes no more and the package would be long gone. Mayby they even could have a choise a smäller sentence if they agreed to make them steril and so on. Here in sweden its a daycare with the prisonors im afraid. If you got the time so look at our prisons on youtube and you will understand what i mean. Take care and good luck with your new Head in cheif..
I was waiting for that topic, very interesting, thank you !
My pleasure!
Something in between the Swedish system, and the American would probably be good. The US system is to hard, and the Swedish system is to soft.
Like for instance, there was a guy who stabbed a 17 year old to death at a school in 2017, he didn´t get a prison sentence, but was place in a mental ward instead. That´s fine, but then they let him go out on walks in the neighborhoods, with just one care taker (no guns, of course, no tazers, no electronic ankle bracelet) so this guy could just run away and stay away. And then stab a father of 7 to death by an ATM.
It´s one thing to rehabilitate prisoners, I think that is good, but I don´t think they should be out and about, so they can just run away. There I think our system is a bit naive, and thinks the best of everyone, without considering the huge risks.
In Nordic countries the punishment is just the prison and prison only. It does not include any kind of bad treatment or bad circumstances. Some may think the worse the punishment the less the amount of criminality but it doesn't work that way: an average criminal is not clever enough to think that far.
I just have to say that you are amazing at speaking Swedish, your progress is insane! Learning a new language is hard and I love to see your development, you’re really inspiring :)
Wow! Wasn't expecting this. Interesting video, Stefan :)
Thanks! Glad you liked it :)
You should not compare Sweden with the whole USA but with individual states. Compare with Ohio, Michigan or Georgia that has a similar population as Sweden. Isn't it true that the criminal justice system is run by the individual states? I think it's a bad excuse to say the US is too big to have a similar justice- and prison system as the Nordic countries.
Just looked at the first two links on google and was really amazed. Just shows how us Swedes look at USA as a big chunk.
Prisons are federally-run.
@@WestCountryGurl OK, thanks.
There are state prisons *and* federal prisons in the US. So some are state-run and some are run by the US Government.
@@WestCountryGurl Not accurate. There are state-run prisons and federal prisons. If you broke state laws, you go to state prison. Federal laws, federal prisons.
If you call a person "an element" instead of a person - well then isn't it given what the outcome will be? HE FREAKIN SAID CRIMINAL ELEMENTS LIKE IT WAS NORMAL TO CALL A HUMAN THAT! I'm in shock. Yes, different thinking here in Sweden....
If you treat people like scum , they are likely to act like scum. That goes for both inside and outside the prison. Hurt people hurt people. What Scandinavia understands is that the circle of shame and violence must be broken or it just keeps going.
And the Swedish prisoner can vote in the elections 😊
Makes sense when the terms are shorter and their life will be affected when they get out.
@@StefanThyron
Millions of ex convicts in the US has been stripped from their voting rights, it's not just those that are incarcerated that can't vote, loads of people who have served their time aren't allowed to vote either.
@@StefanThyron So the time in prison dictate if they're sound enough to vote? Interesting.
@@StefanThyron - No, actually, its a demacratis thing, we are ALL members of Sweden, not only the wealthy. Even homeless can vote here, because if you are Swedish you get to vote.
@@StefanThyron The reason for no vote, is racism , the idea was first that only none white couldn't vote if being convicted. That why crimes that used to be seen as crimes mostly committed by none whites has harder sentence then crimes that are seen as white people crimes. In some states, you will serve a longer time for using marijuana ( none white crime) then using cocaine ( white crime). So you loose your right to vote for jaywalking ( yes if convicted, you have no longer the right to vote) and that doesn't seam fair.
In the US you are also sentenced cumulatively, whereas in Scandinavia you are sentenced by the crime that gives the longest sentence, which is why you can get several lifetimes in the US but not in for example Sweden where a life sentence don't have a set time but a minimum of 10 years, after which you can apply to be evaluated for a release date. The average life sentence is 16 years with the longest being Sten-Erik Eriksson sentenced in 1967 for rape and murder who died in prison in 2017 (having escaped briefly in 2010 though) he was in prison for 66 years.
As someone who did four months in my youth I can only agree, the prison system in sweden is very humane, not forced prison labour like in the US. In Swedish prisons you get paid for working.
In prisons in the US, you get paid, but it's like 5 cents an hour or something totally absurd. That needs to change.
Great video topic, Stefan!
It's crazy to try to cover an immensely complex subject like this in a five minute video... 🙄
But I definitely think you're wrong at the end... If you want to see how NOT to handle the prison system, the US is the best example... The for profit jails/prisons, the bail system, the way they allow gangs to run the prisons... The list goes on and on!
The US prison system is something every single American should be ashamed of!! It's horrid!!
Over half of Americans are ashamed of it. Some of us are working on it but we aren't in power.
But it’s better with 5 minutes than nothing 😄 and I think the approach of explaining the positives with our system here in Sweden is better than telling Americans they should be ashamed (which many seem to be anyway). Quite in line with the “Re-educating instead of punishing” theme 😃
@@Migul011
The only Americans that are open to learning about our prison system are the ones that are already ashamed of their own system. 😜
Finland built an American inspired prison 150 years ago. It was closed down in 1993 and is now used as a museum to show people how bad prisons used to be. Most American prisons still look like the one we use as a bad example in the Nordics.
Theres no way they can control the prison gangs. What are you going to do with a prison gang member? Put him in prison? 😂
SHU programs obviously do not work either since segregated prison gangs tend to recruit new gangs who are in the yards to do the work for them. For example the Aryan Brotherhood was once not segregated and when they were they made other white gangs (PEN1, NLR etc) push their politics on the prison yards for them.
Same thing happened with the Mexican Mafia who controls all sureños and the Nuestra Familia who control all norteños.
You should really watch the docuseries "The Nordic". I'm sure you'll find them super interesting!
I'm in Sweden. Just wanted to say that a few months ago I had a phone call from a guy. He told me he's in prison for murder and when he was out on a break, he'd spoken to me. The day after he'd looked for me and asked people for my phone number. They gave him my number. He called me up and wants to be friends. I mean, he's in prison for murder and also he's a schizophrenic. It's not his fault, but the system in Sweden is a danger to people!!
When someone has committed a crime, something has gone wrong in their life. For society and that individual, it is best if you can fix the reason why they have ended up so wrong in life so they can become part of society again.
If there is no hope for the individual, you create a very dangerous person who will continue to commit crimes and create even more suffering for everyone at very high costs to society both socially and financially.
Something that can feel unfair, however, is that the victim may not get the feeling of fairness he wants (an eye for an eye). But maybe a rehabilitated person is better than one who creates new victims?
2 wrongs does not make 1 right. Childish thinking.
If there is no hope for the individual, which there often isn't, you will release this monster back into society to continue doing harm with Sweden's short sentences.
Now that is not only unfair, it's morally outrageous.
Childish thinking is thinking 2 years in a hotel is a good punishment for a rapist.
@@karllandegren9727 Have you or anyone close to you ever been in a prison? Dont compare Swedish class 3 summercamps to actual class 1 prisons.
@@karllandegren9727 It is 2 years with psychologists, education and therapy. In Sweden, 2% of those convicted of sexual offenses relapse. The same number in the United States is 17% (almost every fifth person that is released)
Edit: No one likes criminals, murderers or rapist and i understands that it is difficult to feel empathy for them.
@@Bogus666. the prisoners in sweden do have to much privilege in the prison, of course the class 1 is more harsh but not enough. They get better food in their than our elders, it's bad. But that is not the first thing that needs to be fixed, it is the sentences. I know a friend of mine who was sexually assaulted from the age of 2 to 5 and the guy that did it only got 4 years, was out after 2. It is freaking sick
Älskar verkligen dina videor!
Tack!! :)
@@StefanThyron :)
I saw a film -in the cinema- about architecture, and a Norway prison was featured. Because of it's architecture!
For crimes that are not absolutly horrendous, I think the swedish way is the way to go. For some crimes I do think that you should be put away for life or be excecuted though. I still don't think that the prisoners should suffer unnecessarily even if they are serving life sentences. It's important to seperate the ones that poses a threat towards other prisoners from the other ones. They might have to be with eachother in a more high security setting with less privileges.
The way many of the state prisons in the US works is just horrible to say the least. People feel the need to join gangs and do horrible things themselves just to have some protection. And the fact that man on man rape going on in a lot of prisons is just accepted somehow, even though the US constitution forbids cruel and unusual punishments, is just outrageous.
Interesting video. I think the part about treating prisoners like people who have the chance to change is really important. Too many people treat offenders as no-hopers and write them off for the rest of the time. The point about Sweden being a far smaller country is an important one though.
Kul att se dig på din resa i Sverige!
Glad att du tycker det är kul :)
Beautiful video. Can you do one with more specific, for example what tools are they using to rehabilitate people. I just finished a class for my clinical social worker and I am aware of the big problem that we have here in the States. Also economic problem beside a social one.
A really interesting documentary about the American prison system is a film called "13th"
It's an absolutely heartbreaking documentary... 😭
I hated the American prison system before I watched it, but after I simply loathe it with every fiber of my body... 🤬
It's such a great documentary! Heart breaking and makes you so angry 😡 What an inhumane, racist system based on a culture of violence and revenge.
The country is to big!! We can't do it here!! That's BS.. This is what I hear in many cases. How abour Montana? Still to big?
And everyone in the US can carry a gun and it's not illegal.
Tack för intressant video!
Har en annan fråga. Hör du skillnad på olika svenska dialekter? Kan du höra om en person är från typ Norrköping, Skåne eller Stockholm?
Jag var en utbyttesstudent nastan 20 ar sen, och jag kunde se skillnad pa svenska dialekter efter jag borte dar efter flera manader och min egan svanska blev bettre (sorry if my Swedish is bad, but I'm trying! Yes, accents become obvious after you have lived there for a while and your own Swedish improves. I learnt Swedish in Stockholm, but when I visited Malmo and the southern areas, I could definitely tell that it sounded different to what i was used to). We'll let Stefan answer that Q personally, but from another person who's lived in Sweden for a reasonably long time! ;)
@@SarahCreelman Intressant! Tack för utförligt svar!
Jag bor med en kille som försöker lära sig svenska nu så började fundera på hur svårt det är. Jag hör ju iaf till viss del skillnad på olika dialekter på engelska. Men lärde mig ju engelska redan som liten plus att man som svensk hela tiden exponeras för det engelska och engelskspråkig kultur.
Gissar det är lite svårare när man är äldre.
@@barbapappa1677 Absolut. Jag var 19 ar nar jag borde i Sverige, sa det var svart....ocksa nar alla kan talar nastan perfekt Engelska (jag var i Stockholm), det bli lite svårare! Man kan inte ova sa ofta! (Tack for svar!)
Great video, I just want to say that of course serious criminal acts should be punished by society (therefore prisons), but being in prison is punishment enough, so if you are sent to prison, even a humane one, you are being punished. That said, it is not a bad thing if you at the same time gets rehabilitated, educated and helped to become a better self.
I think a big part of the success of rehabilitation is the respect they give to each person.
I work at a maximum security prison in Sweden :)
Scandanavian prisons are divided into open prisons and closed prisons. Closed prisons are more like American prisons, but even then they're better. Even the closed prisons have decent food, proper HVAC, not overcrowded, and the cells still have some privacy. But they are still required to wear prison uniforms, have fewer privileges than inmates in the open prisons like Halden. Open prisons are for first time offenders, those who are only serving minor sentences, or inmates from closed prisons promoted for good behavior. Bastøy is the best of the lot, being essentially a small town on an island. Inmates there may be assigned an apartment or even a house, but in turn have to be entirely responsible for feeding themselves: agriculture and animal husbandry supplies almost all the food in Bastøy. This has the effect of teaching inmates how to be good citizens, thrusting them into a situation where they have to work together to feed each other.
Not only Scandinavian I saw a video on Netflix.. The German prison / facilities are pretty great too.
Interesting and so true in the main though I’m not sure that the number of prisoners is decreasing in Sweden. They are extending a few prisons here in Sweden to house more.
True, but they're still way under the US by comparison!
@@StefanThyron so true. Have you seen Michael Moore’s film about Norwegian prisons?
@@StefanThyron That might be true, but consider society as a whole with all the gang shootings, and the grenade attacks (Sweden is now worst than Colombia) Sweden looks more like Southside Chicago.
Du har ju varit i Sverige i några år nu och jag undrar hur mycket av den svenska kulturen du tagit del av. Jag antar att du har ätit en hel del svensk mat vid det här laget och den svenska skolan har du ju redan sett. Men har du till exempel sett några Astrid Lindgren filmer eller tagit del av den svenska musikskatten (både nya men framförallt den gamla)?
Det finns definitivt grejer som jag har inte upplevt! Gaps in my culture knowledge so to speak
@@StefanThyron Jag personligen tycker det vore intressant med en reaction-serie där du tittar på sånt eller gör typ en bucketlist med typiskt svenska saker som en riktig svensk. :)
@@StefanThyron Ingmar Bergman
you can do both usa could still punish but also put more resources on rehabilitation
I think the swedish system is better, BUT it's not perfect. Violence and murder must be seen as more serious. It should be possible to send someone to prison without the possibility of parole. Here in Sweden people sentenced to life will always have the option to try and get the punishment converted to a limited time. Of course, the court can decide to refuse the application, but there will always be a risk of them getting released. And of course that is very stressful, both for the society and the victims family.
The saddest part about this is that people will still look att you differently when you've been to prison even tho you have been rehabilitated...
"Saddest part"? I mean, can you seriously blame them? Many criminal felons cannot be trusted and do usually occupy traits that a normal person is skeptical towards. Sweden has a huge issue with lenient policy and acceptance towards crime, which is why we're in a tough mess on several different fronts. Something that the average swede (as per usual) is turning a blind eye towards.
Our state funded television makes documentaries about gang members. Journalists constantly idealizes felons and rappers with a depraved history. Our prisons is basically like a hotel, which attracts bad people. The crime rate is increasing, and we all (realistically, if people seriously and independently think about it) know why.
@@SerenityM54L2SAM5L5N1 tbh your comment is way to much to take in for me i just meant for those who really want to change their life..
I think it's pretty obvious that there is a right way considering one treats prisoners with basic respect as humans and doesn't strip them of so many basic needs.
Swedish inmates also have access to free education etc in prison. My guess is that does make a difference as well... 🤷
As a swede I call BS on declining prison population since jails are full they need to build more. Been on and off the news this last year. We also have sentence discounts which is also BS and youth discounts that usually makes punishments laughable. The cost of our prisons are several times the cost of other european countries and not long term viable. In some cases you have a better life as an inmate than a pensioner who worked his whole life. Regarding recidivists I have no statistics but considering all the failed projects the swedish police have tried these last few years I'd be brave and call BS on that too.
TBH I wish we stopped cuddling criminals.
I see, victims are hurt twice, by the criminal and by the system.
There is a punishment component to prisons in Sweden too in that it should be a deterrent to crime and should give the victim some relief in feeling both that the perpetrator is locked away and that they are being punished. From a societal perspective the rehab is most important for the reasons you state. We are all constituents of the society and how we treat others within the group will have an effect: the more violent the polices gets the worse the criminals violence get - and vice versa. Therein lies the problem. When the violence escalates from the criminals side a society should find ways to reverse that, but it's much easier to respond with violence. Sweden has this problem too, but has been more successful - so far - in combating it, but violence is rising fast among young people in the cities, so it is very much an ongoing struggle.
I think it depends on what crime you committed. For example, Chris Watts. In my eyes, he's a monster. I just can't see him getting rehab and getting out at all. But if you are in for drugs or something similar, yes, rehab can work. Not on all people though.
Same with a guy like Anders Behring Breivik in Norway. I think he is still a threat to society. I doubt he will ever get out.
@@StefanThyron He should really be in an American prison. Do you think they could re-open Alcatraz? Just kidding! I hope he'll never get out. He's a monster too.
Rape should be considered a very serious crime though! First time rapists get 6 months of prison time here in Sweden.. They should at least have 5 years imo.
@ Absolutely! And they should look at the rapists if they really are better after rehab if they can even be considered to be let out in the society at all. I think 5 years isn't enough. But that's my opinion.
Here in Florida. If you did a felony, and had a gun with you (even if you did not use it). Then you get 25 year in jail!
I understand that it's a fairly complex topic seeing as the line between federal and state territory isn't always that clear and it very much depends on whether you are comparing Sweden to USA as a country or between individual states. USA as a whole is in almost every aspect wa-ay bigger than Sweden and therefore not very well suited for a balanced comparison, but most of the individual states could work somewhat better as they're more in range - and seeing as these states have a fairly high level of autonomy, to me it makes more sense to do so. If something works in Sweden, or in any of the other Scandinavian countries, it doesn't necessarily mean it must in the US, especially since it's most likely not a simple question of one or two things being different but rather a complex network of different attitudes and practices that make up a different whole with different outcomes. On a state level, though, I generally don't see why the prison system couldn't be reformed to be more in line with the rehabilitating variety found here, and there is nothing to suggest that what inmates in the US want is in nature any different from what they would want here. Most likely what anyone wants is a stable life; a home, food, a job you enjoy, money in enough quantity to ensure you don't have to struggle to make ends meet, a place in society that you don't have to fear will be taken away, and so on. I don't think inmates in the US are any different in that regard, but not having that stability in society means they have to get that by other means and that's where you end up with gangs and a life of crime. Naturally, there are the odds that for some reason or other choose that life even though they have other options, but I hardly think they're in the majority. I short; I do think that Thomas Hobbes was right when he said that in everyone's war on everyone else that life will be "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short" but I don't think he grasped that a society that doesn't care for those who stray will eventually foster an arena for which the state of nature applies. Tribalism thrives in distrust, and a distrust in society is the most surefire way to sow the seeds of anarchy, and in anarchy the state of nature applies. That's my perspective.
I am a Swede, born and raised in Spain with 11 years in the UK. All I can say about this it that if I was in prison, I would ask for a laptop with music software.
As for the way we handle serious people like that Norwegian (restraining myself) person, I don't think that the maximum sentence is enough for him.
Sure, If you deal in drugs or maybe rob something, you can come back. But that guy? I will reserve my opinions here even though you understand.
Har du svenskt medborgarskap nu?
the funny thing is that the prison system of Scandinavia is actually american system from the beginning. the founding fathers wrote it.
The Eighth Amendment (1791) no cruel and unusual punishments
Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can and should be, and he will become as he can and should be. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
That American guard, did he provide sources? A close relative of mine works the highest security part of the most secure prison in Sweden. This relative works with killers and says that the separation from society and adherence to the strict rules and schedule of the prison is punishment enough. Why then torment further? How old was the clip with the American guard? We have gangs and drugs. Someone close to me got stabbed at a party. How would a smaller population prevent anything and how does our mindsets differ?
I think you might like this channel th-cam.com/users/JohnStarkYLEvideos :) The videos are a few years old but still highlight the differences between the Nordic counties and the US.
Har usa någon motsvarighet till typ flashback eller är de mer bara facebook?
In sweden we have classes from a to d this i a D class i think ,you probely have diffrent classes in USA to
I think you can dig a bit deeper into this topic and you will find a lot of similarities between the crime violence, and you will see what actually makes USA so different in their approach. We read a lot about this at the university and this is just scratching the surface 😅
True this could have warranted a 20 minute video, but I think I was at least able to sum up some general ideas in each country.
@@StefanThyron and it was a good one!
Swedish prison are like a nice vacation hahaha. Yeah i been to one for only 6 months but it was good. Good food, good training rooms, pooltable, tv and playstation in the room etc.
Btw live long in in some EU countries and USA does not mean the same
yes American citizen/American prisoners think different compared to Swedish people/prisoners. But i think if prisoners' treatment has a big affect too
If you are shoplifting 3 times in the USA and cached each time, in some states that can give you lifelong in prisson - you can not in Sweden. So there is no huge difference between murder or shoplifting, giving some problems. It showed in some tests in the USA that if shoplifters would stand 12 hours in front of a store with a sign saying " i shoplifted in this store", the chance shoplifters would do it again is much smaller compared to a trip behind bars
Another problem is that some states most prisons are privately run companies. So its in the interest of state and prison to keep a high number of prisoners . One of the reasons why there are much more prisoners in the USA (650 per 100.000 (2020)) compared to the EU (111 per 100.000 (2018)). As far as I know more people live in the EU (including UK) compared to the USA
So if there were an interest in the USA to have fewer inmates, there would be many ways you could do so
A large part of the difference comes from perspective on morals and politics. Sweden is a country with a long history of being run by a social democratic party. That means they have a point of view that everyone is equal and that criminals have been seen not as morally corrupted but as being victims of circumstances and should be rehabilitated. Furthermore they have had a higher focus on the effect that crime and the criminal system has on society as a whole rather than looking at the individual criminal. The USA on the other hand have had a higher focus on the individual and consider punishment for criminal behaviour being something that has value in and of itself not only an instrumental value if it causes less problems in society.
Add the fact that you have smaller social economical differences and a higher level of welfare in Sweden leads to less situations where an individual feels forced to break the rules to keep up with the rest of society (note that what is perceived as options and what is actually achievable is not always the same thing).
Now one could blame the American system for being ineffective or the Swedish system for being morally flawed but that's just a matter of opinion :)
Stefan, you missed one critical point about American prisons and that is that much of our prison system, just like our healthcare system, are consider more of a 'profit center' than something for the public good. Things that provide for the public good should not be viewed as an 'emerging market' to expand into. Hey, if you have a big prison, you have to keep that place full or the shareholders will start getting uppity.
For me as a swed I feel that if someone has commited a crime like rape or murder then you should not be able to get back out to society. You've used your "free life". Sweden has very poor sentences for crimes in general.
One theory would be that the way the US prision system is causes inmate on inmate violence not that they prisions are they way they are because of inmate on inmate violence.
Sweden is not so big as the US, so it's easier.
China: Hold my beer 🍺
And you think China has more humane prison systems or justice system than America?
You should look into that man!
Fast det jämförs statiskt, hur många på 100 k som sitter inne i Sverige vs Amerika.
@@linasundqvist5621 Ah ok bror, men nu snackade vi om Kina vs. USA, och du verkar då tro att Kina redovisar ärligt sina justitiesiffror? Eller låter journalister besöka dess fängelser? Jag har bott i Kina och USA och om det är nått jag kan lova dig så är det att USA's justitiesystem är himmelriket jämfört med Kinas.
Read a book ffs.
Sweden focuses more on rehab and USA is focusing on punishment
I think that a lot of the violence in US prisons comes from prisoners being in a position where they have to give it their all just to survive. I feel like giving inmates enough toilet paper, hygiene products and letting them keep more than a few family pictures wouldn't breed more violence.
I recommend everyone to watch Jessica Kent and Christina Randall to get some insight into the US prison system. They've both experienced what it's like to be an inmate and talk about what prison is like for the COs as well (with CO guests of course).
American justice system and system of imprisonment is horrid. Overcrowded prisons, underfunded prisons, for profit prisons? And so on. If you weren't a bad guy when you go in, you probably will be one when you get out. Why do so many Americans (almost 10-fold) land in prison??
This!!
Moms need to learn some things like take away the things taht makes me happy / computer yes perfect sens
Well, right or wrong? I would say bad or worse. No matter what. Most prisoners do join society after sentence. Have they learned anything? At least the most have learned (experienced) that they are as important as anyone. That by the way they are treated.
I seen this one bro
In America we are trained from birth to be psychotic....and it is getting to me, I have to get out before I lose my sanity completely.
So ASAP Rocky was really living the life in a Swedish prison
The biggest problem in the us is the crappy conditions for people on the bottom of society. The us has to start with people at the bottom, paying them more. More pay and better living conditions means less need for burgleries, violence etc. It would leed to a more peaceful society and less people in prison.
A heads up I have been watching your source infographics show on subjects I'm very knowledge about and have found a lot of fact errors. They seen to do a bad fact checking SOMETIMES
It’s a matter of justice vs mercy. Americans tend to value justice over mercy, while in Scandinavia it’s more common to value mercy over justice.
Stefan, here is something else to consider. You said that it may not work here in the US because we are so big. There is a lot to say here, but let's start with this idea. Take a look at a map of the US and then ask yourself, "Where did all the Nordics move to from 1840 to 1920?" Now ask yourself, "What parts of the country have the most citizen centered attitudes and policies?" Yep, they are pretty much the same; the Pacific coast states, upper Midwest and the NE part of the country. Now, if you look at Sweden you will find that California is slightly smaller in area than Sweden and Oregon and Washington combined are slightly bigger than Sweden. Both California and Oregon/Washington work well when left to their own agendas and the federal government backs off a bit. We could work these issues out. Kate Brown, Oregon's governor, just passed legislation to remove 'for profit' prisons from Oregon. I think Jay Inslee, Washington's governor, is right behind Kate on passing this as well. I have not heard what Gavin Newsom is doing in California. We need to stop repeating what we have been told for so long. You're doing a great job with your vlog. I bought my property just north of Hudiksvall and will be coming over as soon as I get the residency permit for a business owner. One of these times we may get a chance to speak in person. Hej då på nu.
I don't think Swedish prisons actually do much rehabilitation (counselling etc.) except by being more humane places than US prisons.
However states are quite independent there so the argument about larger country doesn’t work.
Are prisons in Usa all federal?
Re!ember we have mandatory sentences in America to keep feeding the meat grinder.
🤔 interesting...jag såg nyligen en samhällskritik kanal ”second thought” som granskar/(diskuterar) diverse tunga ämnen inom det amerikanska samhället. Kan rekommenderas...samt att kolla på Last week tonight with John Oliver
John Oliver is great! Kollade på honom när jag hade HBO samt fortforande ibland på TH-cam.
When I was in school (kindergarten to gymnasium), the inmates in all prisons (Sweden) got better food than most schools around the country. Now it’s almost ten years since I left school behind, but as far as I know; it’s the same. I also know a few people who have been in jail just to have a “better” life for a while.
Well I worked in two Swedish schools and the food was great with both! I guess it's hit and miss with schools and prisons haha
@@StefanThyron Jag tror bara det handlar om att man är kräsen som barn i skolan, när man växer upp så är man mer tacksam för maten man får i skolan.
@@Patrizio99 8kr per portion och sällan ens det? Inte alltid kräsen... Min skolmat var riktigt god, men någon vidare kvalitet var det aldrig. Färdiglagat och färdiglagat hela tiden.
It is a way to keep prisons safer. If they get ok food people in prison will be in a better mood and less motivated to make trouble for the guards or other inmates.
@@hanszickerman8051 lol how motivated will the kids be to learn things in school and not become criminals? "Prevent them from hurting themselves, not put bandages on the already open wounds..."
So, how prisons work is a symptom on what kind of socity you have. Less educated are more criminal, of course. So free education is the KEY to having our (SWE) kind of socity. If you can support yourself legally, people choose to do so. And thus you get fewer criminals and also a better prison.
'no right way or wrong way' - you sir are luke warm. I speak for myself, who includes Nordic prisons in a manifesto, America badly needs to emulate.
Found this on the web: “Sweden is approximately 450,295 sq km, while United States is approximately 9,833,517 sq km, making United States 2084% larger than Sweden. Meanwhile, the population of Sweden is ~10.2 million people (322.4 million more people live in United States).”
So The US is 20 times larger in area. But 32 times larger population.
Did stefan gain some weight??
Dang, my dad got it goood
I thought swedens prison population is increasing even though our sentences are disgustingly low?
You're absolutely correct. Misleading information in the video.
It really is interesting and to a degree I think the prison guard from America is right, there are a different mindset to criminals in America but then we can ask the question why is that? Why are they much worse and a far larger number of criminals in America? Poverty is a big answer for me. If you feel you are living a good life and have enough money for food and rent and medicin, the basic human needs, then your wish to do crime drops. There is the focus on success and money in America that contributes as well, at least in my view, money is everything in the US.
Hej hur mår du
Tja! Det är bra :)
Möjligtvis tanter 70+ hahahaha
That's it, I wanna live my life in a Swedish prison.