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Monday, April 26.1976
5
Prison problems cited by Amilon
Staff Writer
BvRITARIDDER
Prisons would be more humane and probably more effective if different programs and modern facilities were used, Clas Amillon, deputy chief of the United Nations Office of Crime Prevention, said Friday.
Amilion suggested that prisons be used mainly for dangerous and persistent offenders, that treatment programs within them be used, and that modern living conditions be provided.
About 15 people attended Amilon's speech on crime prevention and treatment of offenders, which was sponsored by the School of Social Welfare.
The main function of prisons, he said, should be rehabilitation rather than punish criminals. He said the punishment philosophy originated in the Scandinavian countries but was used differently from the system in the United States.
"IT IS CLEAR that society needs prisons, but the use of prisons should be reduced so they would be used for people who impose a real danger to society." Amlon said.
comparing the Swedish institution with Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary, which is one of the largest and most
Amilion said that the death penalty was abolished in Scandinavian countries 50 to 60 years ago, and that most criminologists said capital punishment was insignificant as a deterrent to crime. Amilion added that in countries where capital punishment had been used, it has not been in capital cases and gave his reason for abolishing capital punishment.
IN SWEDEN, the maximum prison sentence is 12 years, and the average prison sentence is 8 years. In a sentence for crimes such as first degree murder and espionage. If life sentence are usually converted to a set term of 14 years, and prisoners are paroled, they may go back to the community.
If an offender committed a second serious crime, he would be imprisoned for a maximum 12-year period, Amilion said, but sentence would never be longer than that.
the difficulty people of different social and cultural backgrounds had adjusting to
He also said the attitude toward firearms here differed from Europe's. In Sweden, he said, it is extremely difficult to get a license for fire arms and practically nobody has a gun.
AMILON SAID that Scandinavian institutions used a large number of laymen as volunteer parole supervisors, a practice which provided for a better understanding of prisoners and the treatment of them in society.
"There is no universal recipe to make the public more understanding, but it's best to involve, as much as possible, the man outside," Amlon said.
Social assistance in providing jobs for offenders and help in support their well-being, said their
However, a more liberal and humane prison system wouldn't be easily accomplished, he said. A public sense of common responsibility for treating offenders with care, and community programs involving offenders within the society are necessary.
AMILON DISCUSSED international guidelines and standards set up by the United Nations that had influenced correctional insti'ts all over the world. He also spoke about the International On Crime and Delinquency which meets every national and is comprised of experts on criminology from about 100 different countries.
Amillon has been on leave for the past two years in New York City working with the government and will return to the Department of Treatment and Security in Sweden this June.
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