NCJ Number
188723
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 63 Issue: 2 Dated: April 2001 Pages: 170-171,173
Date Published
April 2001
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article on community sanctions in Sweden discusses probation as the key noncustodial sanction, the renewed vision for probation services, and the importance of values clarification.
Abstract
A basic concept in the Swedish sanctions system is to avoid imprisonment if at all possible; therefore, there is greater emphasis on placing offenders on probation. Volunteers are used to assist with and, in some cases, provide the supervision. They are responsible for ensuring that offenders meet the conditions placed upon them and for assisting with housing and securing employment. Additional programs include contact treatment, a means by which probation is combined with treatment; community service; intensive supervision with electronic monitoring; and conditional sentences, under which the penalty does not apply if the offender does not reoffend within a 2-year period. Given Sweden's reliance on probation as an alternative to incarceration, greater demand is placed on probation to achieve its objectives. This has led to the implementation of a "vision and values" initiative. This initiative involves the development of improved cooperation among prison and probation, as well as other criminal justice agencies; the provision of increased competence for staff in implementing the expanded decentralization of services; reduction in the gap between management and the operational levels; the fostering of teamwork in the agency; and the development of ways to improve the release system.