" Lönnqvist said Sweden was abandoning its belief in rehabilitation and becoming more focused on punishment and “locking people up”. The government and the Social Democrats were pandering to the far-right, she said.
“It’s quite terrifying that everything is happening without much debate around it,” she said. “We’re looking at basically mass incarceration like we have seen in the US and we know that it doesn’t work. We know it’s the opposite: it’s going to make things worse.”"
As an American it gives me chills that this lunacy is on the rise in a major way worldwide… Goddamn.
Svenske tilstand
I keep telling all these smug fuck euros that fascism isn’t just in the USA. That we are the testing ground for how much a government can do unchallenged while the citizens have loads of guns.
As a Swede it gives me chills as well. 😐🫣
They literally campaigned on a slogan saying that doubling the prison time would cut crime in half. Insanity.
Strong social support policies, sound, well-rounded education, good jobs cuts crime drastically, but then megacorporations and ultrawealthy can’t get richer of bodies and suffering.
The are talking about 600 prisoners in another EU country. This is still very very far away from US style mass incarceration. I mean in US we’re talking about Alligator Auschwitz now with people kept in tents without basic hygiene and with maggot infested food.
Yeah that’s how it starts. Each change is never a “big deal” until it’s suddenly a very big deal.
Those 600 prisoners are something like a tenth of their entire prison population though, imagine that in the us.
Considering the entire prison population was about 7,500 last year and they only have about 5,000 beds across all facilities… That’s a pretty large percentage.
And to add to that, from this specific article:
According to a recent Kriminalvården report, Sweden’s prison population could – in the most extreme scenario – grow from 7,800 this year to 41,000 in 2034 as a result of more punitive policies driven by the far right.
They’re looking at a 500% increase in the prison population within a decade because of the new policies. If that’s not a shift towards mass incarceration I’d like to know what your definition would be.
I guess you’re right. It is first step in the US direction. Obviously they will not be able to maintain same conditions in prisons with 500% increase so if they maintain this course over the next decade it will probably end up looking like US.
It’s really tragic and should serve as a lesson to everyone. This crisis is the result of many failed policies and problems ignored over couple of decades. The socialist parties are as much to blame for this as the right wingers and at this point I don’t think anyone has any idea how to solve it.
Is there any data on who they are (or plan to) imprisoning?
My guess is they don’t look like a typical Scandinavian.
They’re not comparing it to today’s US mass incarceration. They’re comparing it to the usual levels of it. Even before Alligator Auschwitz there were huge numbers of prisoners per capita. That’s what they’re talking about.
Australia… Give us your jailed masses?
