PRISON WITHOUT WALLS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 15 April 1939, Page 4

PRISON WITHOUT WALLS

ONLY ONE ESCAPE MADE IN 18 YEARS. UNUSUAL SWEDISH COLONY. Only one prisoner has absconded from the Singeshult prison, in Sweden, since it was started 18 years ago, although it has neither walls nor barred windows. The Singeshult prison colony is an unique institution. The world lies so demonstratively open to the prisoners that there is not even a fence around the estate. When the institution was started in 1920, many old prison administrators shook their heads and prophesied failure. Labour colonies for prisons were to be found abroad, but in all of them the prisoners were subject to strict supervision.

At Singeshult. on the other hand, prisoners were permitted to move freely about on the colony estate. By showing that it trusted them the administration aimed at building up a “moral wall,”’ relying entirely on the honour of the inmates to prevent them from crossing. This, has proved to be no miscalculation, for only one prisoner out of the 600 who have been taken care of at this colony has absconded, and he was an incurable tramp. Only first-offenders are sent to Singeshult, and those selected'shall first have served at.least six months in an ordinary prison and there shown good behaviour. The selected prisoners undergo an intermediate trial period at another prison institution, and if they show themselves suitable, they are sent to Singeshult on the understanding that they may eventually be released on probation or pardoned. This line has been folowed with most of the inmates, and not one has hitherto forfeited his probational release. The prisoners are, of course, supervised to a certain extent, but the policemen employed at the institution serve more as foremen in the work done on the estate than as warders. The colonists may not leave the estate without control and the doors must be locked and lights put out at a fixed time every, night. There are, however, no bars before the windows, and there is nothing but the honour of the inmates to prevent them from jumping out of the window and fleeing to the woods in the environs. The inmates of the Singeshult prison colony employ their leisure time like the members of any ordinary farm family. In the evening they read, listen to the radio, or write. Sport, particularly football, is also highly appreciated, especially among the younger men in the institution. Since the institution was commenced building after building has been erected on the estate by the prisoners, and all the buildings are painted in the same warm red colour as the farm buildings in the district.. Several unoccupied farmsteads have been purchased and incorporated with the original properties, and the area of the fields, which was originally about ten acres, now amounts to about 190 acres.