The Danish prison system: Open prison : 1300 prisoners, Closed prisons: 900 prisoners, Local...

Sport and Prison

an example from a Danish prison.

The Danish prison system: Open prison : 1300 prisoners, Closed prisons: 900 prisoners, Local gaols, primarily persons in custody: 1800 prisoners: Total number: 4000.(cap. Utilisation rate 98%) Staff in institutions: 3800 (3000 uniformed staff). 20 % are sentenced for violence, 19% narcotics, 13% robbery,14% theft . 33% of prison population has been placed outside home until the age of

18, 68% have only basic school, 7% have been mentally ill within the latest year. 37% have relapsed into new crime within 2 years of their release or following a suspended sentence.

Kærshovedgaard

129 open places – mostly for short term prisoners (max. 3-4 months.) Annual number of prisoners 1500. Escapes 5-8 in average – 87 escapes totally in 2012.(None escapes from closed prisons).Staff: 85 ,

Occupation with production activities, under treatment programs or education,Sports and other daily life activities ?, Why?

Kosmos=Food,exercise,teamspirit.

K. is a possibility to change your way of life outside prison.”We weight relations, exercise and being together. You will meet committed, broadminded and competent staff, who will meet you with respect and curiosity”.

Kosmos:You must sign a contract: You must participate actively in exercise and sport and other activities(cooking, cleaning, etc.)- being socially minded. Your condition will be measured(cooper test) and it is our goal that you improve your condition.

Activities

Daily life:

Act.

What matters?

It´s all about relations (Liebling), “relationships between prisoners and prison officers are critical to the qualitive of prisoners lives”.

Key dimensions of prison life – relationship dimensions:Respect, humanity, relationships, trust ,fairness and support. “Dynamic security”, “This involves devising active regimes for “healthy prisons for prisoners in which prison officers are positively involved with prisoners in the delivery of programmes ..between which prisoners may exercise of degree of responsible choice”.

The value adhered to by danish system is “The Art of Balancing a Strict and a Soft Approach”.

An illustration

Upper bar

Lower bar

!

The dilemmas :

Security and order,

Staff-support,

Management,

Do we have evidence?

Public opinion?

A quotation:

“I think it was W.C.Fileds who said – to be a humorist must be the saddest thing to be. I think it must be even more sad to be a criminologist.” (Mr.Wiliam Rentzmann, former Director General).