An investigation into the needs of incarcerated women

The plan establishes that the justice system carries historical problems from class society and patriarchy and needs active, deliberate work to overcome them. Investigating the situation and needs of incarcerated women in a criminal justice system designed with men as the norm is precisely such work. The plan further requires that penalties be carefully designed so they do not worsen problems.

• reckoning with patriarchal justice systemdecisive»Rättsväsendet har historiska problem som kommer ur klassamhället, patriarkatet och rasistiskt tankegods och behöver ett aktivt och medvetet arbete för att lägga det bakom sig.« (party programme ↗)“The justice system has historical problems stemming from class society, patriarchy, and racist ideology and needs active and deliberate work to overcome them.”
• carefully considered penalties»Straff och andra påföljder för brott behöver vara noggrant utformade för att faktiskt leda till lägre brottslighet och inte förvärra problem.« (party programme ↗)“Punishment and other penalties for crime need to be carefully designed to actually lead to lower crime rates and not worsen problems.”
• knowledge about women in the justice system»ökad kunskap inom rättsväsendet om samtycke och om våld mot kvinnor och barn« (2022 manifesto ↗)“increased knowledge within the justice system about consent and violence against women and children”
• gender equality as a goal»Ojämställdheten har ett högt pris.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Gender inequality has a high price.”

The plan requires a well-resourced criminal justice system in public administration with a focus on rehabilitation and return to society, and it is explicitly feminist with the goal of abolishing the patriarchal order. An investigation of incarcerated women's situation and needs, in an operation that has been designed with men as the norm, follows from these two commitments. However, the plan does not specifically address women's conditions in prison.

• well-resourced criminal justicedecisive»Rustad kriminalvård i offentlig regi.« (party programme ↗)“Well-resourced criminal justice system in public administration.”
• feminist fundamental perspective»Som feministiskt parti hävdar socialdemokratin att ett jämlikt samhälle inte går att uppnå« (party programme ↗)“As a feminist party, Social Democracy asserts that an equal society cannot be achieved”
• rehabilitation and return»Fokus på rehabilitering och återgång i samhället.« (party programme ↗)“Focus on rehabilitation and return to society.”
• abolished patriarchal order»Avskaffad könsmaktsordning.« (party programme ↗)“Abolished patriarchal order.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan requires that the penal service has good conditions to work with rehabilitation and that all are equal before the law, while the party is explicitly feminist and wants to abolish discrimination based on gender. The fact that the penal service has been designed with men as the norm means that incarcerated women do not get equivalent conditions. An investigation into women's situation and needs is therefore a means for the plan's own commitments.

• rehabilitative criminal justicedecisive»Kriminalvården ska ha goda förutsättningar att arbeta« (party programme ↗)“The penal service must have good conditions to work”
• feminist party»Miljöpartiet är ett feministiskt parti« (party programme ↗)“The Greens is a feminist party”
• equality before the law»Alla ska vara lika inför lagen« (party programme ↗)“All must be equal before the law”
• abolish gender discrimination»Därför arbetar vi för att avskaffa alla former av diskriminering« (party programme ↗)“That is why we work to abolish all forms of discrimination”

The plan is explicitly feminist and requires that common systems are built so that women and men have equal opportunities, and that criminal policy helps those who have served their sentence move to a new situation without criminality. An investigation of incarcerated women's situation and needs, in a prison system designed with men as the norm, follows from that gender equality commitment. The content of the prison system is however not addressed in the plan.

• feminist foundationdecisive»Centerpartiet är ett feministiskt parti, som utmanar och bryter rådande maktförhållanden och kollektiva orättvisor.« (party programme ↗)“The Centre Party is a feminist party that challenges and breaks existing power relations and collective injustices.”
• the way out of criminality»Kriminalpolitiken ska därför både förebygga och avskräcka från brott, stödja brottsdrabbade och stimulera dem som har begått olagliga handlingar till en ny livssituation utan brottslighet.« (party programme ↗)“Criminal policy shall therefore both prevent and deter crime, support crime victims, and encourage those who have committed illegal acts to move to a new situation without criminality.”
• equal treatment»Kvinnor och män ska få lika bra vård. Det borde vara en självklarhet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Women and men should receive equally good care. This should be self-evident.”
• gender equality as priority»Vi ska bygga ett jämställt Sverige med möjligheter och rättvisa för alla.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We will build an equal Sweden with opportunities and justice for all.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The party programme requires that a gender-equality perspective be integrated into all relevant public decisions and that prisoners are offered work, treatment and education so they can manage a life in freedom after serving their sentence. The programme also shows that criminal care shall be adapted to groups' particular vulnerability, such as when LGBTQ competence shall be strengthened. An inquiry into imprisoned women's situation and needs thus lies in the plan's direction.

• gender-equality integrationdecisive»Ett jämställdhetsperspektiv ska integreras i alla relevanta offentliga beslut.« (party programme ↗)“A gender-equality perspective shall be integrated into all relevant public decisions.”
• equivalent criminal care»Intagna på fängelser ska erbjudas arbete, behandling och utbildning under strafftiden.« (party programme ↗)“Prisoners in prisons shall be offered work, treatment and education during their sentence.”
• adapted competence in criminal care»Hbtqi-kompetensen i kriminalvården ska stärkas så att intagna hbtqi-personer känner sig trygga och säkra.« (party programme ↗)“LGBTQ competence in criminal care shall be strengthened so that imprisoned LGBTQ people feel safe and secure.”
• reintegration as a goal»Målet med tiden i fängelse är att den intagne efter avtjänat straff ska ha bättre förutsättningar att klara ett liv i frihet.« (party programme ↗)“The goal of time in prison is that the prisoner, after serving their sentence, shall have better conditions to manage a life in freedom.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan requires that criminal and civil probation services be given sufficient resources for necessary care and support for those convicted, and that those convicted are rehabilitated so they do not return to crime. As women's share increases and operations have historically been designed for men, knowledge of their needs is required, which an investigation provides. The plan also requires that the gender equality perspective permeate all policy areas and that differences between women and men are consciously considered in healthcare.

• sufficient resources in criminal servicesdecisive»Kriminal- och frivården ska ges tillräckliga resurser för att kunna ge erforderlig vård och i« (party programme ↗)“Criminal and civil probation services shall be given sufficient resources to be able to provide necessary care and”
• gender equality in all policy areas»Jämställdhetsperspektivet ska genomsyra alla politikområden.« (party programme ↗)“The gender equality perspective shall permeate all policy areas.”
• rehabilitation of convicted»Den som är dömd för brott ska återanpassas så att« (party programme ↗)“The person convicted of a crime shall be rehabilitated so that”
• gender differences in healthcare»Vården måste medvetet beakta skillnader mellan kvinnor och män.« (party programme ↗)“Healthcare must consciously consider differences between women and men.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan describes the overcrowding in remand and correctional facilities as unsustainable and wants to significantly increase the number of prison places, which presupposes knowledge of how needs look for different groups of inmates. The Correctional Service is according to the plan supposed to both enforce sentences and give criminals an opportunity back into the community, which requires that the operation works also for women. An investigation of the situation of imprisoned women thus lies in line with the plan, which however does not address the question.

• overcrowded facilitiesdecisive»Trängseln på landets häkten och anstalter börjar på många håll i landet bli ohållbar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The overcrowding in the country's remand and correctional facilities is beginning to become unsustainable in many parts of the country.”
• more prison places»Öka antalet fängelseplatser och se över möjligheten att hyra fängelseplatser utomlands« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Increase the number of prison places and examine the possibility of renting prison places abroad”
• the Correctional Service's dual mission»Kriminalvårdens uppgift är att verkställa de straff som utdöms, men också att ge« (party programme ↗)“The Correctional Service's task is to enforce the sentences that are imposed, but also to give”
• women and men treated equally»behandlas kvinnor och män som« (party programme ↗)“women and men are”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan's criminal policy starting point is that policy should be shaped based on the crime victim's best interest and not the offender's, and that punishment should act as incapacitation rather than primarily rehabilitate. A special investigation of incarcerated women's situation and needs with the aim of creating a more equal criminal care falls outside this direction, and the plan also rejects measures that aim for equal outcomes between genders at the group level. The plan's answer to prison overcrowding is more prison places.

• victim before offenderdecisive»Utformningen av politiken måste ske utifrån brottsoffrets bästa, inte gärningsmannen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Policy formation must be based on the crime victim's best interest, not the offender's.”
• punishment as incapacitation»Straff ska inte bara ses som en rehabiliterande åtgärd« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Punishment should not only be seen as a rehabilitative measure”
• more prison places»Utöka tillgången på anstaltsplatser i och utanför Sverige« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Expand the availability of prison places within and outside Sweden”
• not outcome-based equality»Riktig jämställdhet nås inte genom att vidta politiska åtgärder för att på gruppnivå skapa samma utfall mellan män och kvinnor« (2022 manifesto ↗)“True equality is not achieved by taking political measures to create the same outcomes between men and women at the group level”