We are always interested in how people in other countries live. How do they relax, work, spend their free time, what rights and obligations do they have, what events and holidays are their favorite? What, in the end, do they wear, what do they eat, what fashion do they follow, and what unusual traditions do they have? What about prisons? After all, this is that side of society that can tell a lot about it. What are, for example, prisons in Switzerland?
The Swiss themselves complain about the excessively soft conditions for the detention of criminals. But completely in vain. Indeed, according to statistics, the relapse rate here is 33%. And in the Russian Federation, for example, 45%.
But the age of criminal responsibility in this country unexpectedly comes at 10 years old. But punishments, in any way connected with the deprivation of liberty, the imposition of large fines, come no earlier than 16 years. Now let's take a short tour of the prisons of Switzerland.
What is statistics talking about?
If we turn to statistics, we can immediately say that the total number of prisoners in this country is small. Specific numbers change over the years, but the average number is 7,000. If you look at how many prisoners there are per 100,000 Swiss, the numbers again turn out to be very modest. This is about 80 people per 100 thousand law-abiding citizens.
Attracting attention is the fact that there is a very high proportion of foreigners among all prisoners - about 70%. For individual prisons, the figure could be even greater. For example, in Affoltern am Albis (located in the canton of Zurich) the percentage of foreign prisoners is 90%. According to statistics, citizens of 25 states are serving sentences in Swiss prisons.
But who are they? For the most part, these are the so-called criminal tourists. Mostly they arrive in Switzerland from neighboring European countries. But we must not forget that, in general, the share of foreigners in the population of this state is relatively high - about 25%. This trend has been around since the 19th century. After all, Switzerland is geographically located in the heart of Europe.
The justice authorities in this country explain in their own way a large number of foreigners in prisons. Firstly, the risk of escaping a foreign prisoner is extremely high. Secondly, Swiss citizens have the right to replace serving a sentence with a certain fine. As for criminal tourists, they do not have such an opportunity.
The attitude to prisoners with drug addiction is also interesting here. The prison administration is on the path to minimizing damage: it distributes sterile syringes and offers substitution therapy with the provision of methadone.
How many prisons are there?
Many are aware of the existence of the Shamp Dollon prison. But how many prisons are there in the country? 106, including both colonies and pre-trial detention facilities. Moreover, all of them are not large-scale - designed for a maximum of 100 people. As an exception, there are only four prisons in this state that can hold more than 200 prisoners.
The most significant in this regard is the Peshwiz prison, located in the canton of Zurich. There can be up to 400 prisoners at once. They account for about 150 people.
What kind of cameras are there?
What are the prison cells in correctional facilities in Switzerland? The minimum floor area is 12 square meters. meters. Of these, 10 "squares" are in the residential part, and 2 "squares" are in the bathroom (sink and toilet bowl).
What is in the camera? Standard - beds, a chair, a table, shelves for personal items, a small wardrobe. Rental televisions are also housed in the camera.
As a tribute to modern times, even computers are sometimes installed in cameras. Of course, with limitations. There is only a keyboard and a monitor in the camera. The server is located separately, and all operations performed by prisoners are carefully checked.
It is important to note the fact that 90% of the cameras are single.
About women and children
Speaking about crime in Switzerland, it is important to imagine the proportion of teenagers and women among all prisoners. The numbers here are the most encouraging. Women here - 4.7%, and minors - 0.3% of the total mass of prisoners.
It is important to note that if the child’s age is less than 3 years old, then he is left with his mother. Children in such cases attend day care or day care, of course, outside the prison. As soon as the child reaches 3 years old, they try to place him in the foster family.
Throughout Switzerland, there is only one female prison - the Hindelbank institution in the canton of Bern. On average, about 100 women are serving their sentences. Moreover, about 50% of them are foreigners. As for the terms, they are very different, from several months to 10 years, and even life imprisonment. After serving the sentence, about 90% of foreign women are deported immediately from Hindelbank to their country of origin.
Work in the colonies
The Swiss Constitution provides for the remuneration of prisoners. Their earnings can be approximately 300-500 francs in one month. What does it depend on? From the volume of work performed, from the productivity of this employee, from his discipline, behavior in a correctional institution.
Such figures may seem decent for salaries to residents of other countries. But not Switzerland. Compare: auto mechanics earn on average 4,500 francs a month, electricians - 4,600 francs.
Prisoners have the opportunity to learn a new profession, to improve their skills. Moreover, such studies are equated with work and are also paid.
The sick leave will also be paid - upon presentation of the appropriate certificate from the doctor.
Where do they work?
The Swiss Constitution not only does not prohibit, but also obliges prisoners to work. But in response to this obligation, the prison administration must provide a sufficient number of decent jobs. Therefore, 99% of the prisoners are provided with work.
Which one? Types of employment are diverse. A large number of all kinds of workshops: painting, carpentry, bookbinding, saddlery, electrical, workshops for the manufacture of upholstered furniture and so on. Prisoners are also engaged in subsidiary plots: they work in greenhouses, in kitchens, in all kinds of household services, bakeries, laundries, and so on.
Part of the vegetables and fruits that prisoners grow up goes to provide food for the colony and prison staff, and another part is for sale. Some prisons also have small livestock farms.
Prisoners' earnings and expenses
Let's talk about the work in prisons of this developed European state. Prisoners have a bank account, but are blocked for certain functions. It receives from 30% to 50% of the money they earn. A small part of earnings is paid in cash - not more than 50 francs in local currency.
Compensation of moral damage, compensation for damage to victims, victims of a crime under Swiss criminal law can be made from a blocked account of a prisoner by a court decision. The state does not fully pay the costs of maintaining a prisoner. He covers some of these embezzlement himself with his earnings in prison.
But the prison administration makes sure that a certain amount remains on the prisoner's account by the time they are released. In the future, he is free to manage this money at his own discretion, in accordance with the Swiss constitution.
But various entertainment, additional services in local prisons for prisoners are paid. They give money for sweets and cigarettes, for talking on the phone with loved ones, for watching TV shows. This to some extent motivates them to work.
Nutrition
In Swiss prisons, which is important, prisoners are sentenced specifically to imprisonment, and not to deprivation of a normal diet. The menu in the aggregate of correctional institutions and pre-trial detention centers of the state is the same as in Swiss canteens.
What is this? Visit the detention center in Zurich. Here you can offer Hawaiian toasts, fish skewers with boiled potatoes, seasoned with spinach, beef meatballs, mashed potatoes, risotto and other mouth-watering dishes.
It is important that when planning the nutrition of prisoners, intolerance to lactose or gluten must be taken into account. Moreover, special menus are compiled for Muslims, vegetarians and so on. Moreover, the food of prisoners and prison staff here, as a rule, is not shared.
Holidays and dates
In prisons in Switzerland, the opportunity to visit prisoners is guaranteed. As a rule, they have the right to see relatives 2-4 times a month. The duration of the meeting is a maximum of one and a half hours. Moreover, such opportunities do not include the time spent meeting with your lawyer.
If a prisoner has already served 1/3 of the sentence in a Swiss prison, he is entitled to a short vacation. But with one condition: the prison administration must be 100% sure that the possibility of his escape is excluded. As well as the possibility of committing new crimes.
In the first year after serving 1/3 of the sentence, the duration of such leave is 28 hours in one month. If you translate for a year, then it is 14 days for 365 (366) days.
Starting from the second year of serving the sentence, the duration of the vacation increases - up to 32 hours per month. That is, a year you can relax 16 days from prison.
This concludes our acquaintance with the Swiss penitentiary system. As you can see, it stands out for its interesting features and facts that are unexpected for foreigners.