To Örebro University

Purpose: This study aims to analyze prisoners’ experiences of prison drug-treatment programs in Sweden. How do they describe their personal relationships with the prison staff and with other prisoners in the wings? How do they describe the social climate and the control in drug-treatment wings? How could differences between these wings be understood?

Design/methodology/approach: The data consist of observations and face-to-face interviews with male and female prisoners in three Swedish prison drug-treatment wings. Analytical concepts used are roles, relationships and rituals.

Findings: The prisoners’ relationships with prison officers seemed connected to what kinds of rituals the prisoners and staff engaged in. In all three treatment wings, the staff and prisoners were involved in natural rituals. This was most frequent in the women’s prison with a 12-step program. The prisoners were frustrated with control measures but were mainly positive to the measures as preventing drugs from coming into the wing.

Research limitations/implications: Only three prison wings, however in varying prisons, have been studied.

Originality/value: These results gives a useful prisoners’ perspective on the development of drug-prevention and treatment in different kinds of prisons.

Over tha past 10 years drug treatment programmes have been exstensivly developed in Swedish prisons. Thsi article highlights how prison officers working in treatment wings think and act in relation to their professional role, their relations to the prisoners and the organisation of drug treatment within the prison.  Data consists of interviews and observations from three Swedish prisons in different security categories. The study examines the significance of secdurity categorie, overall prison-staff culture, treatment wing culture, inmate gender and the treatment role and officers work identity in the treatment wings. The ways in which prison officers think and act depends on how their professional roles are defined at the different prisons. Definitins differ in regard to views on addiction, preferences fo the ways in which treatment should be performed and organized and ideas about how ideal levels of staff-prisoner interaction are best accomplished within the treatment context.

Aim: This article reviews the development in Sweden of prison-based drug treatment (PBDT) from the 1970s to the present situation.

Data: The data consists of committee reports, white papers, research reports and interviews with two senior managers from the Swedish Prison and Probation Services (SPPS).

Results: The 1970s and 1980s trials with milieu therapy in prisons were followed by the introduction of cognitive programmes in the 1990s. Due to the growing number of prisoners with drug problems, the Prison Anti-Drug Effort increased the number of places and programmes for drug treatment in prisons. As of 2000, the scientific evaluation of all prison-based drug treatment has been strongly emphasised. Drug control has increased since 2004, and the very concept of PBDT is now approached rather more rigorously and scientifically.

Conclusion: The SPPS programme evaluations are scientifically formed, but changes in practice are slow to emerge. The SPPS runs a more restricted policy compared to treatment outside, which leads to some evidence-based treatment methods being rejected. Also, PBDT is somewhat under threat by changes in the prisons' internal organisation with growing specialisation in different wings, as well as by the poor financial situation of the SPPS.