Erin's Vocation Experience

At Luleå I was able to visit a Swedish prison. It houses 9 inmates between the ages of 18 and 23, that were sentenced to prison. Surprisingly, I was able to meet and talk with all the inmates. They wanted to know if the justice system in the US was just like 'Cops' the tv show. I assured them it was not. They were all interested in US culture and jails in the US. I was also able while in Luleå to visit a Swedish Courthouse. The most interesting thing I found is that a defendant does not have to be present to be sentenced. The judge makes the ruling if the person is absent from the hearing, and they are notified by mail what the judgement is. This is not the way it is in the US! I also was able to visit the Swedish Court of Appeals in Umeå. The courts are divided much like the US -- first, local court then if the judgement is appealed, it goes to the Court of Appeal and finally to the Swedish Supreme Court, just like the US.

While in Skellefteå I visited a police station and spoke with a Sergeant about crime in the city. Like the US, they are battling drug use in the city. The major drug they see are amphetamines which are a problem in parts of the US. We also discussed some high profile unsloved murders in the area. It was very interesting. I was given a tour of the police station including the lock up area where they hold offenders. I was also given a private tour of the police cars which are Volvo stationwagons, much different than the US. Overall I think the police function much like the police in the US. I had a wonderful experience visiting criminal justice agencies in Sweden.