KRIS IN ENGLISH

Members of the association are over 3,900 (January 2003) former criminals most of whom were addicted to drugs or alcohol or not who now are leading drug-free and law-abiding lives. There are also about 900 supporting members from all classes of society, including the Royal King of Sweden.

The keywords are honesty, decency, solidarity, comradeship and abstinence from drugs. The experience of the older members, concerning a criminal way of life and above all the break from it, is the basis of how C.R.I.S. tries to help other people in similar circumstances.

We try to be of assistance to discharged prisoners during their first period of freedom, trying to make life meaningful to them. The idea is that people who have experienced addiction, crime and correctional treatment and now live a life free from drugs from and without criminal activities shall constitute the backbone of the association and support the most important member, namely he or she who has just been released from prison and is in need of positive back-up measures.

During the first 6 months, the main goal was concentrated on establishing an inner circle of members and to find a suitable structure for the activities. During this period, we informed federal, municipal and local authorities, institutions and associations etcetera about the purpose of C.R.I.S.

Among others we have called on the Minister of Justice who has shown great interest in our program and also personally visited the office of the association in Stockholm at two occasions. Today we have a variety of active functions.

A large extent of a nation's crimes are committed by a small group of ultra active criminals. In literature of criminology they are called: chronic criminals, habitual criminals, constant recidivists, revolving door clientele, et al. These criminals commit serious as well as less serious crimes and repeatedly go back to jail. Criminality is their way of life and their crimes usually affect "ordinary people".

a whole has an interest in adapting former criminals to a productive, law-abiding way of life. In Sweden, there is a long tradition of progressively oriented correctional treatment and of client organisations inside the prisons. Great efforts have been made to try to change the clients way of life during their time in prison and to prepare them for a life in freedom. In spite of these efforts the risk of fallbacks are still very high for those released from prison.

Usually, the backslide into crime comes very soon after release. Many scientific and federal reports on relapse into crime point out the need for special efforts during the immediate period following upon release from prison. To rehabilitate a former inmate or to at least make the period up to the relapse as long as possible it yields a large return for society and presumptive victims as well as for the criminal. It is during the period immediately after release from prison the need for support and help is greatest. This is something that criminals have been aware of for a long time.

According to the experiences of the members themselves the continuation of criminality is often already planned a couple of weeks before release. Before the date of release prisoner establishes contacts with new acquaintances they have learned to know during the prison term as well as with older ones from life in freedom. In order to give the prisoner an honest alternative C.R.I.S. contacts inmates while still incarcerated. The contacts are intensified during the period just upon release. At date of release, a number of members of C.R.I.S. meet the prisoner outside the walls of the prison in order to actively show the new member what true comradeship could mean.

Simultaneously, the direct impulses to celebrate freedom are canalised in a drug free and law-abiding direction. There must be neither time nor space to fall back into the old criminal way of life.

Supervising pool, godfather and godmother operations

An important ingredient of C.R.I.S. is the work of a pool of supervisors. Older members of the association are meant to function as an link of integration between new members and society and its authorities on the other hand. The idea is that the recently released member shall be able to get in contact with his godfather or godmother by phone or personally, in order to get direct help and support in difficult situations. The Contact between the godfather or the godmother and the released member is reinforced by their common background. Not so long ago,

the godfather or godmother has experienced the same practical everyday problems that are difficult for an outsider to understand: How do I deal with the opposite sex when sober? Where do I turn if I get sick? How do I manage the courage to contact my children? How do I manage not to get broken by bias and prejudice in the surrounding world but rather feel proud of my effort to change my way of life?

The godfather and the godmother are reachable 24 hours a day and are equipped with a mobile phone which also may be issued to the released member as well. The godfather and godmother activity is developed in collaboration with probation officers, in order for godfathers and godmothers to receive future status as layman probation officers.

Father-Child-Program

Many members of C.R.I.S. have failed their children through their earlier way of life. Often this implies feelings of guilt and insecurity. Great courage and patience are needed to start rebuilding such a relation. Most lack knowledge and experience of how a parent ought to behave. For these reasons many former jailbirds avoid shouldering their parental responsibilities, among others. Also, this leaves the child as well as the parent bereaved of an important relation in a non-criminal pattern of life and generates many contacts with conventional society.

The Father-Child-Program consists of summer and winter camps where fathers and children may be together in a safe and supporting environment in order to rebuild a relation that has previously been damaged. Lately, mothers have been partaking in these camps with their children, also. The camps are being followed up by meetings every two weeks in the C.R.I.S. facilities in order for members to become aware of how to handle the company of children. For the children, these activities help recreate an important male model.

Discussion

Through probation treatment society tries to facilitate the changeover into a law-abiding existence outside jail. However, the resources for these functions are far from sufficient and the coordination with other authorities is not always satisfactory. Experiments have been conducted by vastly enlarged probation resources without any noticeable positive effects. It is highly doubtful whether increased probation measures are sufficient or even effective in order to decrease criminal activity among relapsed criminals. Many criminals released from prison have acquired a suspicious attitude towards the judicial system and other authorities. Here, C.R.I.S. enjoys great confidence among inmates all over the country and it can function effectively in its activities. The interest of the media has been very great and C.R.I.S. has tried to make use of this to spread the message that there are solid alternatives to a life filled with drugs and criminality. The message has reached a large number of criminals inside and outside of prison. Every day inmates and people from the street are contacting C.R.I.S. in search for assistance.