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- Boss Of The Isolation Unit At Sweden's Largest Maximum Security Prison
Boss Of The Isolation Unit At Sweden's Largest Maximum Security Prison
The Entanglements Of Crime & Punishment
Curious Worldview
June 06, 2025
Peter - Warden Of The Isolation Unit
hey mate! Just in case you’ve been forwarded this email but would like to subscribe - click the link here.
Because of my old mate, Arne Andersson - I’ve been incredibly lucky to have gotten to know several of his old military buddies. Those episodes listed at the end...
And then there is my guest for this episode today, courtesy to the serendipity proximate to Arne…
Peter, whose full name will remain redacted - is the head of the isolation ward at Kumla prison, which is the largest maximum security prison in Sweden. We recorded this about 6 months ago, so I am very late to publish, but I hope you’ll agree that the contents are evergreen. Not tied down to any particular time and news, and therefore as useful now as it would have been then as it will be in 5 years time.
Pete and I sat down together to record this one in Stockholm last late Autumn, it’s as many ins and outs of the prison system that I could think to ask Peter. This is an exhaustive list, but it includes inmate demographics, the impact of overpopulation, the complexities of rehabilitation, the psychological effects of prison on both inmates and staff. the crucial differences between the Swedish prison system other countries, and how it’s portrayed in the media, particularly regarding sentencing and the rehabilitation processes. the challenges of institutionalisation, the dynamics of inmate behaviour. Leadership and de-escalation techniques in managing inmate interactions, as well as the influence of gangs and ethnic divides within the prison system. Informal power dynamics among inmates, the prevalence of violence, self-harm, and the challenges faced by prison officers. The changing attitudes of younger inmates towards authority, the psychological impact of incarceration, and the ongoing issues of contraband and drug addiction. The discussion also touches on the responsibility of prison staff to understand and support inmates, the metrics used to evaluate prison conditions, and the societal perceptions of crime and punishment.
In between all that there is as well Peter’s good humour and the natural tangents much of that may draw you down…Here is a transcript of the opening exchange from the conversation…
‘Show me the incentive and I’ll show you the outcome’ - Charlie Munger (goat of pithy quotes)
I want to grow this newsletter and I want to grow this podcast. Typically, fellow creators in my position will offer you (my dear reader/listener) some reward whereby, if you refer x amount of people I will send you y reward.
For every 5 people you bring to the newsletter, I’d send you custom merch (or something along these lines)
Now, as you know, I work full time at Quartr which means after a long days work, I am booking, researching, recording, editing and publishing a podcast plus (everything on this newsletter), and therefore only left with a few minutes for everything else that makes up a life.
And as such, setting up some type of rewards program hasn’t eventuated. BUT with that being said, I would nonetheless try to do something to incentivise you to share the show.
For the sake of transparency - about 5000 people follow the podcast across both Spotify & Apple, and several hundred subscribe to this newsletter. Not everyone listens to every episode, but so far in a 4 year lifetime I’m extremely chuffed with every new person - and I notice every. single. new. person…
To get to the point where things are monetised I’d say tripling both of those metrics is necessary.
But for now, all I can offer is camaraderie - if you are reading this now you are, and will remain the most important viewership I will ever get… and this is because you are the early adopters. So all I can do is ask… if you enjoy this and if you know anyone who think might enjoy it as well - share it with them one at a time and share it on your socials to the masses. Follow the podcast wherever you listen to it and subscribe to this newsletter and bare with me, not everything will be directly interesting to you, but I endeavour that some of it definitely will be.
So pump your juice, send this to all your mates - and one day you’ll be able to say you were onto all this ‘Curious Worldview’ stuff from day 1.
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