Film Discussion 2:

Prison Project: Little Scandinavia

Friday 15 April 2021 ~ 9:20 - 10:50am Pacific

Healing instead of punishing?

“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” -- R. Buckminster Fuller

It is time to recognize that our current criminal system is not designed to prevent people from committing crimes. Rather, demoralization and physical and psychological damage are the consequences of prisons, as Dr. Thomas Galli said in his recently published book: Weggesperrt (Locked up). This international top class panel, drawn together by expertise in the area of prison-reform looking particularly at alternatives to prison. What would it look like if the focus is on healing instead of punishment? When perpetrators and victims are again actively involved in conflict resolution? When indigenous traditions get incorporated into the prison system like in Canada with Healing Lodges? When judges shift their focus away from punishing and toward therapeutic assistance, as has been naturally practiced through indigenous justice for centuries.

We will watch an extended preview of Prison Project: Little Scandinavia together followed by a virtual discussion with the authors of the film, John Stark, Executive Producer at the Swedish Television SVT and Tomas Lindh, Executive Producer at the Swedish Television SVT and Terria Walters Vandenhuerk who spent time in an Alaskan prison and Michael Fraser who spent time in Canadian prisons and Pê Sâkâstêw Centre, Healing Lodge, Maskwacis, near Edmonton, Canada; Senior Sergeant Simon Kairau, a District Māori/Pacific/Ethnic Advisor and District Alternative Resolution Coordinator, Visiting Justice and Barrister Lady Heeni Phillips-Williams and Restorative Justice Lawyer and director of Hawai´i Friends of Restorative Justice Lorenn Walker, and Thomas Galli, a former German prison director and German Youth Court Judge Clivia von Dewitz.

Tomas Lindh: "Executive producer at Swedish Television SVT with a focus on strategy, development and online. As a producer/director, I’ve made several documentaries highlighting the criminal justice system and prison reform with focusing on giving the audience a new perspective and spark debate. During the last ten years, several projects have been distributed globally and also acquired by universities in several continents, to be used in criminology classes. Throughout my career, I’ve worked only with public service broadcasters to ensure the non-commercial aspect in the funding."

John Stark: "Executive Producer at the Swedish Television SVT. Together with Tomas Lindh, John has produced several documentaries regarding criminal justice and prison reform, comparing Nordic and American values and practices; always with a non-partisan, non-commercial focus and a constructive approach. LinkedIn-profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/starkjo/

Prison Project: Little Scandinavia (trailer): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTC1KI0STIY

Breaking the Cycle (excerpt): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haHeDgbfLtw

The Norden (Nordic Prisons) (excerpt): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2g56susrNQY