IFFS Play

In a time when Sweden is experiencing an unprecedented wave of violence with shootings, more voices are calling for longer prison sentences and a lower age of criminal responsibility. This situation echoes the gang wars that took place in Los Angeles in the 1970s and 80s. The U.S. justice system's solution was to impose extremely harsh sentences on young gang members—a strategy that has since been considered counterproductive. Today, the U.S. and Sweden are on opposite courses when it comes to criminal justice policy. The U.S. has a large prison population by international standards, a statistic they are actively trying to reduce since long prison sentences as a form of rehabilitation have proven to be ineffective. Meanwhile, the current Swedish government has announced plans to increase the number of prison spaces from 9,000 to 27,000 within ten years—a 200 percent increase. The documentary film Waiting for Life follows two former life-sentenced prisoners, Reginald "Happy" Wilson and Donald "Twin" James, who, against all odds, were rehabilitated and had their sentences reduced after participating in a cultural activity program - the play Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett, directed by Swedish director Jan Jönson. An experience both Twin and Happy have said changed their lives. During a series of screenings in Sweden and the U.S., spaces are created for discussion and debate on penal policy between Swedish and American researchers, experts, and policymakers. The film's theme revolves around how Sweden's proposed solution to today's gang problem largely mirrors the U.S. strategy from the 1970s and 80s. At the same time, it explores how encounters with aesthetic and intellectual values, such as culture, can bring about unexpectedly profound changes in inmates. Participating are Sweden’s leading experts on gang crime, Professors Amir Rostami and Jerzy Sarnecki from the Institute for Futures Studies, along with Camila Salazar Atías from Fryshuset, an expert on violent environments. Also present as firsthand witnesses are the film’s protagonists, Twin and Happy, the director documenting their lives, Staffan Julén, and Jan Jönson, the director of the 1988 San Quentin theater production. #waitingforlife #waitingforgodot #sanquentin #secondchances