Tuesday, 10th of July
Today was a long day, but it ended with Sarah's statement: "That was my favourite day." We started out with the presentation done by Pascale from the Swiss Justice, Prison, and Probation system. Students learned that there are no guns in Swiss prisons, and that death penalty was abondend in 1937. Two flaws in the Swiss System are 1) there is limited work done with the families of inmates, and 2) that those inmates held before their trial and sentencing are in solitary confinement for 23 hours each day. The presentation was followed by Sarah giving insights in the American system. The Swiss were amazed that each day in the US, there are 45 accidental injuries by gun, and that the number of prison beds needed in 20 years is based on how poorly African American boys are academically performing in the 3rd grade.
After the presentations, we went to Flora Dora (Strichplatz) in Zürich where men interested in purchasing sex are able to legally shop for and engage in acts with sex workers. We learned about the sex work on the streets of Zürich, and how the city deals with it. Social workers help the sex workers apply for their work licenses, receive sex education and medical treatment, and provide a safe space to rest and get a hot meal . Next, we drove to a institution that executes measurements for young adult men between the ages of 17 and 25 years old. Youth living in the facility can receive treatment for up to 4 years, and have an opportunity to do an apprenticeship in 1 of 11 fields (for example, wood working, car repair, chef, or farming). The institution is housed in an abbey, and we saw where the nuns were interned. In addition, a winery is also on the property. At the end of a tour, we did a wine tasting in the basement. Some of us walked out with more than one bottle (right, Doug?!). It was already after five o’clock when we drove to Schaffhausen to meet our local tour guide, Janine. She showed us fountains, historically painted houses, and even a jail, where you can break out only with a spoon because it’s made out of sandstone. After a nice dinner, we drove to the Rheinfällen (beautiful waterfalls in Schaffhausen). A beautiful finish of our intense day.