Hi everyone! This past week was really something special. I had the chance to travel to another Swedish city, the smaller urban center of Gothenburg (or as it is pronounced, Yohteber)! It was an absolute blast through and through. Here at DIS, one of the most important things is hands on learning. That’s why they even have field studies in the first place. They want us to learn in the classroom but then be able to apply what we know in the real world, or at the very least see where that knowledge gets applied. My study tour was exactly that for my core course, Forensic Psychology: a tour of a bunch of different applications of Psychology in Forensics and looks into the Swedish legal system. Here’s where we went and how they taught or touched me in a real way.
We arrived at Gothenburg’s central station in the late morning on Monday. We took a tram to our hostel so that we could settle in and drop our things off. Let me just tell you, leaving a metro system you just learned to start using a completely different tram system might just be the scariest thing ever. Lucky for us, we had an amazing tour leader with us! Jenni was our trip leader and had everything down pact. She knew exactly how to get everywhere and took us personally to every stop in our little journey. What’s even better? The tram system is above ground. We got to gaze at the beautiful city whenever we were on public transportation. It was a treat and not having to worry about getting lost made it even better! Speaking of the sights, there was something different about Gothenburg. This isn’t a bad thing, but Stockholm, at least in the inner city, is structured in a very western way. The architecture is different and I’ve been getting my admiring fill of that, but Gothenburg is a city of Europe without a doubt. There were long tram ways that crisscrossed with canals and parks. It was a feeling that I just couldn’t shake the entire time I was there in the best way. Truly being enveloped in a city unlike any I’ve been to.
Sorry! Too many pictures, I know. I just couldn’t resist. Do you see those?! *clears throat* Anyway.
The first place we visited was a woman’s shelter, Kvinnojouren ADA. It’s this awesome organization that helps to support, educate, and, in extreme cases, shelter woman and children in terrible situations. They’re doing a very important job, especially in Sweden. Sweden has a big problem with the reporting of violence against woman. The police force isn’t knowledgeable of the ways that abuse can manifest or with the fact that many woman don’t know they are being abused so they won’t search for help. This stop was super important for our work with victimization and victimology. It was amazing to see the type of support available for women and families in need. Additionally, the perspective the shelter took was a primarily feminist point of view and worked to empower the survivor in the face of trauma.
Our second stop took us to Gothenburg University’s Institute of Psychology. The building holds the CLIP (Criminal, Legal and Investigative Psychology) Research Team. This team is a world renowned group of psychologists who have and continue to revolutionize the game of Forensic Psychology. They make real change in the field and we got to meet some of the PhD candidates while hearing about their research! I had never even gotten to look at the work of a PhD candidate, let alone getting to be presented their work first hand. To beat that honor, their facilities were beautiful.
Our final academic stop in Gothenburg led us to a visit that I don’t think many people would ever get the chance to be a part of. We were allowed into a government facility that specializes in evaluating individuals facing criminal charges. Through their process, they determine whether or not someone is suffering from a mental illness and therefore cannot be tried in criminal court. The facility itself had extremely high levels of security, understandably with the type of service they provide. Every door was actually two and only one was ever open at one time to maximize security. The facility was also surrounded by two (yes that’s right, two) fences. We spoke to an analyst who has years of experience with mental evaluations and the Swedish legal system. It was an amazing opportunity and felt like I was in a movie. I won’t easily forget that. The other thing I won’t forget is the food.
DIS was more than generous with the dinners we received at the end of every night. The first night we were able to have a beautiful family style dinner at an Italian restaurant close to the center of the city. It was the best I’ve eaten my entire semester and I doubt it will be topped anytime soon. There was this dish with penne and veal which completely blew my mind. It was the perfect combination of this kind of dirt taste with sweet cheese soaked up into perfectly cooked pasta. The small amount left in the bowl above, didn’t last very long after I took the picture. The next night we went to this awesome bar/restaurant/boules-arena. The food was amazing for sure. Never ever underestimate polenta, I will say that. It was this creamy grainy stuff with dill that just blew me away. And that was before I put it on a piece of bread. After dinner, DIS was even more generous and allowed us to get dessert! I didn’t turn down that offer.
After getting back to Stockholm, there was one more field study and it really blew me away. We visited FrysHusset. The building was originally a meat packing facility. Today, it’s a community center, social service, and social program production center all rolled into one. The work they were doing really touched me on a few levels. The level I will be talking about is the social working held there. The program we got to see extensively was Exodus: a program focused on rehabilitating radicalized individuals, whether this be organized crime, alt-right extremist, or other violent offenders. A professional social worker would meet the individual (almost always convicts coming out of prison looking to assimilate successfully), and give them a better understanding of the situation they’re facing. This wasn’t only socially, with the stigma that faces any convict, but even more so the internal problem. Self understanding and emotional intelligence are pivotal skills that some individuals may not have ever learned. Radicalized individual’s first reaction to adversity can be violence and anger. The professional tries to show them another way, a way that will allow the former criminal to make a better life for themselves.
Sorry, I took so long to get this to you all. It has been a busy week with the trip and the work I had to catch up on. I hope everyone liked the post even if it was a little long. If you’re interested, you can check out some of the other student bloggers to see how their experiences differed from my own. I’ll talk to you again. Take care y’all.
