The Swiss Prison Photo Project by P. Schulthess

A few days ago, I met a friend in Berne, the Swiss capital city. Previously we had agreed on visiting a photo exhibition in a rather uncanny place. Namely in a centuries-old prison tower, also called “Käfigturm” in German. However, it completely matched because it was all about prisons. The Photographer, Peter Schulthess, obviously has visited quite a few places where people are imprisoned, and he documented what he saw.

Looking at the pictures, let raise questions, such as “Would I be able to bear such a situation?” or “How the prison guards handle everyday situations or even more when things aren’t going well?”

I’m well aware that the pictures, in a way, show a “high standard.”  After all, these are swiss cells. However, I also found to see worse conditions than I had expected. By the way, in the prison tower lived at the end of the 19th century about 70 inmates. Meaning things change over time. Undoubtedly, the whole topic of how society approaches the fact that there are people who need to be locked up for one or the other reason is an interesting one. Well, it was a rainy afternoon in Berne. I gladly learned something and then left the prison tower behind me. Freedom!!!

You’ll find some of the photos on the following website:

https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/behind-bars/673078