Annica Carlsson Bergdahl’s interviews with 14 female prisoners have been turned into song lyrics by Lina Ekdahl and music by Matilda Sjöström. The singing ensemble Iris plus some interviewed women on leave travel around and perform the songs, recently they visited the Skeppet Gothenburg live stage.
Earlier help could have prevented
One of the questions put to the incarcerated women was: Was there anything that could have stopped you, anything that could have prevented you?
– Then there are a lot of people who say, yes, maybe a little help was needed earlier, says Annica Carlsson Bergdahl.
The interviewees are between 23 and 61 years old, and they have also had to answer questions about what it is like to be deprived of liberty, what they want with their lives, how do they themselves see crime and punishment?
– The purpose is to nuance the picture to let voices be heard that are not otherwise heard.
To think over his crime
– Almost everyone says that a prison sentence can be good, and in fact there are many who say that being locked up, thinking about one’s crime, that there is something to it. But simply increasing the punishment, that’s the treatment, that they come to an understanding of what it is they have done and how to prevent relapse which is the important thing, says Annica Carlsson Bergdahl.
In the past, they have given concerts in Tidaholm and Mariestad, as well as at Sagsjön’s employee for women. The plan is to tour more.
