A pilot project at a Pennsylvania prison is trying out lessons from Scandinavia that could offer some ideas for reforming U.S. prisons.
The United States has the largest number of people incarcerated in the world – about 25% of all people imprisoned worldwide are in American prisons and jails.
A recent collaboration between correctional services in Pennsylvania and several Scandinavian countries presents an opportunity to test these ideas. One Pennsylvania prison unit we are researching adapts elements from Scandinavian prisons, and offers a window into what drawing from other penal systems might look like in the U.S.Prisons in ScandinaviaCorrectional systems throughout much of Scandinavia are guided by a general set of philosophical principles.
In most cases, people in prison in Norway have access to many of the same social and educational services and programs as people who are not incarcerated. Norway and the USThere are, of course, other fundamental differences between the Scandinavian countries and the U.S. The Scandinavian Prison ProjectIn State Correctional Institution Chester, known as SCI Chester, a medium-security prison located just outside of Philadelphia, a correctional officer-guided team has worked since 2018 to incorporate Scandinavian penal principles into its own institution. Based on their direct experiences, the correctional officers and facility leaders sought to reconsider what incarceration could look like at SCI Chester.
With single cells, a communal kitchen, Nordic-like furnishings and a landscaped, outdoor green space, Little Scandinavia looks unlike any other U.S. prison. Plants grow throughout the common areas. A large fish tank, maintained by staff and residents, is the centerpiece of an area designed to encourage people to gather.
Although the community is still evolving, there have been no acts of violence, as some speculated would happen – even with access to kitchen equipment.
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