The Northern Star

  • Tom Vander Beken
Chapter
First Online:
Part of the Palgrave Studies in Prisons and Penology book series (PSIPP)

Abstract

In discussions about prison and penal policy, Scandinavia has a special position. It is a part of the world where highly remarkable and even unique aspects are in evidence. It is said that few people are sent to prison in the first place there. In an age in which the urge to punish, and prison numbers, are swelling in almost every corner of the world, we are told that Scandinavia is a beacon of stability. What is more, the quality of prison life is said to be exceptionally good. Inmates enjoy outstanding detention conditions and are held in modern, often very small-scale prisons which in many cases have the character of open prisons (Pratt 2008a, b; Pratt and Eriksson 2011, 2012, 2013). Another area of exceptionalism is that there is no privatisation of the prisons worth speaking of there (Liebling 2013). All in all, it is a region where pretty much everything seems to be different.

Keywords

Prison System Sovereign Wealth Fund Penal Policy Severe Crime Custodial Sentence 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© The Author(s) 2016

Authors and Affiliations

  • Tom Vander Beken
    • 1
  1. 1.Institute for International Research on Criminal PolicyGhent UniversityGentBelgium

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