Corrections Funding. Scandinavians Here to Help.

What is happening? Scandinavian criminologists have been invited to Pennsylvania to revamp a correctional institution into a Scandinavian style system which is said to focus on innovation, safety, community, proximity to nature, and transparency. This translates to single cells, inmates wearing their own clothes, cooking their own food, and correctional officers with university degrees and specialized training. Each day, residents (inmates) are expected to go to work, treatment or school, all within the prison.

Why does this matter? The recidivism rate in Norway is less than 50% and in Pennsylvania it is more than 70%. Hummm…. The Little Scandinavia project at the Pennsylvania correctional institution has been working, there have been no acts of violence. Reports have been that correctional officers also benefit from this system.

Route Fifty via Stateline | A Pennsylvania Prison Gets a Scandinavian-style Makeover