Scandinavian Exceptionalism in an Era of Penal Excess--Part I: The Nature and Roots of Scandinavian Exceptionalism

• NCJ Number: 222055
• Journal: British Journal of Criminology Volume: 48 Issue: 2 Dated: March 2008 Pages: 119-137
• Author(s): John Pratt
• Date Published: March 2008
• Length: 19 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom
• Note: See NCJ-223079 for Part II

Annotation

This is the first of a two-part paper examining the roots of exceptionalism (levels of imprisonment) in Scandinavia, specifically Finland, Norway, and Sweden, and illustrating the way in which penal and prison policy emerged from these three countries.

Abstract

In examining the roots of exceptionalism, referring to the low rates of imprisonment and humane prison conditions, in Finland, Norway, and Sweden, it is argued that exceptionalism emerges from the cultures of equality that existed in these countries which were embedded in their social fabrics through the universalism of the Scandinavian welfare state. In this first of a two-part paper, attention is given to the considerably neglected subject of low-imprisonment societies. It provides a sociological account of Scandinavian exceptionalism and is based on research undertaken in Finland, Norway, and Sweden in 2006. This included visits to 16 prisons and discussions with academics, policymakers, criminal justice practitioners, politicians, judges, and prisoners, as well as observations of everyday life in these countries. Figures, references