The Nordic Model: Norway’s Penal Reform

In this new series, speakers at Scandinavia House will explore the reasons why Nordic countries lead surveys of societies with high levels of trust, happiness, gender equality, and quality of life. By many measures, these countries are among the most successful societies worldwide. In these lectures, we’ll look at how individual countries have successfully addressed certain issues that confront all societies.

Norway is known for its extremely low incarceration rates; with fewer than 4,000 of Norway’s 5 million people incarcerated, it is drastically lower than the U.S., where 707 of every 100,000 people are currently serving prison time. And Norway’s recidivism rate, at 20 percent, is also the lowest in the world.

Kim Ekhaugen (Director of International Cooperation, Directorate of Norwegian Correctional), Colette S. Peters (Director, Oregon Department of Corrections), and ASF Fellow Jordan M. Hyatt (Assistant Professor of Department of Criminology and Justice Studies, Drexel University) join us for a panel moderated by ASF Chairman Steven B. Peri on Norway’s penal reform. Tonight, Ekhaugen and Hyatt will discuss the Norwegian and American correctional systems, and compare their approaches to criminal justice.

From Scandinavia House.