Global Criminology and Criminal Justice Essay

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Scandinavian prison models are considered to be amongst the most effective in the world. The penal system here, unlike is the case in other parts of the world -- including the U.S. -- is regarded humane and is designed in such a way that prisoners live more or less like regular citizens. With sunbathing facilities, vocational courses, and other amenities being a standard in most settings (unlike is the case in most Western prison settings), some prison systems like those in Norway could be mistaken for plush retirement community centers. How effective such incarceration facilities are in the control of crime is a valid topic for examination and analysis. This is more so the case given that from a "common sense" perspective, prisons conditions should be harsh enough to discourage inmates from committing the same crimes that landed them there in the first place. This seems to be the basic ideology of most incarceration facilities across the globe -- from the U.S. to Canada to Kenya in Africa. What impact would incarceration facilities designed to reduce interpersonal conflict and ease psychological pressure have on crime control? How do the recidivism rates of Scandinavian countries compare with those of other countries in the world? Do prison conditions have an impact (positive or negative) on readmission rates? This text focuses on the Scandinavian prison systems and relates them to those in other parts of the world.

Discussion

For most, the Nordic states are a model -- a model that should be admired and embraced by other nation states. This is particularly the case given their low inequality levels, and "just" as well as highly effective prison systems. Countries such as Canada, the U.S. and a majority of nation states in Africa seem to be appreciative of punitive excesses and penal populism when compared to such countries as Sweden, Finland, and even Norway. In essence, sentence lengths in Nordic penal states are relatively short (in comparison to those in other parts of the world) and imprisonment rates quite low. Penal systems in most parts of the world, including the U.S. and Canada are considered to be tough on convicted criminals. However, in comparison to Scandinavian penal systems, these models seem to be broken and in dire need of review.

Some countries like the United States and Guatemala have very high incarceration rates (Grant, 2012, p. 375). One would expect these countries to be safer. Taking the United States as an example, enhanced incarceration rates do not necessarily enhance the safety of the populace. This is particularly the case given the country's significantly high recidivism rates and overall crime rates (Kenis et al. 2010, p. 321).

In essence, most political systems advocate for the escalation of punishment in an attempt to bring down crime rates. This is an approach that rarely pays off. In contrast, it has been proven that Nordic penal systems are better when it comes to the deterrence of activities of a criminal nature (Walmsley, 2008, p. 104). This is particularly the case given not only their prison setup but also approach to punishment and how members of the public perceive the penal system and its purpose. It is important to note that although each of the Nordic countries (comprising of Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and Norway) has in place penal models as well as laws that slightly vary, the entire penal system of these countries differs fundamentally from that of other nations whose rates of recidivism and incarceration are higher. This, according to Walmsley (2008, p. 112) has resulted in better outcomes on the offender education and rehabilitation front.

It is quite understandable that the image most people out of the Scandinavian territory have of a prison is largely based on the media portrayal of the same, as well as their experiences and beliefs. It is, therefore, difficult for citizens of, say, America to conceptualize a prison system that is not steeped strictly towards punitive measures. According to Pratt (2008, p. 212), the key focus of Nordic prison systems is the rehabilitation of inmates, while at the same time addressing recidivism. As the author further points out, the average number of inmates held by Nordic prisons is 100. The idea in this case is to have small prison facilities scattered across the country, in an attempt to keep inmates closer to their home environment and, hence, families. Most countries out of the Scandinavian zone tend to have centralized prison facilities holding thousands of inmates at any given point in time. This is particularly the case in low income countries like Haiti where prison overcrowding seems to be the worst in the world.

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Other countries notorious for overcrowding include, but they are not limited to, the Philippines, Venezuela, Uganda, and Sudan.

When it comes to the prison facilities in Scandinavian countries, it is important to note that these could be divided into two, i.e. open and closed prisons. Typically, those convicted of offenses are first housed in closed prisons and later on serve the remainder of their sentences in open facilities. While the former is more restrictive, the latter has a more relaxed and rehabilitative environment. Most open prisons, according to Pratt (2008, p. 228), permit inmates to roam freely within the grounds. As Kenis et al. (2010, p. 327) points out, this relaxed environment enhances the socializing behavior of inmates. A facility such as Halden Fengsel in Norway has no razor wire coils and menacing watch towers. Instead, its atmosphere is largely peaceful and the attitude guards have towards prisoners is particularly positive. Prison conditions in some parts of the world are inhumane and cruel. Federal facilities in the U.S. have, for instance, been accused of having degrading and dangerous conditions with prisoner rape being rampant and inmate medical care being extremely poor.

Prison systems in America and other parts of the world view prison living conditions as yet another form of punishment that is necessary to ensure that offenders change their ways. This is in straight contradiction to Scandinavian systems where, as the Finnish Department of Prison ad Probation has pointed out in the past, punishment does not necessarily comprise of the withdrawal of basic needs; rather, it has got to do with liberty loss. This effectively means that in comparison to their counterparts in other countries, offenders in Scandinavian countries retain their basic rights, but have their independence limited as the prison authorities administer rehabilitative services tailored to act as deterrence to future criminal behavior.

The prison staff on most Nordic prisons also differs from those of other criminal facilities across the world. According to Pratt (2008, p. 223), in an attempt to further enhance the success of offenders, the makeup of guards working within the prison perimeter is carefully analyzed. These facilities engage the services of guards who are diverse in terms of their educational level, age, as well as gender. The author further points out that many in these Scandinavian countries view the prison guard positions as a desirable vocation -- meaning that it has, over time, become a rather competitive profession. The training of prison staff is also different from that adopted in other countries. Here, future guards are actively mentored and made to develop sound understanding of political interference in matters punishment, as well as rehabilitative models (Pratt, 2008, p. 221). In some countries, particularly third world countries like Uganda and Venezuela, "prison guards are a joke, because only a handful of guards are mentally and physically qualified for the position" (Delgado, 2007, p. 403).

Crime and incarceration rates in Nordic countries such as Sweden are far lower than those in other parts of the world such as the U.S. As a matter of fact, "the Nordic countries have not only much lower incarceration rates but also fewer offenders under supervised control, lower levels of fear and punitive demands, less serious violence ." (Lappi-Seppala, 2012, p. 136). Here, prisons are steeped towards the rehabilitation of offenders -- as opposed to punishment. There are prisons in the United States where the number of those held is twice that of Finland's prison population (Kenis et al. 2010, p. 318). It is even worse in some other countries such as Uganda where prisons that are designed to hold a specified number of people now host up to ten times that number (Delgado, 2007, p. 403). The readmission rates in some prison settings such as the prison island in Bastoy are very low -- 16% to be specific for this particular prison island. As I have pointed out elsewhere in this text, the recidivism rates of most Scandinavian countries is lower than those in other parts of the world -- such as the U.S. and Canada.

Policy transfers have got to do with the utilization of knowledge to derive or formulate policy decisions. On this font, can lessons from the Scandinavian countries on crime control and the utilization of incarceration as a criminal sanction be used to inform policy deliberations? It is important to note that the recreation of….....

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