Inside Out Going to Denmark

• In Event: The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program: Starting and Teaching a Class

Abstract

In a close collaboration between the Danish Prison and Probation Service, a closed prison and University of Southern Denmark, Department of Law, students from inside (prisoners) and outside (law students) are taught together in the same law course. As the prison manager puts it: "It is simply the best project we've ever had." The questions that arise from the above quote are why the prison system thinks the inside/out initiative is seen as great and in which ways the prison system experiences the impact on the prison climate and the incarcerated people? Data derives from two evaluations where prison staff members as well as inside and outside students have been interviewed about their experiences during and after the course in 2016 and 2017. The presentation will also give a description on how the inside/out course has been carried out: who are the students and what have they been taught, in which way and under which circumstances.

Author

• Linda Kjaer Minke, University of Southern Denmark