“I Do It for Us”: The Motivations and Experiences of Hosting an International Prison Exchange

• In Event: The Scandinavian Prison Project: Theoretical and Empirical Observations in the Transition from Development to Implementation

Abstract

Norway and the other Scandinavian countries have become the epicenter of international correctional collaborations over the past decade; their respective prison and probation services receive hundreds of international visits each year. The main focus of these collaborations is to identify aspects of Scandinavian principles and practices that can be successfully adapted and implemented elsewhere. While potentially both important and worthwhile, this perspective too often fails to consider the potential costs and benefits for the people involved on the Scandinavian side of the exchange. This paper relies on interview data derived from semi-structured interviews with Norwegian correctional officers and prison managers involved in the Scandinavian Prison Project (n=16) both before and after a correctional exchange. Preliminary results suggest that respondents sought to balance time constraints, limited resources, and language barriers on one side, with perceptions of excitement, pride, and personal and professional growth on the other. Overall, these data point to several ways in which the direct involvement of Norwegian correctional officers in international prison exchanges creates salient benefits to their professional identities and overall institution morale that may offset some of the direct and indirect costs associated with these international collaboration efforts.

Authors

• Synøve N. Andersen, University of Oslo

• Jordan Hyatt, Drexel University