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The Northern Star

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The Role of Prison in Europe

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Prisons and Penology ((PSIPP))

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Abstract

In discussions about prison and penal policy, Scandinavia has a special position. It is a part of the world where highly remarkable and even unique aspects are in evidence. It is said that few people are sent to prison in the first place there. In an age in which the urge to punish, and prison numbers, are swelling in almost every corner of the world, we are told that Scandinavia is a beacon of stability. What is more, the quality of prison life is said to be exceptionally good. Inmates enjoy outstanding detention conditions and are held in modern, often very small-scale prisons which in many cases have the character of open prisons (Pratt 2008a, b; Pratt and Eriksson 2011, 2012, 2013). Another area of exceptionalism is that there is no privatisation of the prisons worth speaking of there (Liebling 2013). All in all, it is a region where pretty much everything seems to be different.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for International Research on Criminal Policy, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium

    Tom Vander Beken

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  1. Tom Vander Beken
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Beken, T.V. (2016). The Northern Star. In: The Role of Prison in Europe. Palgrave Studies in Prisons and Penology. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29388-2_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29388-2_3

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-29387-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-29388-2

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