Empowering change:
Transforming American prison units with
Scandinavian-inspired policies
Who we are
The Scandinavian Prison Project is an international, interdisciplinary research project focused on documenting the development, implementation and impact of a groundbreaking prison reform initiative in Pennsylvania. The project is led by Pennsylvania Department of Corrections and the Philadelphia Department of Prisons, in ongoing collaboration with the correctional services in Sweden (Kriminalvården) and Norway (Kriminalomsorgen). What started with a single housing unit at SCI Chester is now expanding to institutions at both the state and county levels.
The academic team is led by researchers from Drexel University, the University of Oslo, and the University of Maryland, who draw on comparative criminology and rigorous evaluation approaches to understand the project’s impact on staff and residents. The ultimate goal is to advance the field of corrections through evidence-based approaches to incarceration, focusing on humanity and dignity for those who live and work in prisons.
Phase 1: 2018-2022
The Little Scandinavia Experiment
During the first phase of the project (2018-2022), the team from Pennsylvania accomplished several significant goals. Firstly, correctional officers and leaders actively took part in international exchanges to Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, where they visited and worked in local prison environments.
After the first exchange, they undertook development efforts that culminated in the establishment of the first unit, eventually called “Little Scandinavia” at SCI Chester, in May 2022. This unit has gone through substantial physical changes, and features single cells, a full commercial kitchen, a grocery program, a designated green space, and an interior design meant to encourage interaction and collaboration.
Most importantly, the staff-to-resident ratio has been increased, and all participating officers have received additional training that enables them to engage more actively in residents’ rehabilitation and reentry.
The research endeavors in Phase 1 focused on collecting data on international collaboration, knowledge transfer and reform development. These data have formed the foundation for policy-oriented publications and presentations designed to inform the field on key issues, including the importance of measuring and accounting for prison climate, staff well-being, the roles and responsibilities of correctional officers, and opportunities and barriers to evidence-based prison reform in the U.S.
Phase 2: 2022-2026
Implementation and Evaluation at SCI Chester
During the second, operational (and ongoing) phase of the project (2022-2026), the Pennsylvania team focuses on continuing to develop and adapt the unit’s policies and protocols, support residents and staff from the LS community, and continue engaging with their Scandinavian peers. This work continues at SCI Chester as the project extends to new institutions.
In parallel, the research team collects data from multiple sources to understand the housing unit’s impact on both staff and residents. This includes both in-prison outcomes such as negative behaviors and measurable changes in the prison climate, and longer-range outcomes related to community reintegration and recidivism. The research team has delivered multiple presentations at academic and practitioner conferences in Europe and the US, and media coverage of the project has appeared in outlets such as the Huffington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and The Guardian. The Swedish national public broadcaster (SVT) has also produced an internationally available documentary about the project called Prison Project (“Fängelseexperimentet”): Little Scandinavia.
Phase 3: 2026-
Expanding across Pennsylvania
As the initial pilot phase at SCI Chester nears its end, the Scandinavian Prison Project is expanding to several new sites within Pennsylvania’s correctional system. In March of 2025, the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections announced plans to build on the positive foundation of the Little Scandinavia unit. The PADOC and SPP will collaborate to develop similarly inspired units at three new institutions: SCI Smithfield, SCI Fayette, and SCI Cambridge Springs. The Little Scandinavia unit at SCI Chester will continue.
The project is also extending beyond the state system, to the Philadelphia Department of Prisons (PDP) in 2027. Housing people under pretrial detention or serving sentences of up to two years, PDP offers a new and exciting opportunity to examine the adaptability and flexibility of Scandinavian policies in Pennsylvania – one with an increasingly central focus on community engagement and successful reintegration.
The collaborating institutions each have unique characteristics. They span to high-security settings, longer and shorter sentences, men and women, and urban and rural settings, and old and new facilities. This provides an unprecedented opportunity to further explore the adaptability of Scandinavian principles across a range of very different correctional environments and to continue directly impacting staff and incarcerated people’s lives.
Connect with the project
Public engagement is invaluable in helping bring an awareness of Scandinavian principles of integrity, rehabilitation, and hope to the American correctional system. Together, we can reshape the narrative around incarceration, giving individuals the chance to rebuild their lives, contribute meaningfully, and realize their full potential while also supporting people who work in prison.