Little Scandinavia looks at whether we can do better in U.S. prisons

In Norway prison cells are considered private property, incarcerated people are allowed to leave prison and return in short spans, and wardens do not carry guns. These practices, among others, are in an effort to treat incarcerated people humanely and help prevent recidivism, escape attempts, and violence.

The national initiative Restoring Promise works with states to create criminal justice reform initiatives that draw inspiration from rehabilitation-focused German prisons. The program at Lee Correctional Institution in South Carolina allows participants to customize their individual cells and focuses on mentorships, educational classes, and self-governance.

California is taking a new approach to reducing recidivism, known as The California Model, by providing people who are incarcerated with rehabilitative and educational programming.

In some states, cash bail has been eliminated and this measure has seen significant results including lower jail populations, lower re-offense rates for people released on bonds and less jail time for those accused of low-level crimes. These results in states with bail reform laws suggest that bail reform works and serves as inspiration for other states looking to enact similar policies.

Solitary Confinement on youth can be extremely emotionally damaging. The practice is also costly, and can lead to expensive lawsuits. Yet, a slew of states and youth detention centers are trying to reduce the time young people spend in solitary confinement. In the Sacramento Juvenile Detention, one program is doing that.

Little Scandinavia is a pilot project at a Pennsylvania correctional institution that adopts Norway and Sweden's humane and rehabilitative approach to incarceration. The unit emphasizes dignity, normalized living conditions — like the ability to cook and call family members — and dynamic relationships between staff and incarcerated individuals. Early outcomes show improvements in inmate and staff well-being and reduced violence.

Impact Justice’s Homecoming Project helps formerly incarcerated individuals secure housing by pairing them with homeowners renting out a spare bedroom or studio space in their homes. Impact Justice pays the homeowner for six months, providing the formerly incarcerated participant with enough time to rebuild and acclimate to life outside of prison without the burden of paying rent. The Homecoming Project is meant to be an alternative to transitional housing that can sabotage the formerly incarcerated person’s independence.

As a part of the National Bail Out effort in the United States, the Free Black Mamas DMV campaign bails incarcerated women out of jails in the Washington D.C. area in time for Mother’s Day.

The Prisoner Correspondence Project connects LGBTQ2S+ people who are incarcerated in the United States and Canada with pen pals who are not incarcerated. The consistent communication helps combat isolation and improve mental health and rehabilitation outcomes.

Coaches from Northern Illinois University's Project FLEX program facilitate sports matches at youth prisons a few times a week to improve recidivism rates. During huddles, the coaches combine sports with psychology-based lessons to emphasize positive skills and strengths.