ABSTRACT
The Scandinavian penal-welfare model has been held up by many as an ideal. Much research has been done on the exceptional nature of imprisonment in the Nordic countries, both in terms of sentence length and prison conditions. Scandinavian prisons are routinely described as more humane, constructive, and welfare oriented than prisons elsewhere. But how much do we really know about the full extent of the rehabilitation and resettlement journey in Scandinavia? This chapter examines how the ideal resettlement pathway should work in Norway before highlighting what we know and, importantly, do not know about what actually happens after release from prison. In particular, the implications of very short prison sentences and the evolving role of post-release support and supervision are examined in order to highlight the challenges of providing seamless ‘through the gate’ provision even in the context of a strong Scandinavian welfare state. We also discuss possible reasons for the surprising lack of research-based knowledge about the release and re-entry process in Scandinavia.
