ABSTRACT
Following a contextualization of Nordic penal exceptionalism and Norway's engagement with international criminal justice, this chapter proposes three incremental processes through which Norway's positioning as ‘good punishers' can be understood. To conceptualize how Norway positions itself in the international order based on a claim to moral authority, it introduces status-building theories in International Relations. Then, the image of Nordic penal exceptionalism is connected with other Nordic ‘brands' in Norway's foreign policy. The chapter draws on the notion of penal humanitarianism to describe how humanitarian logic is put to use in moving criminal justice beyond the territorially bounded nation state. As such, it sets out an interpretation of Nordic criminal justice as a form of Nordic penal humanitarianism, enabling penal power to be put to use as a form of soft power and positioning in the international order. The chapter concludes by discussing the viability of Nordic penal humanitarianism in an increasingly volatile international order.
