The Scandinavian Prison Project: Implementing Scandinavian Correctional Policies in the United States (PID094)

9am – 9.45am EDT, 26 October 2022 ‐ 45 mins

Plenary

The Scandinavian Prison Project (SPP) is focused on an ongoing, international collaboration between the correctional services in Pennsylvania and Scandinavia. A unique, fully-transformed housing unit, inspired by correctional officer's trips abroad, opening in May of 2022. This presentation reports on the development process, collaborations and preliminary impacts on prison climate.

Speakers

George M. Little

Acting Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, USA

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Dr. Jordan Hyatt

Associate Professor, Drexel University, USA

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Martin Gillå

Head of Office for International Affairs, Swedish Prison and Probation Service, Sweden

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George M. Little

Acting Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, USA

Mr. Little currently is serving as Acting Secretary at the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (DOC) beginning October 2021. Prior to that he served as the Executive Deputy Secretary of Community Corrections and Reentry since September of 2017 after previously serving as DOC’s Director of Community Corrections since 2016. Mr. Little brings with him over 30 years of leadership experience in the public sector, which includes strategic planning, operations, budgeting, and management.

Prior to returning home to his Pennsylvania roots, Mr. Little served the state of Tennessee in various capacities for 26 years. There he served as Regional Probation Director, Warden and Commissioner Tennessee Department of Corrections, as well as Director of the Shelby County Tennessee Division of Corrections. Between periods of corrections service, Mr. Little served as Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Memphis, Tennessee. While serving there, he was responsible for oversight of the Memphis Police and Fire Departments, the Second Chance program and Workforce Development.

Mr. Little has a gift and passion for public speaking on a wide range of subjects to include motivation, leadership, organizational change strategies, and government management.

In his spare time, he serves on the Board of the National Police Foundation and is an associate member of the Correctional Leaders Association. He is also a mentor in the Kappa Alpha Psi Guideright program, sings with various choral groups and enjoys live music.

Dr. Jordan Hyatt

Associate Professor, Drexel University, USA

Jordan M. Hyatt is an associate professor in the Department of Criminology and Justice Studies, and serves as director of the Center for Public Policy, at Drexel University. Hyatt’s research in corrections and reentry focuses on the evaluation of innovative criminal justice interventions with an emphasis on randomized experiments. Through the program assessments with strong partnerships with practitioners, Hyatt works to develop effective and actionable criminal justice policies. Hyatt’s work is relevant for agencies with policy agendas focused on improving reintegration, public safety, and implementing evidence-based policies.

Martin Gillå

Head of Office for International Affairs, Swedish Prison and Probation Service, Sweden

Martin Gillå is a peace and conflict graduate from Uppsala University with extensive experiences in various management roles within the Swedish Prison and Probation Service over the last 15 years. He has experience in working in both remand prison and prison and for the last 10 years been working at HQ level. He is the Head of Office for International Affairs within the Swedish Prison and Probation Service, responsible for the international development cooperation and the engagement in peace operations, including spearheading the work in the Group of Friends of Corrections in Peacekeeping. He was seconded to UNDP in New York as Corrections Specialist supporting the Global Focal Point for Rule of Law during 2019-2020.