Speakers
Jan-Erik Sandlie
Workshop Session
Norway is by many viewed as being in the forefront of correctional services development. The Scandinavian model has gained increased attention in the last decade. Annually we receive many visitors, including colleagues from correctional services around the world, researchers, policy-makers and students. While we firmly stand by our Scandinavian model, we now have to acknowledge that all is not well in “little Scandinavia”. During the last five years the correctional services have encountered increased scrutiny and criticism both from international and national human rights monitoring bodies as well as a number of cases litigated before the domestic courts. All of these have one thing in common, namely pointing in the direction of the fact that our policies, practices and regulatory frameworks are not in line with international human rights standards in several areas. Unlike many other countries, our shortcomings are not related to prison overcrowding or poor prison conditions, but rather to issues such as routine and indiscriminate application of control measures and use of solitary confinement and isolation. We are today in a situation with several lawsuits and demands for compensation from a high number of current and former inmates.
