TY - JOUR

T1 - Contrasts in freedom

T2 - Comparing the experiences of imprisonment in open and closed prisons in England and Wales and Norway

AU - Mjåland, Kristian

AU - Laursen, Julie

AU - Schliehe, Anna

AU - Larmour, Simon

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2021.

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - Open prisons are portrayed as less harmful custodial institutions than closed prisons, and prison systems that rely more heavily on low security imprisonment are typically considered to have a more humane and less punitive approach to punishment. However, few studies have systematically compared the subjective experiences of prisoners held in open and closed prisons, and no study has yet compared the role and function of open prisons across jurisdictions. Drawing on a survey conducted with prisoners (N = 1082) in 13 prisons in England and Wales and Norway, we provide the first comparative analysis of experiences of imprisonment in closed and open prisons, conducted in countries with diverging penal philosophies (‘neoliberal’ vs. ‘social democratic’). The article documents that open prisons play a much more significant role in Norway than in England and Wales; that prisoners in both countries rate their experience significantly more positively in open compared to closed prisons; and that while imprisonment seems to produce similar kinds of pains in both types of prisons, they are perceived as less severe and more manageable in open prisons. These findings suggest important implications for comparative penology, penal policy, and prison reform.

AB - Open prisons are portrayed as less harmful custodial institutions than closed prisons, and prison systems that rely more heavily on low security imprisonment are typically considered to have a more humane and less punitive approach to punishment. However, few studies have systematically compared the subjective experiences of prisoners held in open and closed prisons, and no study has yet compared the role and function of open prisons across jurisdictions. Drawing on a survey conducted with prisoners (N = 1082) in 13 prisons in England and Wales and Norway, we provide the first comparative analysis of experiences of imprisonment in closed and open prisons, conducted in countries with diverging penal philosophies (‘neoliberal’ vs. ‘social democratic’). The article documents that open prisons play a much more significant role in Norway than in England and Wales; that prisoners in both countries rate their experience significantly more positively in open compared to closed prisons; and that while imprisonment seems to produce similar kinds of pains in both types of prisons, they are perceived as less severe and more manageable in open prisons. These findings suggest important implications for comparative penology, penal policy, and prison reform.

KW - comparative penology

KW - Nordic exceptionalism

KW - Open prisons

KW - pains of imprisonment

U2 - 10.1177/14773708211065905

DO - 10.1177/14773708211065905

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85122138427

VL - 20

SP - 1641

EP - 1662

JO - European Journal of Criminology

JF - European Journal of Criminology

SN - 1477-3708

IS - 5

ER -