Following its success at the State Correctional Institution in Chester, the original “Little Scandinavia” program is expanding to three additional prisons, writes Zack Hoopes for the Harrisburg Patriot-News.
The news follows concerns raised two years ago, when state lawmakers worried the Delaware County unit would be shuttered after the initial grant-funded research period had expired.
Instead, “we are expanding into three other institutions,” said DOC Secretary Laurel Harry.
At SCI Chester, the Little Scandinavia housing unit provides single-occupancy rooms and open common areas. Individuals housed there are called residents rather than inmates and can navigate the living area freely, cook their meals in a communal kitchen, manage their laundry, and share responsibilities for cleaning and other tasks. Staff are encouraged to engage with residents as mentors instead of maintaining the traditional guard-versus-prisoner dynamic.
Researchers at Drexel University and the University of Oslo, Norway, developed the program in 2019. By 2022, it was operational in Chester. The goal is to test whether the Scandinavian prison model can be adapted in the United States.
Results were overwhelmingly positive, with staff and residents less stressed, violence nearly eliminated, and released individuals reporting smoother reintegration.
Read more about the project in the Harrisburg Patriot-News.
