In the growing field of comparative criminal justice, the Nordic countries are regularly used as exceptions to the global move towards growing rates of imprisonment and tougher, less welfare-oriented crime-control policies.

Why are the Nordic penal institutions viewed as so different from a non-Nordic vantage point? Are Nordic prisons and penal policies in fact positive exceptions to the general rule? If they are, what exactly are the exceptional qualities, and why are the Nordic societies lucky enough to have them? Are there important overlooked examples of Nordic bad practice in the penal area? Could there be a specifically Nordic way of doing prison research, contributing to the gap between internal and external perspectives?

In considering among others the above questions, this book explores and discusses the Nordic jurisdictions as contexts for the specific penal policies and practices that may or may not be described as exceptional.

Written by leading prison scholars from the Nordic countries as well as selected researchers from the English-speaking world looking in, this book will be particularly useful for students of criminology and practitioners across the Nordic countries, but also of relevance in a wider geographical context.

In the growing field of comparative criminal justice, the Nordic countries are regularly used as exceptions to the global move towards growing rates of imprisonment and tougher, less welfare-oriented crime-control policies.

Why are the Nordic penal institutions viewed as so different from a non-Nordic vantage point? Are Nordic prisons and penal policies in fact positive exceptions to the general rule? If they are, what exactly are the exceptional qualities, and why are the Nordic societies lucky enough to have them? Are there important overlooked examples of Nordic bad practice in the penal area? Could there be a specifically Nordic way of doing prison research, contributing to the gap between internal and external perspectives?

In considering among others the above questions, this book explores and discusses the Nordic jurisdictions as contexts for the specific penal policies and practices that may or may not be described as exceptional.

Written by leading prison scholars from the Nordic countries as well as selected researchers from the English-speaking world looking in, this book will be particularly useful for students of criminology and practitioners across the Nordic countries, but also of relevance in a wider geographical context.

Narrative criminology is an approach to studying crime and other harm that puts stories first. It investigates how such stories are composed, when and why they are told and what their effects are. This edited collection explores the methodological challenges of analysing offenders' stories, but pushes the boundaries of the field to consider the narratives of victims, bystanders and criminal justice professionals. This Handbook reflects the diversity of methodological approaches employed in narrative criminology. Chapters discuss the practicalities of listening to and observing narratives through ethnographic and observational research, and offer accessible guides to using diverse methodological approaches for listening to and interpreting narrative data. With contributions from established and emerging scholars from all over the world, and from diverse fields including politics, psychology, sociology and criminology, the Handbook reflects the cutting edge of narrative methodologies for understanding crime, control and victimisation and is an essential resource for academics studying and teaching on narrative criminology.

Narrative criminology is an approach to studying crime and other harm that puts stories first. It investigates how such stories are composed, when and why they are told and what their effects are. This edited collection explores the methodological challenges of analysing offenders' stories, but pushes the boundaries of the field to consider the narratives of victims, bystanders and criminal justice professionals. This Handbook reflects the diversity of methodological approaches employed in narrative criminology. Chapters discuss the practicalities of listening to and observing narratives through ethnographic and observational research, and offer accessible guides to using diverse methodological approaches for listening to and interpreting narrative data. With contributions from established and emerging scholars from all over the world, and from diverse fields including politics, psychology, sociology and criminology, the Handbook reflects the cutting edge of narrative methodologies for understanding crime, control and victimisation and is an essential resource for academics studying and teaching on narrative criminology.

This book draws on historical and cross-disciplinary studies to critically examine penal practices in Scandinavia. The Nordic countries are often hailed by international observers as 'model societies', with egalitarian welfare policies, low rates of poverty, humane social policies and human rights oriented internal agendas. This book, however, paints a much more nuanced picture of the welfare policies, ideologies and social control in strong centralistic states. Based on extensive new empirical data, leading Nordic and international scholars discuss the relationship between prison conditions in Scandinavia and Scandinavian social policy more generally, and argue that it is not always liberating and constructive to be embraced by a powerful welfare state. This book is essential reading for researchers of state punishment in Scandinavia, and it is highly relevant for anyone interested in the 'Nordic Model' of social policy.

This book draws on historical and cross-disciplinary studies to critically examine penal practices in Scandinavia. The Nordic countries are often hailed by international observers as 'model societies', with egalitarian welfare policies, low rates of poverty, humane social policies and human rights oriented internal agendas. This book, however, paints a much more nuanced picture of the welfare policies, ideologies and social control in strong centralistic states. Based on extensive new empirical data, leading Nordic and international scholars discuss the relationship between prison conditions in Scandinavia and Scandinavian social policy more generally, and argue that it is not always liberating and constructive to be embraced by a powerful welfare state. This book is essential reading for researchers of state punishment in Scandinavia, and it is highly relevant for anyone interested in the 'Nordic Model' of social policy.