7.7 Cross-Cultural Comparisons
Alexandra Olsen
There are still many issues in our criminal justice system that scholars, community members, and policymakers are trying to address. One way to think about different possibilities for this system is by looking at how other countries have tackled these problems. Using our sociological imagination, we can critically examine our institutions and think more deeply about what we could learn from the different ways crime is addressed around the globe.
Next, we explore three examples of how other countries have addressed criminal justice issues. In these examples, we’ll look at how countries have reformed their systems, effectively addressed recidivism, and created cultures of rehabilitation rather than punishment. In each system, crime is taken seriously, especially violent crime. At the same time, these systems address many of the issues we have examined in the U.S. system.
Policing and Prison in Nordic Countries
Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Sweden, and Norway) have very different systems of policing and imprisonment compared to other wealthy Western nations. While there are differences between each country’s political system, there are many more commonalities in their approach to criminal justice. Foremost, compared to other wealthy Western nations, they have much lower punishment severity, imprisonment rates, and violence rates. The primary focus of these systems is preventing crime from occurring in the first place. When crime does occur, the goal of these systems is to reduce recidivism and restore justice rather than simply punitively punishing an individual for an offense. Nordic countries have strong welfare states. By providing the essential resources that individuals need to survive, fewer individuals turn to criminal activities to make ends meet (Lappi-Seppälä and Tonry 2011). Figure 7.12 shows comparisons between a prison in Iceland and Oregon prisons.
Differences in social policies and lower crime levels between Nordic countries and the United States are not the only factors leading to lower incarceration rates. The structure of the police looks very different in Nordic countries. Unlike in the United States, where police are organized at the state and local levels, all Nordic countries have unified, federally-organized police forces (Lappi-Seppälä and Tonry 2011). From here, the country is divided into police districts that are then overseen by chiefs of police. Police training looks much different in Nordic countries, as well. Police in these countries spend considerably more time being trained and cover topics such as criminological theory, health science, behavioral science, and social work. Use of force against citizens is incredibly low in these countries, with fatal police shootings being rare rather than commonplace, as they are in the United States.
In terms of incarceration, all Nordic countries have abolished the death penalty and only use incarceration for the most