The challenge
Many people leave prison without skills or work and quickly reoffend.
The case
Norway's prisons emphasize rehabilitation: small units, well-trained officers, education and job training, and a gradual move to lower-security settings before release. Researchers used the random assignment of cases to judges who differ in how often they imprison people to measure the effect. They found that imprisonment in Norway reduced the chance of reoffending and increased employment among people who had been out of work before prison, largely through job training. Using random judge assignment, the researchers estimated that imprisonment cut the probability of reoffending by 29 percentage points over five years.
Why it worked
Prison can reduce crime when the time is used to prepare people for work and life outside. The approach costs more per prisoner than in many countries.
Sources
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