Great piece. I’d assign it if I was still teaching courses on Crime Policy
My only issue, while the age variable is mentioned, I think it explains more than the article implies.
If we look at age specific crime rates we can see that most crime is committed by younger people. The curve is quite steep until about age 24 (the last time I look…
Great piece. I’d assign it if I was still teaching courses on Crime Policy
My only issue, while the age variable is mentioned, I think it explains more than the article implies.
If we look at age specific crime rates we can see that most crime is committed by younger people. The curve is quite steep until about age 24 (the last time I looked) and then drops for most crimes. Wherever there is reliable data cross culturally, we see the same basic pattern. While this is less clear for expressive crime, the modal category is still below 25. So if Norway, because it has relatively short sentences probably releases many more people in their 20’s, has this low a recidivism rate, something must be going on.
Maybe age is the most effective type of rehabilitation?
For those of us who do not like sentencing and prison policy in the US it is troubling that we see the uncomfortable fact that because of the age variable the longer people stay in prison, the less likely they are to commit serious violence crimes after being released. If the age of prisoners released in Norway is much lower than in the US, all other things being equal, we should expect a much higher recidivism rate.
I doubt this can be explained by what happens in prison. I'd rather look at what kinds of supports there are for inmates when they leave prison
Another difference is that in the US is perceived rehabilitation and behavior in prison can often impact the length of a sentence, while in the Scandinavian model perceived rehabilitation is more likely to impact the level of custody rather than the length of a sentence. Declining levels of custody and partial release may be making the transition back into society more effective places like Norway. There is evidence that for substance abuse offenders it appears that what happens in that transition period has a great impact on recidivism than what goes on on a prison setting.
I doubt what happens in prison determines the differences in recidivism rates. Because age explains so much about offense rates, comparing recidivism by age cohort would probably tell us more about how system compare and what works and what does not.
Great piece. I’d assign it if I was still teaching courses on Crime Policy
My only issue, while the age variable is mentioned, I think it explains more than the article implies.
If we look at age specific crime rates we can see that most crime is committed by younger people. The curve is quite steep until about age 24 (the last time I looked) and then drops for most crimes. Wherever there is reliable data cross culturally, we see the same basic pattern. While this is less clear for expressive crime, the modal category is still below 25. So if Norway, because it has relatively short sentences probably releases many more people in their 20’s, has this low a recidivism rate, something must be going on.
Maybe age is the most effective type of rehabilitation?
For those of us who do not like sentencing and prison policy in the US it is troubling that we see the uncomfortable fact that because of the age variable the longer people stay in prison, the less likely they are to commit serious violence crimes after being released. If the age of prisoners released in Norway is much lower than in the US, all other things being equal, we should expect a much higher recidivism rate.
I doubt this can be explained by what happens in prison. I'd rather look at what kinds of supports there are for inmates when they leave prison
Another difference is that in the US is perceived rehabilitation and behavior in prison can often impact the length of a sentence, while in the Scandinavian model perceived rehabilitation is more likely to impact the level of custody rather than the length of a sentence. Declining levels of custody and partial release may be making the transition back into society more effective places like Norway. There is evidence that for substance abuse offenders it appears that what happens in that transition period has a great impact on recidivism than what goes on on a prison setting.
I doubt what happens in prison determines the differences in recidivism rates. Because age explains so much about offense rates, comparing recidivism by age cohort would probably tell us more about how system compare and what works and what does not.
again a thought provoking article
Thanks for the comment. And you make some good points.