A More Nordic Norway? Examining Prisons in 21st Century Iceland

Abstract

This article seeks to examine the exact status of Iceland in light of the Nordic penal exceptionalism thesis. This thesis considers that punishment in the Nordic countries is fundamentally more benign than that in Anglophone countries (Pratt 2008a, 2008b). Yet from this perspective the remote Nordic country of Iceland remains overlooked. That is unfortunate as, at first sight, there is much to be intrigued about: Iceland's prison rate is very low; Iceland is small and homogeneous which may offer cultural or structural pre‐conditions for a positive penal system. Its penal estate is tiny with a small number of very small prisons. In addition, Iceland has a history of low crime rates and a tradition of lenient sentencing practices. All this makes it interesting to consider whether the penal exceptionalism thesis (Pratt and Eriksson 2011) actually extends to Iceland. To what extent does Iceland fit the Nordic mould of penal practice?

Criminal justice in a small Nordic country: The case of Iceland

“…Prison populations are mixed in terms of age, nationality and type of crime, but relationships between staff and inmates tend to be cordial and positive in Iceland (Pakes, 2020). Moreover, tolerating the long prison waiting list, implicitly suggests little or no discomfort, with many convicts simply going back home after receiving their prison sentence to serve their term several months later (or even a few years later), showing that crime and criminals are, in many cases, not greeted with a toxic mix of fury and fear (Pakes & Gunnlaugsson, 2018). The positive reactions of the justice minister toward the prison commission's proposals are also informative, suggesting a policy tendency toward seeking non-custodial options to solve the waiting list crisis instead of calling for more prison spaces.…”

“…In early 2020, five prisons, in which convicted prisoners served their sentences, were operating in Iceland, with a total of about 200 prison cells (Pakes & Gunnlaugsson, 2018). One of the prisons is located in the Reykjavík vicinity and the others are scattered across various regions of the country -two in Southwest Iceland (Litla-Hraun and Sogn), one in Western Iceland (Kvíabryggja) and one in the largest town of Northern Iceland (Akureyri).…”

The shallow end: Understanding the prisoner experience in Iceland's open prisons

“…Prisoners and staff refer to each other by first name and there is an institutional culture where everyone greets everyone and where, superficially at least, friendliness is the norm. In other words, first impressions very much confirm Nordic exceptionalism (Pakes and Gunnlaugsson, 2018, Pakes, 2020, Pratt, 2008a, 2008b, Pratt and Eriksson, 2014, still bearing in mind critiques of the thesis by, among others Ugelvik and Dullum (2012), Barker (2013), and Scharff Smith and Ugelvik (2017).…”

“…In Iceland, open prisons have existed at least since the 1950s but have received very little scholarly attention (however, see Baldursson (2000) and Gunnlaugsson and Galliher (2000), Pakes and Gunnlaugsson (2018) and Gunnlaugsson (2021) Both open prisons are very small, catering for about 20 prisoners each and run by a small number of staff. A limited number of communal spaces are available such as a kitchen, dining room, TV or games room, a small gym and some outbuildings such as workshops.…”

Old-fashioned Nordic penal exceptionalism: the case of Iceland’s open prisons

“…I had already published on prisons in Iceland (Pakes and Gunnlaugsson, 2018) and had read extensively on Icelandic culture too and had written and published about current events (e.g. Pakes and Gunnlaugsson, 2017). I had visited all prisons in Iceland prior which gave me both credibility and a useful starting point for conversations.…”