The Pains of Crimmigration Imprisonment: Perspectives From a Norwegian All-foreign Prison

Abstract

In the second part of his article on Scandinavian exceptionalism, John Pratt identified certain developments that might undermine the exceptional status of Scandinavian prisons and penal culture. A major problem looming on the horizon, according to Pratt, was the effects of globalization on Scandinavian societies. Since then, scholars have claimed that a bifurcation is emerging in the Norwegian correctional system, with humane and inclusive punishments reserved for nationals, while a more exclusionary alternative system is being developed to respond to the perceived challenge represented by foreign nationals. The opening of Norway's first all-foreign prison in 2013 has been seen as part of this trend. In this article, we describe three pains of imprisonment experienced by foreign national prisoners: those of (1) discrimination; (2) long-distance relationships; and (3) deportability. We argue that these are all specifically tied to the prison's status as an allforeign prison.

Bordered penality in the Netherlands: The experiences of foreign national prisoners and prison officers in a crimmigration prison

“…Moreover, foreign national prisoners who are not opposed to return to their country of origin benefit on some levels from the far-reaching integration of punishment and migration control in Ter Apel prison, as it prevents uncertainty and unnecessary time in immigration detention. This is a nuance that has so far remained unexplored in the literature on bordered penality and crimmigration (although see Ugelvik and Damsa, 2018).…”

“…Both Kaufman (2014Kaufman ( , 2015 and Ugelvik and Damsa (2018) have explored more directly the role of bordered penality policies and crimmigration prisons for the experiences of foreign national prisoners. Writing about England & Wales, Kaufman (2014) shows how under the hubs and spokes policy questions of belonging became part of everyday prison life.…”

“…For respondents who wanted to stay in the Netherlands, the threat of deportation was the most important pain they experienced. This is what Ugelvik and Damsa (2018) refer to as the pains of deportability (for a more in-depth discussion of these specific pains of deportation in the context of Ter Apel prison, see: Di Molfetta and Brouwer (2019).…”

The Institutional Hearing Program: A Study of Prison-Based Immigration Courts in the United States

“…More recent research has documented further sorting of prisoners by creating separate wings of prison institutions—or even separate prisons—for noncitizens (Kaufman 2015; Bosworth 2017; Kaufman 2019; Brouwer 2020). All‐immigrant prisons are intended not just to punish, but also to assume the expulsion goals of the immigration system (Ugelvik and Damsa 2018).…”

The pains of being unauthorized in the Netherlands

“…The perceptions of those being subjected to punishment are usually framed as ‘pains’ (Ugelvik and Damsa, 2018). Sykes (1958) introduced these pains to illustrate that prisoners were – despite the abandoning of physical pains – still suffering but now from the deprivation of liberty, goods and services, heterosexual relationships, autonomy and security.…”