Only problem being it has to reflect the life outside the prisons as well, so what makes perfectly sense in Scandinavia, might not make sense in the US.
Sooo happy my father was one of the six who was picked and I will continue to pray that one day he will be released 🙏🏾great job guys 💯❤️ #FreeArnettCarter
Im glad living in a country like Norway, US prisons are hell compared. Can't be easy for family of the inmates either knowing how bad the situations are in the prison
Crossing my fingers that this project didn't die during covid, and that we can hopefully see the rest and follow-up on some of these guys when it's all done.
The creator said on Twitter that it has started up again in May this year! So hopefully it all goes well for everyone and we get some updates afterwards.
I hope this project was able to get back one track once the lockdown was called off. Amazing work. I've been waiting for someone to bring over Nordic prison ideals to the American system. This is awesome. I really hope it continued!!
When this comes out where will we be able to stream it? On youtube? I look forwoard to see it. I hope this is the start of a big change in all of USA. Maybe in some years they won’t have as many reaftenders as they do now. As a Norwegian i am so happy to see someone trying this out. Yes, they have done something wrong, but they are still human and should be treated like humans. The CO’s would like their work alot better too.
@@starkjoI have tried to find information and I hope you will respond, but is this even available to an American audience? The only place I find it available is in Sweden or Finland…
@@inteallsviktigt Hey, yes, this will eventually be published in the US! We are not yet aware of the date, but it will happen - hope that it's rather sooner than later :)
@@starkjo thank you, as I live in Sweden and have been talking warmly about the documentary and recommended people to watch it, but being unable to find a source for them to watch or even mind blowing scenes such as How US prison guards handles an agitated inmate compared to how it’s handled in the Scandinavian system. I have to ask do I have the consent to upload scenes/ snippets from the show to RUclips, and is there any research paper that have been published/ preprints in the public domain?
2:27 The sign above the prison reads "Kriminalomsorgen", which translates into something like "The criminal care (department)" (-en for masc, definitive, "omsorg" also used in cases like "parental care" ("foreldreomsorg"))
Just read about this is the news here in Norway... I'm so happy to see you are actually looking into this now.. I'm so glad your ready to learn new ways. There is a better way.. I hope your project here goes great =) Love from Norway. ❤ =)
My neice!!! I love you bean !! I'm so happy you were chosen to be one to go to Norway!! You are beautiful and a smart shining star..i love you and am beyond proud ❤omg!"Paige! I love you. Look at you! You did great.the things you said about sitting having a normal meal together .I loved the most.. so proud ❤.
"The United States is known for one thing, and that's doing stuff better" around 7:30. That's not the mentality mate, and that's not what you're known for. Rehabilitation isn't a competition. Remove the stress and try to create a safe environment for your inmates...
Doing stuff better !? Like your medical system? Your oversized fatty sugary meals? Prison system? Care for the homeless? etc etc etc. That guy really needed to see something beyond the US..
That is the most American thing I have ever heard. Their imaginary supremacy and patriotism on every level in society is what hinder them from development..
I'm so proud to have been a part of something so revolutionary. I can't wait to see the finished product. Thank you, John, and the rest of the SVT team!
@@starkjo So sad to see that it was put on hold b/c of the Corona virus.. Do you know if they're back in "little Scandinavia" by now? Love your work, thank you!
@@emilygreberman76548 months later and I got the reply I needed.. :) Thank you very much, looking forward to the release! :) Happy holidays to you all!
@jellybeanx489 The program is still going, and seems to be working really well with no violence on the unit this far. delco.today/2024/04/little-scandinavia-chester-sci/
I am so thankful and greatfull that they decided to do this in the US. I'm looking forward to seeing much needed change in our judicial system. People do change and grow, especially after decades,I know the six men that were picked for this documentary, all great men - one of them is my brother and I couldn't be anymore prouder, I continue to pray for the release back to society not only for my brother but for all the men and women I have met throughout the years that have turned the corner many years ago , they have matured,grown, became educated,became educators and mentors- they have so much more to give to society and I believe it's going to happen.Thank you , this is going to be Avery powerful documentary.
I've watched the Norden a couple of times, just watched the prison one with the longer followup this weekend with my fiance. So this trailer comes with perfect timing. Both she and I are politicians though I'm a bit more involved as I'm a deputy mayor in a Swedish municipality. I've followed American politics for a long time and I love this project. If I may come with a little bit of advice though, try to find ways that Norden might improve too. We are not a the world's best and could also learn from others. Thank you very much. Tusen tack! I write this in English so others may understand ;)
Tack for watching, and for sharing your thoughts, we appreciate it. In no way are we suggesting that the Nordic or Scandinavian incarceration practices and values are faultless; there is no reason for us to do so. What this series is exploring is how some of the practices and values that actually work in Scandinavia will work in a US setting. The advice you're offering is valuable and sincerely constructive, but I don't think we will touch upon those questions in this series. We have had thoughts about something similar in other ideas we're working on though ;)
@@starkjo I hope you take it as a positive feedback. I was more thinking about the other parts of "the Norden". My point is that this exchange of knowledge is a two way street. It would be good to see what our counterparts learned too. I sincerely hope you continue with this type of documentary. Do you have any external funding, like patreon?
@@nahiag I absolutely take your feedback constructively, and appreciate you suggesting that! We do have thoughts regarding continuing on the path that we laid with "The Norden" format, and have plenty of ideas for that ;) These things take a long time to produce though! As representatives of public service, we do not have external funding in the Patreon sense.
One thing i'm looking forward to is to see a "full length" the reaction/feedback of the US correctional officers of the nordern system while being in norway
Hey, thanks for watching! The full documentary episodes will have plenty of the experiences that the American COs and management had during their three-week stay in Scandinavia.
I love seeing this kind of thing, it gives me hope for a better world. It is a shame the pandemic got in the way but I look forward to seeing more of this even if not the full thing. I have been a believer of rehabilitation for a long time and seeing it actually happening and the positives come out is just amazing.
Oh wow, now this is a show I'm really interested in watching, especially as a Swede. Now this seems to be done in Norway but it's quite similar to in Sweden anyway. In general I think our way of doing it is good, not perfect probably, but still in general right. Most people who go to prison after all aren't serial killers or something, they're people who sometime got into the wrong path and the wrong crowd, maybe drugs, and of course poverty. Such people can generally be rehabilitated if they get the right treatment and help. But it's not only inside prison though, there also needs to be help a while after imo, because often if they spent their lifes amongst other criminals, that's often the only people they know on the outside, the only environment familiar. Some sort of help to stay away from those crowds again, to start up a new life the right way, is also necessary really. There is an organization here in Sweden called KRIS which helps people who just got out of prison with that- not the worst criminals like murderers, but the rest. I remember we had I think two guys from that organization at our class once in junior high to speak to us, and they spoke about how they used to be in some sort of gang or something like that, doing burglaries and such, and then went to jail and how the organization helped them out of it, to stay away from that same crowd which was the only one they knew. And now they were in that organization helping others out as well. That was a long time ago, I'm 28 soon. But I remember that quite well. And I think it's something that also we still often fail at, and thus here as well some people fall back into the same crowds, unfortunately. Of course there are also those who don't really want the help I guess.
Thanks for watching! Sweden will most likely also be included in the documentary series in the form of Anstalten Kumla; some of the management from SCI Chester visited Kumla during their trip to Scandinavia last year, and we were there with them.
Yes it is a problem. I have on occasion met people on the subway in Oslo, who just got out of prison. I remember one guy in particular who was really frustrated and worried. He had begged them to give him a sleeping bag, so he could go to the forrest and sleep there at night. He said he really, really did not want to go to a hospits because as he said he was trying to kick a drug habit and there everybody was doing drugs. He said it would make it impossible for him to get clean. It made me think that even though we may do better than the US, we still have a lot of problems to sort out in our prison system.
@@povelvieregg165 To be frank, they should be moved out of Oslo and into the regions. You need to spread them out and to help them go back into society, even after release. There must be follow-up if the released wants it! Not everybody has family to help them.
Thanks for the kind words Amir! These things take a long time to make, and will continue to do so ;) But we will be publishing more content about this project on this channel, so 'notifications on'!
I think these people are so brave for e willing to do such drastic changes after beeing in scandinavia. I totally understand that the challenges of doing changes and reforms so drastically different in a culture so far from what they are used to is just to be cheered. Godd on u. I hope the program gets back on track and that the effects will be positive. Love from Norway. ,
When the guard said how he can't wait to show up the Norwegians and do things better it really struck me. It seems like Americans can never just celebrate other people's achievements and feel happy unless they can one up them somehow. That mentality right there is how you kill empathy for your fellow human beings. Other peoples misery becomes your succes.
He was quite clearly joking tho.. I mean come on, in the end they realised they could learn something and then implemented parts of it. We nordics need to drop the inferiority complex already.
Not at all. That is the entrepreneurship of America. That is what takes things further and makes things even better. It's the backbone of the US economy. It's the American Dream, to make the best job possible.
@@fdk7014 it was half a joke, like friendly competition. It was to show that they take this serious, and wish to excell with what they learned. I'm happy they feel like this, it's an important step in changing officers mentality regarding how they look at inmates, and how to treat them in order to make a lasting change. And that is the goal of this project I thought.
I completely agree with you. I thought the same thing, and I am American. There is a tendency to think we can do things better than everyone else, which limits our openness to and appreciation for what others can offer, as well as separates us from the collective human experience. It might be the spirit of entrepreneurship; it is also the spirit of colonialism and “one-up-ism”. Rather than jumping in competitively with our American egos and try to better the Norwegian system, let’s try jumping in with a spirit of humility and openness to learn and join the Norwegian system instead.
Hi John. I just watched all 3 episodes of the series. Fantastic work, I really enjoyed it. Are there any plans to potentially revisit Little Scandinavia in a few years and have a followup?
Hey boskee, thanks for your kind words, really appreciate it! We would very much like to do a follow-up at some point. At this stage nothing is confirmed though - there are many uncertain parameters in a process like that. But we'll see!
Hey Haakon, we still have one more filming session left, which will most likely take place in early 2023, and after that some editing. It looks like the three-part documentary about Little Scandinavia will be released in the late spring of 2023. The exact date is TBD (not up to us), but it will at least be released in the Nordic countries, Europe and North America.
Considering the US in so many ways prides itself to be a devoutly Christian country it's strange that the Golden Rule seems so foreign to so many people there, especially in the penal system.
Compassionate and humane societies like Norway (with its very low recidivism rates) has very little to do with a monotheistic desert religion as the one you are referring to (I assume christianity). Have a look at how we have organized our society and you'll see that religion is not a very central part of it. Make an honest attempt to make science, education, health care and equal opportunities core values of your system - and odds are that you will greatly benefit from it.
YES! It makes me so happy that you try to become better. Hopefully it will look like that everywhere in America soon. It's so weird seing the American guards be so shocked about something that is just normal in Denmark and many other countries. The inmates here have "weapons" like pans, because the guards chose to show that they trust them not to use it. And they don't use them as weapons. If someone breaks them, the other inmates becomes mad, because noone can cook food on pans after then. I can't imagine not having had an oven for 31 years.
As a Norwegian I am just curious how well known it is outside of Scandinavia or how on earth you chanced upon videos of Scandinavian correction system? I lived in the US for a year and I cannot remember anyone knowing the first thing about Scandinavia except perhaps blonde girls or something.
This was absolutely beautiful, and I hope more American prisons get on board with the Nordic rehabilitative approach. We’ve tried the “tough on crime” approach for close to (if not over) a half century, and it hasn’t worked. Well over ninety percent of prisoners are eventually going to be let out of prison, and when they are, we want them to be peaceful and productive members of society. I also hope America adopts other aspects of the Scandinavian model - e.g., by investing more in education and taking a more aggressive approach to reducing poverty. Both of these will make American society safer. We owe it not only to our generation, but future generations, to create a safer society for us all.
I like the fact that they put the Norwegian coat of arms on the wall (seen at 16:37), the yellow lion on a red shield with a crown on top, would be nice if every block got their own Scandinavian coat of arms, so instead of block alpha, bravo, Charlie etc. It could be block Norway, Sweden, Denmark etc. With each coat of arms.
I really can't wait to see how this develops in the future. I'm a Dane, so I haven't experienced the US correctional Facilities personally, but I sure have seen a lot of documentaries about it. I think this could potenially be a game charger for the us on the long wrong. If ofc executed properly.
I am so excited that they are doing this in Pennsylvania , also excited that my brother was one picked to participate . Unfortunately COVID has put this on hold and we are all waiting patiently for the unit to open back up. YOU THINK IT WILL Happen soon?
Marcie, we have no information whatsoever on when the unit might reopen, but we're following the situation closely, and are looking forward to continuing to follow the project. Your brother is a gentleman.
It’s not just prison system that needs to be changed. US society also needs to change. Even if a prisoner does everything they are supposed to do, society still shuns them when they get out. They are not eligible for decent jobs, in some cases they can’t even vote. There are entire job sectors they are shut out of. How do we expect ex-cons to change and become productive part of society if we don’t allow them to? Are we more interested in revenge than repentance?
Hey Joel, thanks for the questions. The documentary will consist of 3 episodes á 60 minutes, and it is unclear when we will be able to finish it - everything depends on the pandemic and when it will allow the Little Scandinavia project to continue. Right now we believe that the final documentary series will be published in the spring of 2022. I believe it will be available in the US; working on it.
I'm so excited to see the outcome of this project, through this channel, in the not so distant future because I believe there is quite a bit of data that shows how much better this model is compared to the current model. Now that the data is being generated from a US prison, I will be much more difficult for deniers to believe this model cannot be implemented in US soil.
Ivan Avila, absolutely. As a Norwegian who has lived in the US I have often tried convincing Americans of our system, but it is really hard. My experience with Americans is that seeing is believing. Few people seem to believe the Nordic system works. You actually have to experience it yourself. My brother had a conservative American Republican as a teacher in Norway. Or rather he was when he came to Norway. The guy admitted that prior to coming to Norway he had always dismissed the kinds of things we do here as practical or workable. But living here and seeing it made him change. I mean I see the same with my American wife. She was pretty anti-government and anti-taxes when she came. Now she is like this Norway fan-girl and has gone way more leftist than me. For her a lot of its was because she had kids here and was just blown away by the health care system. She was like "I see the point of taxes here, because I get so much stuff from the government." And I think her perspective on government changed a lot because she felt government was more there to help you than get you. It is a lot of the little things, like experiencing the tax return arriving filled out in her government issued electronic mailbox in tax season, for her to just look over and click okay. I suppose that is a problem with a government that tries to be as minimal as possible where it only deals with policing, military etc. Then you feel government is really only ever there to get you, and not to actually help you with anything.
@@povelvieregg165 "I suppose that is a problem with a government that tries to be as minimal as possible where it only deals with policing, military etc. Then you feel government is really only ever there to get you, and not to actually help you with anything." For YEARS, I have said that Americans would more willing to pay taxes if A.) They actually got something in return for their investment and B.) Corporations & the super rich paid their fair share, so that working people wouldn't have to pay a disproportionate amount. The services that are beneficial to working people and are mostly tax funded (fire & police departments, public schools)....the taxes that pay for these services are often obtained from many different forms of tax payments that are "snuck in" by politicians who scream "TAX CUTS!". The first thing they do is drastically cut taxes even more for corporations and the super rich. Then working people's "tax cuts" are $1 or $2 a week. Then state and local governments will raise other forms of taxes that working people pay the bulk of: sales taxes, housing taxes, they'll start taxing things that shouldn't be taxed (like electricity and water), they'll make people pay "bonds" on their houses or whatever, (these "bonds" are actually taxes, but Americans don't mind them as much because they're not called "taxes" and they know that money goes straight to the services we use) etc. Then these taxes fund the services we need. What do we get for the federal taxes we pay? Jets and Bombs to drop on poor black and brown people halfway across the world, $20,000 hammers for the military, military weapons for local police, Trump's golf games, prisons that are so vile and abusive that they shouldn't even exist, and let's not forget.....the "money cannons" that shovel trillions of dollars to corporations (who use it to buy back their own stocks to artificially their returns for wealthy investors), Wall Street, billionaires, etc. It's kind of like a "reverse socialism": A redistribution of wealth that takes from non-wealthy citizens and gives it to the richest people and most profitable corporations in the country (and some corps that aren't even in the US). Americans are brainwashed into believing that the US is the best place on earth and everywhere else is horrible. Many think that countries like Norway pay 90% of their income in taxes, and that its citizens also don't receive any personal benefit from the taxes they pay. When they discover that taxes paid in other countries go to...say healthcare....they'll insist that the "government controlled" healthcare in those countries is terrible and kills people (which is rather ironic, considering that the US healthcare system is the most expensive in the world.....and the worst among developed nations. One possible cure would be for working people in the US to travel to these other countries and see for themselves. Problem with that? A.) Trans Atlantic plane tickets are unaffordable for probably 80% of Americans B.) In the US, "paid vacation" (or "holiday") is pretty much unheard of. And many Americans have to work 2+ jobs just to pay for the basics like food and shelter. If they somehow got the $ to buy the plane ticket, they wouldn't get paid for the time they are away from work...and for people who often run out of money well BEFORE the next paycheck, not getting a paycheck for a week or 2 would be devastating. Not to mention that many employers will terminate employees for missing work. Bottom line? The US is an empire in rapid decline. The younger generations are quickly figuring out how bad things are and the brainwashing doesn't work on most of them. When someone tries to tell young people here that European healthcare is dangerous and awful, those young people can easily find information online that shows the superiority of European style healthcare, where no one goes bankrupt from medical bills. And with the 2 "choices" for our next President, things are not likely to improve.
@@kristijarrett318 > When someone tries to tell young people here that European healthcare is dangerous and awful, those young people can easily find information online It is hard though because places like FOX spread so many lies about Nordic health care system e.g. or other European systems which I see American conservatives parrot all the time. A lot of poor Americans don't seem to know what to believe. Those of us who actually live in this system, our voices are just drowned out by the crazies. Almost every time I try to give detailed factual information about how health care, and the economic and political system in Norway works, some American conservative begins to lecture me and tell me I am wrong. Despite NEVER having even visistd Norway. Not even able to read the language. But because he saw some right wing propaganda about Norway he declares himself an expert. I have just been repeatedly shocked by the arrogance and cockyness of American conservatives. They seem to think they know everything best. Some of us actually voluntared for the Bernie Sanders campaing. And made calls for him. I think many here felt that they had a unique opportunity to tell Americans first hand how the system he advocates actually works for the people who experience it.
Hey Hugh, thanks for the kind words, we appreciate it. The three-part documentary series will be published in 2021; the specific date is TBD because of the pandemic. Where the series will be broadcast and/or published is still not confirmed, with the exception of the Nordic countries. We will in any case publish some content on this channel during the upcoming months.
Mr. Hemlig We’re aiming for a release during 2021 - but due to challenges and delays caused by covid-19 it’s difficult to be more precise at this stage. We want to finish and publish this three-part documentary series as quickly as possible, but on the other hand we must work on it until we have everything that the story needs. Thanks for your patience and interest!
The nordic series the norwegian officer visited a prison in Pittsburgh, i think, that had taken som ideas from Halden prison. Is there any follow up about that prison?
Hi John stark it was so good to finally meet you on May 5th, I wish I would have had more time to talk with you ,it was amazing to meet you, the research team and all the staff. I pray that this documentary opens many new doors for positive change here for all . Thank you for your work and your dedication. Stay safe and God bless. Marcie Marra
I'm curious how far the rehabilitative mindset goes in Scandinavian society. In US schools we also implement a punishment system with detention, suspension, expulsion and often labeling those kids the "bad kids," similar to how these people who are incarcerated are viewed. Do they use more rehabilitative practices in the Scandinavian school system?
@@Bryanth29 We don't have any proper punishment in school either. No detention, at school or at home (for most people). We have some system like that in elementary school, but as i remember it kids who couldn't, or wouldn't, behave in class were simply put in the hallway to calm down. Some that were more old-fashioned could decide that you had to sit for 5-10 ekstra minutes after school has ended, but they can't/couldn't hold you up any longer as for some kids that would mean you would miss your buss etc. We had more of a reward system, that if you behave and do good you get a star by your name (they had put up a list), and if you had a set amount of stars to your name you and also maybe the rest of the class (if they also behave well) could get some reward (could be a school trip etc.). We didn't have suspension or expulsion but you could get sent to the principal, (let's just put it like this, if you had gotten expelled from school in norway, you must have done something really, really, really bad). You are conscidered too old for these kinds of punishment-reward systems the moment you begin to attend secondary school, which is from when you're 12/13-15, as elmentary school is from when you''re 6-12/13. In elementary school, and a little bit in secondary, we have certain responsibiliies like taking out the trash, cleaning the floor of the classroom (we are assigned one classroom each year, which you will attend the whole year), pick up and deliver milk/fruit to the rest of the class etc. We switch whos responsible for that each week (usually two-and two together). In high school we have none of that (as it's not considered necessary). High school is more similar to going to going college in the us as you can take all sorts of classes depending on which direction you want to go, for example: media & communication, general studies (for people who's not sure or want a higher education), health, restaurant-and-food, service and travel, athletics etc. Some also move out of their home and move closer to the school to take classes if the school you go to is too far away from home. So it's not weird to have a bunch of 16-yar old that live alone or far from home.
Bryanth29, I could give you some answers although there is a lot I don't know. I am Norwegian and married to an American. I have lived and studied in the US for about a year, so I have some exposure to the different ideas and attitudes. In general I would say American society is just more rules and punishment oriented. Norwegian society is much more about teaching self control and autonomy. In the US I feel it is to a greater degree assumed that you cannot be behaved and must be policed and controlled. I remember in high school we had American teenagers on exchange. They explained the concept of "public display of affection." They said you could not really hug, kiss etc in their school. That may have changed in the US now. This was back in the 90s. But it goes to show some difference. For us this was unthinkable. People had boyfriends and girlfriends in high school and they where always hugging and kissing each other. Norwegian school also don't have that strict boundaries as I get the impression American schools have. When my kids start elementary school, one of the first things they are taught is about "the invisible fences." In pre-school there is a fence for safety reasons. Kids at that age can easily get lost. However in elementary school you are expected to understand how far you are allowed to go. Most Norwegian schools are surrounded by forests. That is a deliberate choice to offer play areas. I remember in my own time in elementary school that we always went a little bit further than we where allowed. But we never really overstepped this boundary far. I also remember my time in American University, that we where far more controlled that what we where accustomed to in Europe in general. I have studied in the Netherlands and Norway as well. Boys and girls sharing an apartment is normal. Where I studied in the US, there was pretty strict gender separation at the dormitories. Alcohol was strictly forbidden and they had people patrolling the hallways. That would be unthinkable in Norway. You are expected to self-regulate. But that is also easier because you live in something more akin to an apartment and often more gender and age mixed. When I lived in the US I was surprised by how immature American teenagers where. But the more I got to know them and stayed over at their house, the better I understood why. Their lives where extremely controlled even at home. They where not accustomed to regulating and controlling themselves. My wife told me about the normal American rule of keeping the door partly open if you had a visitor of opposite gender. Scandinavian parents generally accept that their children have girl friends, boyfriends etc and that yes they may end up having sex. Scandinavian parents are more into teaching responsibility rather than setting up lots of bans. I know I am not entirely answering your question about the school system. But it is partly because how the school works is so heavily intervowen with how the whole rest of society works. Many of my family members have been teachers. And one of the problems in our society is probably that there is so few options for sanctions for teachers. Punishment is really frowned upon but we may have taken this thinking a bit too far. We also have the problem that we try to integrate far too many people into normal classes that don't fit in there. People with serious disabilities or mental problems which probably should have been in a more speciality school.We used to do that before, but the Norwegian attitude is to make life as normal as possible for everyone, no matter how much of an outlier you are. It is a laudable goal but it can come at the expense of everybody else. Other kids may not get the teaching they need, because one kid is disrupting the class too much. We certainly don't have all the answer. Where I live there is a middle school with a lot of minorities. At their elementary school 60% are minorities and that school is actually very well run IMHO. My kids have a good time there. They put a lot of effort into developing social skills, friendships etc. These is a much stronger push today than when I went to school about how to learn to get along and be friends with each other. However at middle school I feel the problems have just gotten too big. But we must be doing something things right. I think in a world wide ranking, Norway is rated as having the lowest level of bullying. I think part of this due to the emphasis placed on human development rather than just academic development. I noticed when comparing my children's pre-school programs with that of wife's relatives' kids' preschool, the American one seemed much more focused on academic achievement. I think the Norwegian thinking is that you cannot perform well academically if you don't function well socially. If you are bullied, don't get along well with other people etc then your school performance will suffer as well.
Fantastic really, I love how they react to the changes both for the inmates and staff and I really hope that this works. However I do fear that for many inmates its ... to put it blunt, might be too late for the change that we might expect of them... I understand that there is a selection to get into this part of the prison and it is a start ofcourse, I definitly hope it works and I think it would work best on some type of inmates rather than other.... think that we do have a different mindset here in Scandinavia vs. USA even when it comes to criminals.
Thanks for watching and for your comment! Actually, one central point for the whole project is that, if it’s succesful, it should be transferrable and adaptable to other correctional facilities. That leads to the selection of inmates: in order for this to be representative of any correctional facility (in this case in Pennsylvania), there is a basically a lottery, where a few of all eligible inmates are randomly picked to participate and thus live in the Little Scandinavia unit. The randomness is important, so that the selected inmates are not the best behaving ones, since that would not necessarily represent the inmate population. As one of the makers of this documentary, I do want to stress that I am by no means the expert on this though :) We aim to include some results of this experiment in the actual documentary series, aimed for publishing in 2021, so stay tuned!
arcticblue248, see what I am thinking is that one way of winning over the American public on this is not necessarily by showing big improvements on the prisoners themselves but a big improvement for the prison guards. This is often forgotten when discussing the prison system. People go "Oh they don't deserve better, why should they be treated nice!" But as we can see from various interviews, the harshness of the American prison system is really taxing on the prison guards as well. You see the interviews with the Norwegian prison guards in one of the other documentaries and they talk about how they actually like their job and feel rewarded by feeling they are making a difference in somebody's life. Barking orders and hitting people with a stick cannot feel very rewarding unless you are a sadist. I think American prison guards would want to feel that their job is making a difference. That they are doing something good for somebody else. The Scandinavian concept of dynamic safety also seems like something that would benefit prison guards. By working much closer on prisoners and getting to know them better. They will be able to more quickly sense when things are off. But most likely things will not be off as much. I have seen ex-cons from e.g. Britain speak of visiting Norwegian prisons, and what they remark on is how much more calm people are. The normal punishment oriented prisons create a lot of tension and acting out. It is not a very safe feeling environment. People are put on the edge and can easily snap.
The current system is starting to show how poorly it performs against other imprisonment methods used around the world and people are starting to realize it. I am certain that when more people become aware of how much better this model is, with a significantly lower cost, they will start demanding their taxpayer money be used in a more reasonable way. The only thing making it hard to implement really are corrupt politicians who get paid by the companies running private prisons.
Thank you for asking! The series is alive and well. If things go as planned, we will continue filming at SCI Chester in May 2022. The plan is to finalize the editing towards the end of 2022, after which it is ready for publishing.
@@erkkiboy All three episodes of the series have been released in Sweden (svtplay.se) and Finland (areena.yle.fi), but can only be watched within those countries. What we know for sure is that the series will be published in Denmark, Norway, USA, Canada, and select European countries - we do not know the dates when this will happen though.
Good to see, and that significant changes can happen without having to build a whole new prison. The guards seem to be happier also - an often forgotten aspect is how working in a prison affects the guards
@@starkjo Jag upptäckte idag att YLE har lagt ut serien på Arenan så jag sitter och kollar på första avsnittet nu. Oerhört intressant serie, tusen tack för den! Jag tänkte förut att jag hade velat se mer av hur de Amerikanska gästerna reagerar på upplevelsen men jag ser att ni har varit runt och kollat på flera olika fängelser. Det är bra att de inte bara fick se Halden utan också andra fängelser i norden. Återigen, bra jobbat! Det vore intressant att se en uppföljning igen om några år om det blivit nån bestående skillnad.
Hej! Hela projektet som dokumentären följer är på is just nu, men genast när det återupptas (det vill säga då pandemin tillåter) så fortsätter vi att spela in dokumentären. Vi hoppas på att släppa dokumentären nästa år!
Hearing that American man get competitive is the energy we kinda need for this to be pushed even further. Right now Norway doesn't have any competition being the most humane. I would love to see a country as RICH as America to adapt a system like this.
HURRAY !! I hope you will be successful with the project. Point one is to treat people as people, not as animals. Point two is the contact with these people, and try to understand them and get to know them. Point three, which I unfortunately did not see, was the opportunity to learn a profession they could fall back on when they one day get out. And that is perhaps the most important thing, because then they will have proof that they really can do something, when they come with a testimony of what they can do. Then they are not just a jailbird, but a professional but with one testimony. IT is SO important, for these people who have gone so wrong in life.
I love this people and the USA for allowing these directors to experiment this new way. Bravo the USA.....I'm not a fan of your way of treating immates but this, this is unbelievable.....
May all of those who suffered due to riots, rapes; and assaults by inmates feel warmth, safety, satisfaction. Continue to grow and prosper. The environment we work in is getting better.
Yes, inmates participating in the Little Scandinavia program are selected randomly in order for the end result to be representative of a larger sample of the inmate population and for the specific practices and methods used in the Little Scandinavia program to be scalable.
I really hope this project is restarted. As a Norwegian i belive in a justice system that is about justice and not revenge. I get that this will be a many year project, not just to ajust the prisoners, but to ajust the mentality of the American people, but i really hope it is at least explored in practicality, not just people saying "yes this is interresting" or "this will never work in America" I'm late to the video i know, but i'm so glad i stumbled upon it. I really hope the project becomes an example for the rest of America. A tax paying rehabilitated ex-crim is better for society then one that costs tax payers millions of dollars for returning to prison.
Statistically speaking, the risk of inmates going back to jail if the prison system is humane is significantly lower after release. It's not always true of course, if it's gang members who don't want to quit doing crime, they won't stop. But as for "ordinary" people who are in jail, their chances are much better if they are treated as humans. Going back out in the society won't be as tough as they're not so institutionalized and dehumanized, as in a punishment prison system instead of a rehabilitation prison system.
As long as you don't forget why the inmates are there for and don't get too comfortable and let your guard down it should be a good thing. If you want peaceful people you show them how to be like that. Very simple.
Treat a human like a animal he responds like one. Treat a person like a human being he will respond like one. I been in prison and the system is designed to harden you make you bitter and angry
"Boy I've never seen one of these" If that's not a perfect example of how were not all born with the same opportunities, I don't know what is. I mean, with all respect to that man, I literally don't even know anyone who's never seen an oven before, it never even entered my mind how disadvantaged some are. I'm not pretending for a moment I have the solution, but I hope this is a start.
@@filipringnell4083 Same here :) We are working on a video about stuff that's been happening inside of SCI Chester during the pandemic. Still unclear about when we can publish it, but once again, watch this space :)
I love that the Norwegian system benefits both inmates as well as the correctional staff. If the American public can't bring themselves to change their mentality with regards to the purpose of a prison (which shouldn't operate on the basis of getting a revenge) then perhaps they could think of the impact current prison system has on the mental health of the prison employees.
Fantastic, imagine how the global standard will increase when the prisoners in the US give their prisoners better living conditions. However, I still noticed some aspects with the american prisons from the youtube movie; 1) Bars, metals, and corridors are still arent worth storing animals in, let alone humans. A nice paintjob will probably make a difference, but marginally when compared to the system the building architecture and layout conveys. 2) Clothes of the inmates - They are still differentiated and treated like non-humans. As soon as you remove humanity from them, you give them a reason to stop acting like humans. Good job USA, you will get there! Sincerely, A Swede
West Virginia's Lakin Correctional has a min security set up that is similar to this. How you are treated in prison has nothing to do with how your treated when you get out. Not in the U.S. I was treated like a person when I was in prison, was never lacking employment, access to social construct, etc. However, when I was released, I was treated like dirt by society and basically brick walled when it comes to employment. So having a different prison environment is only a very small part. The whole system has to change. We have to change the minds of people who never been to prison! They are the ones who make sure people recividate by not letting them prosper in society once they are released. The society as a whole has to change. These changes inside the prison are nice but have nothing to do with recidivism.
As a Finn, I love seeing that at least some parts of the US are trying. Investing on prisoners is a part of investing your nations future.
Only problem being it has to reflect the life outside the prisons as well, so what makes perfectly sense in Scandinavia, might not make sense in the US.
Sooo happy my father was one of the six who was picked and I will continue to pray that one day he will be released 🙏🏾great job guys 💯❤️ #FreeArnettCarter
Arnett Carter Could you please mail me? john.stark@svt.se
that's awesome i hope this project is a success, things like this is what makes me proud of being Norwegian
@@perplexity6996 🇧🇻💯👍
Im glad living in a country like Norway, US prisons are hell compared. Can't be easy for family of the inmates either knowing how bad the situations are in the prison
@@silentdeath7847 ja vi e jævlig helding , Alt før norge
Crossing my fingers that this project didn't die during covid, and that we can hopefully see the rest and follow-up on some of these guys when it's all done.
The creator said on Twitter that it has started up again in May this year! So hopefully it all goes well for everyone and we get some updates afterwards.
I hope this project was able to get back one track once the lockdown was called off. Amazing work. I've been waiting for someone to bring over Nordic prison ideals to the American system. This is awesome. I really hope it continued!!
It’s very much happening!
When this comes out where will we be able to stream it? On youtube? I look forwoard to see it. I hope this is the start of a big change in all of USA. Maybe in some years they won’t have as many reaftenders as they do now. As a Norwegian i am so happy to see someone trying this out. Yes, they have done something wrong, but they are still human and should be treated like humans. The CO’s would like their work alot better too.
@@starkjoI have tried to find information and I hope you will respond, but is this even available to an American audience? The only place I find it available is in Sweden or Finland…
@@inteallsviktigt Hey, yes, this will eventually be published in the US! We are not yet aware of the date, but it will happen - hope that it's rather sooner than later :)
@@starkjo thank you, as I live in Sweden and have been talking warmly about the documentary and recommended people to watch it, but being unable to find a source for them to watch or even mind blowing scenes such as How US prison guards handles an agitated inmate compared to how it’s handled in the Scandinavian system.
I have to ask do I have the consent to upload scenes/ snippets from the show to RUclips, and is there any research paper that have been published/ preprints in the public domain?
2:27 The sign above the prison reads "Kriminalomsorgen", which translates into something like "The criminal care (department)" (-en for masc, definitive, "omsorg" also used in cases like "parental care" ("foreldreomsorg"))
I'm really looking forward to this - "The Norden" was an amazing series that was so in depth and interesting
Just read about this is the news here in Norway...
I'm so happy to see you are actually looking into this now..
I'm so glad your ready to learn new ways.
There is a better way.. I hope your project here goes great =)
Love from Norway. ❤ =)
My neice!!! I love you bean !! I'm so happy you were chosen to be one to go to Norway!! You are beautiful and a smart shining star..i love you and am beyond proud ❤omg!"Paige! I love you. Look at you! You did great.the things you said about sitting having a normal meal together .I loved the most.. so proud ❤.
this is some of the best news i've seen come out of the US for way too long. good luck and gods speed
"The United States is known for one thing, and that's doing stuff better" around 7:30. That's not the mentality mate, and that's not what you're known for. Rehabilitation isn't a competition. Remove the stress and try to create a safe environment for your inmates...
Doing stuff better !? Like your medical system? Your oversized fatty sugary meals? Prison system? Care for the homeless? etc etc etc. That guy really needed to see something beyond the US..
The american mentality. And they actually believe that they do everything better.
That is the most American thing I have ever heard. Their imaginary supremacy and patriotism on every level in society is what hinder them from development..
I don't think Americans realize that the rest of the world is laughing at them
If he think the US prison will be better then Norway well maybe 100 years.
I'm so proud to have been a part of something so revolutionary. I can't wait to see the finished product. Thank you, John, and the rest of the SVT team!
Emily, watch this space for updates ;)
@@starkjo So sad to see that it was put on hold b/c of the Corona virus.. Do you know if they're back in "little Scandinavia" by now? Love your work, thank you!
You will never see it
@@mynewname7830 the project will be continuing in 2022 :)
@@emilygreberman76548 months later and I got the reply I needed.. :) Thank you very much, looking forward to the release! :) Happy holidays to you all!
This is absolutely beautiful!!! I hope this program is still going. This need to be national wide.
@jellybeanx489 The program is still going, and seems to be working really well with no violence on the unit this far. delco.today/2024/04/little-scandinavia-chester-sci/
I am so thankful and greatfull that they decided to do this in the US. I'm looking forward to seeing much needed change in our judicial system. People do change and grow, especially after decades,I know the six men that were picked for this documentary, all great men - one of them is my brother and I couldn't be anymore prouder, I continue to pray for the release back to society not only for my brother but for all the men and women I have met throughout the years that have turned the corner many years ago , they have matured,grown, became educated,became educators and mentors- they have so much more to give to society and I believe it's going to happen.Thank you , this is going to be Avery powerful documentary.
Your brother is a gentleman - please say hi to him from all of us the next time you are in touch with him!
Yes, it's a terrible waste of human resources to tell them that they have to stay, passive, locked in a room for the rest of their lives
John Stark He says Hi and that he hopes to see you all in the near future. Enjoying the experience . Thank you and God Bless
I've watched the Norden a couple of times, just watched the prison one with the longer followup this weekend with my fiance. So this trailer comes with perfect timing.
Both she and I are politicians though I'm a bit more involved as I'm a deputy mayor in a Swedish municipality. I've followed American politics for a long time and I love this project. If I may come with a little bit of advice though, try to find ways that Norden might improve too. We are not a the world's best and could also learn from others.
Thank you very much. Tusen tack!
I write this in English so others may understand ;)
Tack for watching, and for sharing your thoughts, we appreciate it. In no way are we suggesting that the Nordic or Scandinavian incarceration practices and values are faultless; there is no reason for us to do so. What this series is exploring is how some of the practices and values that actually work in Scandinavia will work in a US setting. The advice you're offering is valuable and sincerely constructive, but I don't think we will touch upon those questions in this series. We have had thoughts about something similar in other ideas we're working on though ;)
@@starkjo I hope you take it as a positive feedback. I was more thinking about the other parts of "the Norden". My point is that this exchange of knowledge is a two way street. It would be good to see what our counterparts learned too.
I sincerely hope you continue with this type of documentary. Do you have any external funding, like patreon?
@@nahiag I absolutely take your feedback constructively, and appreciate you suggesting that! We do have thoughts regarding continuing on the path that we laid with "The Norden" format, and have plenty of ideas for that ;) These things take a long time to produce though! As representatives of public service, we do not have external funding in the Patreon sense.
Another fantastic documentary. And I think these topics are more timely than ever in the USA.
One thing i'm looking forward to is to see a "full length" the reaction/feedback of the US correctional officers of the nordern system while being in norway
Hey, thanks for watching! The full documentary episodes will have plenty of the experiences that the American COs and management had during their three-week stay in Scandinavia.
@@starkjo excellent :)
@@starkjo That's great! Any info on when we might be able to see the full thing?
I love seeing this kind of thing, it gives me hope for a better world. It is a shame the pandemic got in the way but I look forward to seeing more of this even if not the full thing. I have been a believer of rehabilitation for a long time and seeing it actually happening and the positives come out is just amazing.
I truly hope it works out for you, both for inmates and guards. Good Luck!
I really hope you guys succeed whit your new project. Gonna be watching and supporting you all from Denmark.
Thank you, the series will be shown on DR when its ready
@@tomppilindh Looking forward to that. I have seen everything on your channel. But i have friends and family who i will recommend it to.
Oh wow, now this is a show I'm really interested in watching, especially as a Swede. Now this seems to be done in Norway but it's quite similar to in Sweden anyway. In general I think our way of doing it is good, not perfect probably, but still in general right. Most people who go to prison after all aren't serial killers or something, they're people who sometime got into the wrong path and the wrong crowd, maybe drugs, and of course poverty. Such people can generally be rehabilitated if they get the right treatment and help. But it's not only inside prison though, there also needs to be help a while after imo, because often if they spent their lifes amongst other criminals, that's often the only people they know on the outside, the only environment familiar. Some sort of help to stay away from those crowds again, to start up a new life the right way, is also necessary really. There is an organization here in Sweden called KRIS which helps people who just got out of prison with that- not the worst criminals like murderers, but the rest. I remember we had I think two guys from that organization at our class once in junior high to speak to us, and they spoke about how they used to be in some sort of gang or something like that, doing burglaries and such, and then went to jail and how the organization helped them out of it, to stay away from that same crowd which was the only one they knew. And now they were in that organization helping others out as well. That was a long time ago, I'm 28 soon. But I remember that quite well. And I think it's something that also we still often fail at, and thus here as well some people fall back into the same crowds, unfortunately. Of course there are also those who don't really want the help I guess.
Thanks for watching! Sweden will most likely also be included in the documentary series in the form of Anstalten Kumla; some of the management from SCI Chester visited Kumla during their trip to Scandinavia last year, and we were there with them.
Yes it is a problem. I have on occasion met people on the subway in Oslo, who just got out of prison. I remember one guy in particular who was really frustrated and worried. He had begged them to give him a sleeping bag, so he could go to the forrest and sleep there at night. He said he really, really did not want to go to a hospits because as he said he was trying to kick a drug habit and there everybody was doing drugs. He said it would make it impossible for him to get clean.
It made me think that even though we may do better than the US, we still have a lot of problems to sort out in our prison system.
@@povelvieregg165 Yes, there are undoubtedly plenty of challenges within the criminal justice system in the Nordic countries as well.
@@povelvieregg165 To be frank, they should be moved out of Oslo and into the regions. You need to spread them out and to help them go back into society, even after release. There must be follow-up if the released wants it! Not everybody has family to help them.
Looking forward for this, I often come here to check if there is something new.
Thanks for the kind words Amir! These things take a long time to make, and will continue to do so ;) But we will be publishing more content about this project on this channel, so 'notifications on'!
I think these people are so brave for e willing to do such drastic changes after beeing in scandinavia. I totally understand that the challenges of doing changes and reforms so drastically different in a culture so far from what they are used to is just to be cheered. Godd on u. I hope the program gets back on track and that the effects will be positive. Love from Norway. ,
When the guard said how he can't wait to show up the Norwegians and do things better it really struck me. It seems like Americans can never just celebrate other people's achievements and feel happy unless they can one up them somehow. That mentality right there is how you kill empathy for your fellow human beings. Other peoples misery becomes your succes.
He was quite clearly joking tho.. I mean come on, in the end they realised they could learn something and then implemented parts of it. We nordics need to drop the inferiority complex already.
Not at all. That is the entrepreneurship of America. That is what takes things further and makes things even better. It's the backbone of the US economy. It's the American Dream, to make the best job possible.
@@fdk7014 it was half a joke, like friendly competition. It was to show that they take this serious, and wish to excell with what they learned. I'm happy they feel like this, it's an important step in changing officers mentality regarding how they look at inmates, and how to treat them in order to make a lasting change. And that is the goal of this project I thought.
@@fdk7014 USA is still way behind the Nordic countries in a lot of things.
I completely agree with you. I thought the same thing, and I am American. There is a tendency to think we can do things better than everyone else, which limits our openness to and appreciation for what others can offer, as well as separates us from the collective human experience. It might be the spirit of entrepreneurship; it is also the spirit of colonialism and “one-up-ism”. Rather than jumping in competitively with our American egos and try to better the Norwegian system, let’s try jumping in with a spirit of humility and openness to learn and join the Norwegian system instead.
Hi John. I just watched all 3 episodes of the series. Fantastic work, I really enjoyed it. Are there any plans to potentially revisit Little Scandinavia in a few years and have a followup?
Hey boskee, thanks for your kind words, really appreciate it! We would very much like to do a follow-up at some point. At this stage nothing is confirmed though - there are many uncertain parameters in a process like that. But we'll see!
Whats the status on this documentary and program? Where can I find more information? Has the full documentary been released yet?
Hey Haakon, we still have one more filming session left, which will most likely take place in early 2023, and after that some editing. It looks like the three-part documentary about Little Scandinavia will be released in the late spring of 2023. The exact date is TBD (not up to us), but it will at least be released in the Nordic countries, Europe and North America.
@@starkjo Thanks for the update
Considering the US in so many ways prides itself to be a devoutly Christian country it's strange that the Golden Rule seems so foreign to so many people there, especially in the penal system.
This is the way to go! Good luck and keep up the good work! ❤️
It was so exhilarating to be able to take a look and experience my brother's existence. Thank you God
Thank the people who actually did it
Sigurd Mjelve Chiiiile
Compassionate and humane societies like Norway (with its very low recidivism rates) has very little to do with a monotheistic desert religion as the one you are referring to (I assume christianity). Have a look at how we have organized our society and you'll see that religion is not a very central part of it. Make an honest attempt to make science, education, health care and equal opportunities core values of your system - and odds are that you will greatly benefit from it.
YES! It makes me so happy that you try to become better. Hopefully it will look like that everywhere in America soon.
It's so weird seing the American guards be so shocked about something that is just normal in Denmark and many other countries.
The inmates here have "weapons" like pans, because the guards chose to show that they trust them not to use it. And they don't use them as weapons. If someone breaks them, the other inmates becomes mad, because noone can cook food on pans after then.
I can't imagine not having had an oven for 31 years.
Its quite weird they dont realize if they treat people like caged animals ... they will become so.
Looks good. looking forward to see the whole thing
Good luck with the project and I sincerely hope you succeed, with love from Finland.
i've watched many videos of the scandinavian correctional system. looking forward to the documentary.
As a Norwegian I am just curious how well known it is outside of Scandinavia or how on earth you chanced upon videos of Scandinavian correction system? I lived in the US for a year and I cannot remember anyone knowing the first thing about Scandinavia except perhaps blonde girls or something.
The first part of the production was aired on swedish channel SVT yesterday, April 26 2023.
It was surely very well made and interesting!
I was a prisoner at SCI-Chester prison but was released prior to the Scandinavian program began.
This was absolutely beautiful, and I hope more American prisons get on board with the Nordic rehabilitative approach. We’ve tried the “tough on crime” approach for close to (if not over) a half century, and it hasn’t worked. Well over ninety percent of prisoners are eventually going to be let out of prison, and when they are, we want them to be peaceful and productive members of society.
I also hope America adopts other aspects of the Scandinavian model - e.g., by investing more in education and taking a more aggressive approach to reducing poverty. Both of these will make American society safer. We owe it not only to our generation, but future generations, to create a safer society for us all.
I like the fact that they put the Norwegian coat of arms on the wall (seen at 16:37), the yellow lion on a red shield with a crown on top, would be nice if every block got their own Scandinavian coat of arms, so instead of block alpha, bravo, Charlie etc. It could be block Norway, Sweden, Denmark etc. With each coat of arms.
Danmark can be the hole
I really can't wait to see how this develops in the future. I'm a Dane, so I haven't experienced the US correctional Facilities personally, but I sure have seen a lot of documentaries about it. I think this could potenially be a game charger for the us on the long wrong. If ofc executed properly.
I am so excited that they are doing this in Pennsylvania , also excited that my brother was one picked to participate . Unfortunately COVID has put this on hold and we are all waiting patiently for the unit to open back up. YOU THINK IT WILL Happen soon?
Marcie, we have no information whatsoever on when the unit might reopen, but we're following the situation closely, and are looking forward to continuing to follow the project. Your brother is a gentleman.
@@starkjo yes hopefully soon. Richie speaks highly of you.
@@marciemarra5406 Please send him our best in the meantime - we look forward to meeting him again!
@@starkjo ❤️
@@marciemarra5406 We hope to return to Chester later this fall!
Finally the first step to the right direction by this project. Well done USA.
It’s not just prison system that needs to be changed. US society also needs to change. Even if a prisoner does everything they are supposed to do, society still shuns them when they get out. They are not eligible for decent jobs, in some cases they can’t even vote. There are entire job sectors they are shut out of.
How do we expect ex-cons to change and become productive part of society if we don’t allow them to?
Are we more interested in revenge than repentance?
Thank you!
I'm so happy for these inmates. I wish them all the best.
When will the full length version be available? Also will it be available for viewing in the United States on RUclips?
Hey Joel, thanks for the questions. The documentary will consist of 3 episodes á 60 minutes, and it is unclear when we will be able to finish it - everything depends on the pandemic and when it will allow the Little Scandinavia project to continue. Right now we believe that the final documentary series will be published in the spring of 2022. I believe it will be available in the US; working on it.
@@starkjo thanks for the reply, I’m a correctional officer in the United States in Ohio so I’m interested in seeing how this would work out,.
Dang ive been waiting for this channel to add something new! Nice
Constantly working - but things take time ;)
Can't wait for this, makes me very happy
I'm so excited to see the outcome of this project, through this channel, in the not so distant future because I believe there is quite a bit of data that shows how much better this model is compared to the current model. Now that the data is being generated from a US prison, I will be much more difficult for deniers to believe this model cannot be implemented in US soil.
Ivan Avila, absolutely. As a Norwegian who has lived in the US I have often tried convincing Americans of our system, but it is really hard. My experience with Americans is that seeing is believing. Few people seem to believe the Nordic system works. You actually have to experience it yourself. My brother had a conservative American Republican as a teacher in Norway. Or rather he was when he came to Norway. The guy admitted that prior to coming to Norway he had always dismissed the kinds of things we do here as practical or workable. But living here and seeing it made him change.
I mean I see the same with my American wife. She was pretty anti-government and anti-taxes when she came. Now she is like this Norway fan-girl and has gone way more leftist than me. For her a lot of its was because she had kids here and was just blown away by the health care system. She was like "I see the point of taxes here, because I get so much stuff from the government." And I think her perspective on government changed a lot because she felt government was more there to help you than get you. It is a lot of the little things, like experiencing the tax return arriving filled out in her government issued electronic mailbox in tax season, for her to just look over and click okay.
I suppose that is a problem with a government that tries to be as minimal as possible where it only deals with policing, military etc. Then you feel government is really only ever there to get you, and not to actually help you with anything.
@@povelvieregg165 "I suppose that is a problem with a government that tries to be as minimal as possible where it only deals with policing, military etc. Then you feel government is really only ever there to get you, and not to actually help you with anything."
For YEARS, I have said that Americans would more willing to pay taxes if A.) They actually got something in return for their investment and B.) Corporations & the super rich paid their fair share, so that working people wouldn't have to pay a disproportionate amount.
The services that are beneficial to working people and are mostly tax funded (fire & police departments, public schools)....the taxes that pay for these services are often obtained from many different forms of tax payments that are "snuck in" by politicians who scream "TAX CUTS!". The first thing they do is drastically cut taxes even more for corporations and the super rich. Then working people's "tax cuts" are $1 or $2 a week. Then state and local governments will raise other forms of taxes that working people pay the bulk of: sales taxes, housing taxes, they'll start taxing things that shouldn't be taxed (like electricity and water), they'll make people pay "bonds" on their houses or whatever, (these "bonds" are actually taxes, but Americans don't mind them as much because they're not called "taxes" and they know that money goes straight to the services we use) etc. Then these taxes fund the services we need.
What do we get for the federal taxes we pay? Jets and Bombs to drop on poor black and brown people halfway across the world, $20,000 hammers for the military, military weapons for local police, Trump's golf games, prisons that are so vile and abusive that they shouldn't even exist, and let's not forget.....the "money cannons" that shovel trillions of dollars to corporations (who use it to buy back their own stocks to artificially their returns for wealthy investors), Wall Street, billionaires, etc. It's kind of like a "reverse socialism": A redistribution of wealth that takes from non-wealthy citizens and gives it to the richest people and most profitable corporations in the country (and some corps that aren't even in the US).
Americans are brainwashed into believing that the US is the best place on earth and everywhere else is horrible. Many think that countries like Norway pay 90% of their income in taxes, and that its citizens also don't receive any personal benefit from the taxes they pay. When they discover that taxes paid in other countries go to...say healthcare....they'll insist that the "government controlled" healthcare in those countries is terrible and kills people (which is rather ironic, considering that the US healthcare system is the most expensive in the world.....and the worst among developed nations.
One possible cure would be for working people in the US to travel to these other countries and see for themselves. Problem with that? A.) Trans Atlantic plane tickets are unaffordable for probably 80% of Americans B.) In the US, "paid vacation" (or "holiday") is pretty much unheard of. And many Americans have to work 2+ jobs just to pay for the basics like food and shelter. If they somehow got the $ to buy the plane ticket, they wouldn't get paid for the time they are away from work...and for people who often run out of money well BEFORE the next paycheck, not getting a paycheck for a week or 2 would be devastating. Not to mention that many employers will terminate employees for missing work.
Bottom line? The US is an empire in rapid decline. The younger generations are quickly figuring out how bad things are and the brainwashing doesn't work on most of them. When someone tries to tell young people here that European healthcare is dangerous and awful, those young people can easily find information online that shows the superiority of European style healthcare, where no one goes bankrupt from medical bills.
And with the 2 "choices" for our next President, things are not likely to improve.
And it's not only in the Nordic countries. Similar conditions in The Netherlands and Germany
@@kristijarrett318
> When someone tries to tell young people here that European healthcare is dangerous and awful, those young people can easily find information online
It is hard though because places like FOX spread so many lies about Nordic health care system e.g. or other European systems which I see American conservatives parrot all the time. A lot of poor Americans don't seem to know what to believe.
Those of us who actually live in this system, our voices are just drowned out by the crazies. Almost every time I try to give detailed factual information about how health care, and the economic and political system in Norway works, some American conservative begins to lecture me and tell me I am wrong. Despite NEVER having even visistd Norway. Not even able to read the language. But because he saw some right wing propaganda about Norway he declares himself an expert. I have just been repeatedly shocked by the arrogance and cockyness of American conservatives.
They seem to think they know everything best. Some of us actually voluntared for the Bernie Sanders campaing. And made calls for him. I think many here felt that they had a unique opportunity to tell Americans first hand how the system he advocates actually works for the people who experience it.
Well, America: welcome to 2020! Better late than never. And I'm glad Norway is exporting something more constructive than oil and gas
Och jag är en glad Svensk som älskar Norge. ❤️❤️❤️
Or toxic fish....
@@kundetjenesten toxic fish? I would argue we have the cleanest fish
Not to mention salmon. :P
Looks like yet another brilliant documentary by you guys! When will it air? Will it be available to watch outside of Sweden?
Hey Hugh, thanks for the kind words, we appreciate it. The three-part documentary series will be published in 2021; the specific date is TBD because of the pandemic. Where the series will be broadcast and/or published is still not confirmed, with the exception of the Nordic countries. We will in any case publish some content on this channel during the upcoming months.
Anybody can watch it from most places in the world: here! Old fashioned, serial TV is dead; spread the link to this place 😀
@John Stark Do you know when in 2020 it will be released in Sweden, i couldnt find any information about it.
Mr. Hemlig We’re aiming for a release during 2021 - but due to challenges and delays caused by covid-19 it’s difficult to be more precise at this stage. We want to finish and publish this three-part documentary series as quickly as possible, but on the other hand we must work on it until we have everything that the story needs. Thanks for your patience and interest!
@@starkjo Oh okey, that's understandable. Im looking forward to this series alot!
The nordic series the norwegian officer visited a prison in Pittsburgh, i think, that had taken som ideas from Halden prison. Is there any follow up about that prison?
It was in North Dakota and afaik the changes they made are still in effect
Hi John stark it was so good to finally meet you on May 5th, I wish I would have had more time to talk with you ,it was amazing to meet you, the research team and all the staff. I pray that this documentary opens many new doors for positive change here for all . Thank you for your work and your dedication. Stay safe and God bless. Marcie Marra
Looking forward to this. I have to ask when will it air :)
Alex, we believe that we can publish the series towards the end of summer/early fall 2022.
Are there copyrights on Little Scandinavia? Or is it legal to upload all the episodes here on youtube.
Hey Marc - yes, the series is copyrighted.
@@starkjo Thanks for your respons. It is a really good show, and i wish you good luck with the projekt.
@@Marc-mg5un You're very kind - thank you for your comment!
This made me so happy! Hope the experiment did well and spreads.
I need an update. This is amazing.
It’s in the works!
Totally missed this!
Do you have a release date yet? Looking forward to watching this! Reform is needed badly in the US. It's obvious, we are not doing it right.
Looks like we'll be publishing the full documentary series in the spring of 2023!
Kommer det bli någon dokumentär eller är det nedlagt?
Dokumentären lever och mår bra :) Publicering i Sverige sannolikt på våren 2023.
I'm curious how far the rehabilitative mindset goes in Scandinavian society. In US schools we also implement a punishment system with detention, suspension, expulsion and often labeling those kids the "bad kids," similar to how these people who are incarcerated are viewed. Do they use more rehabilitative practices in the Scandinavian school system?
It would be interesting to see a juxtaposition of the schools and prisons in both countries.
@@Bryanth29 We don't have any proper punishment in school either. No detention, at school or at home (for most people). We have some system like that in elementary school, but as i remember it kids who couldn't, or wouldn't, behave in class were simply put in the hallway to calm down. Some that were more old-fashioned could decide that you had to sit for 5-10 ekstra minutes after school has ended, but they can't/couldn't hold you up any longer as for some kids that would mean you would miss your buss etc. We had more of a reward system, that if you behave and do good you get a star by your name (they had put up a list), and if you had a set amount of stars to your name you and also maybe the rest of the class (if they also behave well) could get some reward (could be a school trip etc.). We didn't have suspension or expulsion but you could get sent to the principal, (let's just put it like this, if you had gotten expelled from school in norway, you must have done something really, really, really bad). You are conscidered too old for these kinds of punishment-reward systems the moment you begin to attend secondary school, which is from when you're 12/13-15, as elmentary school is from when you''re 6-12/13. In elementary school, and a little bit in secondary, we have certain responsibiliies like taking out the trash, cleaning the floor of the classroom (we are assigned one classroom each year, which you will attend the whole year), pick up and deliver milk/fruit to the rest of the class etc. We switch whos responsible for that each week (usually two-and two together). In high school we have none of that (as it's not considered necessary). High school is more similar to going to going college in the us as you can take all sorts of classes depending on which direction you want to go, for example: media & communication, general studies (for people who's not sure or want a higher education), health, restaurant-and-food, service and travel, athletics etc. Some also move out of their home and move closer to the school to take classes if the school you go to is too far away from home. So it's not weird to have a bunch of 16-yar old that live alone or far from home.
Bryanth29, I could give you some answers although there is a lot I don't know. I am Norwegian and married to an American. I have lived and studied in the US for about a year, so I have some exposure to the different ideas and attitudes.
In general I would say American society is just more rules and punishment oriented. Norwegian society is much more about teaching self control and autonomy. In the US I feel it is to a greater degree assumed that you cannot be behaved and must be policed and controlled.
I remember in high school we had American teenagers on exchange. They explained the concept of "public display of affection." They said you could not really hug, kiss etc in their school. That may have changed in the US now. This was back in the 90s. But it goes to show some difference. For us this was unthinkable. People had boyfriends and girlfriends in high school and they where always hugging and kissing each other.
Norwegian school also don't have that strict boundaries as I get the impression American schools have. When my kids start elementary school, one of the first things they are taught is about "the invisible fences." In pre-school there is a fence for safety reasons. Kids at that age can easily get lost. However in elementary school you are expected to understand how far you are allowed to go. Most Norwegian schools are surrounded by forests. That is a deliberate choice to offer play areas. I remember in my own time in elementary school that we always went a little bit further than we where allowed. But we never really overstepped this boundary far.
I also remember my time in American University, that we where far more controlled that what we where accustomed to in Europe in general. I have studied in the Netherlands and Norway as well. Boys and girls sharing an apartment is normal. Where I studied in the US, there was pretty strict gender separation at the dormitories. Alcohol was strictly forbidden and they had people patrolling the hallways. That would be unthinkable in Norway. You are expected to self-regulate.
But that is also easier because you live in something more akin to an apartment and often more gender and age mixed. When I lived in the US I was surprised by how immature American teenagers where. But the more I got to know them and stayed over at their house, the better I understood why. Their lives where extremely controlled even at home. They where not accustomed to regulating and controlling themselves.
My wife told me about the normal American rule of keeping the door partly open if you had a visitor of opposite gender. Scandinavian parents generally accept that their children have girl friends, boyfriends etc and that yes they may end up having sex. Scandinavian parents are more into teaching responsibility rather than setting up lots of bans.
I know I am not entirely answering your question about the school system. But it is partly because how the school works is so heavily intervowen with how the whole rest of society works.
Many of my family members have been teachers. And one of the problems in our society is probably that there is so few options for sanctions for teachers. Punishment is really frowned upon but we may have taken this thinking a bit too far. We also have the problem that we try to integrate far too many people into normal classes that don't fit in there. People with serious disabilities or mental problems which probably should have been in a more speciality school.We used to do that before, but the Norwegian attitude is to make life as normal as possible for everyone, no matter how much of an outlier you are. It is a laudable goal but it can come at the expense of everybody else.
Other kids may not get the teaching they need, because one kid is disrupting the class too much.
We certainly don't have all the answer. Where I live there is a middle school with a lot of minorities. At their elementary school 60% are minorities and that school is actually very well run IMHO. My kids have a good time there. They put a lot of effort into developing social skills, friendships etc. These is a much stronger push today than when I went to school about how to learn to get along and be friends with each other. However at middle school I feel the problems have just gotten too big.
But we must be doing something things right. I think in a world wide ranking, Norway is rated as having the lowest level of bullying. I think part of this due to the emphasis placed on human development rather than just academic development. I noticed when comparing my children's pre-school programs with that of wife's relatives' kids' preschool, the American one seemed much more focused on academic achievement. I think the Norwegian thinking is that you cannot perform well academically if you don't function well socially. If you are bullied, don't get along well with other people etc then your school performance will suffer as well.
ruclips.net/video/7xCe2m0kiSg/видео.html
Fantastic really, I love how they react to the changes both for the inmates and staff and I really hope that this works.
However I do fear that for many inmates its ... to put it blunt, might be too late for the change that we might expect of them... I understand that there is a selection to get into this part of the prison and it is a start ofcourse, I definitly hope it works and I think it would work best on some type of inmates rather than other.... think that we do have a different mindset here in Scandinavia vs. USA even when it comes to criminals.
Thanks for watching and for your comment! Actually, one central point for the whole project is that, if it’s succesful, it should be transferrable and adaptable to other correctional facilities. That leads to the selection of inmates: in order for this to be representative of any correctional facility (in this case in Pennsylvania), there is a basically a lottery, where a few of all eligible inmates are randomly picked to participate and thus live in the Little Scandinavia unit. The randomness is important, so that the selected inmates are not the best behaving ones, since that would not necessarily represent the inmate population. As one of the makers of this documentary, I do want to stress that I am by no means the expert on this though :) We aim to include some results of this experiment in the actual documentary series, aimed for publishing in 2021, so stay tuned!
arcticblue248, see what I am thinking is that one way of winning over the American public on this is not necessarily by showing big improvements on the prisoners themselves but a big improvement for the prison guards. This is often forgotten when discussing the prison system. People go "Oh they don't deserve better, why should they be treated nice!"
But as we can see from various interviews, the harshness of the American prison system is really taxing on the prison guards as well. You see the interviews with the Norwegian prison guards in one of the other documentaries and they talk about how they actually like their job and feel rewarded by feeling they are making a difference in somebody's life. Barking orders and hitting people with a stick cannot feel very rewarding unless you are a sadist.
I think American prison guards would want to feel that their job is making a difference. That they are doing something good for somebody else. The Scandinavian concept of dynamic safety also seems like something that would benefit prison guards. By working much closer on prisoners and getting to know them better. They will be able to more quickly sense when things are off. But most likely things will not be off as much.
I have seen ex-cons from e.g. Britain speak of visiting Norwegian prisons, and what they remark on is how much more calm people are. The normal punishment oriented prisons create a lot of tension and acting out. It is not a very safe feeling environment. People are put on the edge and can easily snap.
11.48 they put the Norwegian coat of arms on the wall. Nice touch
From Norway. Nice gesture, but all credit to the USA for trying new ideas. Hope the project succeeds.
Nice gesture, but I think technically it's illegal. :P There is really strict rules for who can use it and where it can be used.
@@aws1045 The guys there wont snitch, probably ;D
Never gonna change, it's a billion dollar business and it's that way per design
Change the incentive structures, the performance indicators. Or better yet, de-privatise.
The current system is starting to show how poorly it performs against other imprisonment methods used around the world and people are starting to realize it. I am certain that when more people become aware of how much better this model is, with a significantly lower cost, they will start demanding their taxpayer money be used in a more reasonable way. The only thing making it hard to implement really are corrupt politicians who get paid by the companies running private prisons.
Sadly, you’re right.
It's 200% not going to change if everyone just says "It's never going to change", you right about that.
2023 update on Little Scandinavia project: ruclips.net/video/eV8MenB8HOU/видео.htmlfeature=shared
Loved watching this video and the transformation that is possible.
Any update on the progress of this series John?
Thank you for asking! The series is alive and well. If things go as planned, we will continue filming at SCI Chester in May 2022. The plan is to finalize the editing towards the end of 2022, after which it is ready for publishing.
@@starkjo wonderful, thank you for the update. I know a lot of people are curious on their experience 😊
@@starkjoany updates on the progress? :-)
@@erkkiboy All three episodes of the series have been released in Sweden (svtplay.se) and Finland (areena.yle.fi), but can only be watched within those countries. What we know for sure is that the series will be published in Denmark, Norway, USA, Canada, and select European countries - we do not know the dates when this will happen though.
@@starkjo nice. Then I should be able to see it very soon:-)
Any update on this? Hoping to see the full documentary one day!
It has been released, but idk if it's available in every country
I found myself having this stupid smile on my face watching this.
Good to see, and that significant changes can happen without having to build a whole new prison. The guards seem to be happier also - an often forgotten aspect is how working in a prison affects the guards
Well done, to learn is to grow :-)
I would love to see an update on this project!
@Kemdoh Working on it. It's alive!
Jag ser att SVT har börjat sända serien nu, finns det planer på att visa den på Yle snart?
Preliminära uppgifter säger att serien ska publiceras på Yle den 26 juni 2023.
@@starkjo Utmärkt, tack!
@@starkjo Jag upptäckte idag att YLE har lagt ut serien på Arenan så jag sitter och kollar på första avsnittet nu. Oerhört intressant serie, tusen tack för den! Jag tänkte förut att jag hade velat se mer av hur de Amerikanska gästerna reagerar på upplevelsen men jag ser att ni har varit runt och kollat på flera olika fängelser. Det är bra att de inte bara fick se Halden utan också andra fängelser i norden. Återigen, bra jobbat! Det vore intressant att se en uppföljning igen om några år om det blivit nån bestående skillnad.
I liked the The Norden series years back. Pretty sure they where inspired by that :) Will be interesting watching this serie
Is there anywhere it is possible to watch the rest of this ?
Kommer dokumentären att släppas eller är det lagt på Is?
Hej! Hela projektet som dokumentären följer är på is just nu, men genast när det återupptas (det vill säga då pandemin tillåter) så fortsätter vi att spela in dokumentären. Vi hoppas på att släppa dokumentären nästa år!
Hope there will be more on this project, werry interesting to see
Hearing that American man get competitive is the energy we kinda need for this to be pushed even further. Right now Norway doesn't have any competition being the most humane. I would love to see a country as RICH as America to adapt a system like this.
What was Next will be continued 🧐 It works ???
HURRAY !! I hope you will be successful with the project. Point one is to treat people as people, not as animals. Point two is the contact with these people, and try to understand them and get to know them. Point three, which I unfortunately did not see, was the opportunity to learn a profession they could fall back on when they one day get out. And that is perhaps the most important thing, because then they will have proof that they really can do something, when they come with a testimony of what they can do. Then they are not just a jailbird, but a professional but with one testimony. IT is SO important, for these people who have gone so wrong in life.
I love this people and the USA for allowing these directors to experiment this new way. Bravo the USA.....I'm not a fan of your way of treating immates but this, this is unbelievable.....
When can we expect to se this full length documentary and where can it be watched? Netflix is a great spot, hint, hint.
Spring 2021, the pandemic have caused a slight delay for the project and the premiere
Hi! Any news on when this might air?
We, and the project, are delayed due to the pandemic. 2022 is my best guess atm.
Good work 👍
May all of those who suffered due to riots, rapes; and assaults by inmates feel warmth, safety, satisfaction. Continue to grow and prosper. The environment we work in is getting better.
I guess
very cool
Cool thing, I hope the project really continues. Shouldn't forget to let the people wear their own clothes. It's part of the personality
It's now 2024. Where can I watch this in America?
Any updates in 2024?
OK but were inmates selected randomly or based on good behavior? If you want to remove selection bias, you transfer inmates randomly to the new unit.
Yes, inmates participating in the Little Scandinavia program are selected randomly in order for the end result to be representative of a larger sample of the inmate population and for the specific practices and methods used in the Little Scandinavia program to be scalable.
@@starkjo Great! Makes the whole thing much more credible!
Ah, so it's coming 2021? 2:45 "Weapon weapon hot water weapon knives" 🤣
True, if he was in 'Murica
I really hope this project is restarted. As a Norwegian i belive in a justice system that is about justice and not revenge. I get that this will be a many year project, not just to ajust the prisoners, but to ajust the mentality of the American people, but i really hope it is at least explored in practicality, not just people saying "yes this is interresting" or "this will never work in America"
I'm late to the video i know, but i'm so glad i stumbled upon it. I really hope the project becomes an example for the rest of America.
A tax paying rehabilitated ex-crim is better for society then one that costs tax payers millions of dollars for returning to prison.
Is this project still ongoing? The coronavirus restrictions are, well I wouldn’t say lifted… relaxed?
Hey, the project is continuing this spring, having been more or less halted by the pandemic.
So any news ?
Everything is going well; aiming for a release of the documentary series in late spring 2023
@@starkjo Nice! Looking forward to it !
Statistically speaking, the risk of inmates going back to jail if the prison system is humane is significantly lower after release. It's not always true of course, if it's gang members who don't want to quit doing crime, they won't stop. But as for "ordinary" people who are in jail, their chances are much better if they are treated as humans. Going back out in the society won't be as tough as they're not so institutionalized and dehumanized, as in a punishment prison system instead of a rehabilitation prison system.
As long as you don't forget why the inmates are there for and don't get too comfortable and let your guard down it should be a good thing. If you want peaceful people you show them how to be like that. Very simple.
Treat a human like a animal he responds like one. Treat a person like a human being he will respond like one. I been in prison and the system is designed to harden you make you bitter and angry
"Boy I've never seen one of these" If that's not a perfect example of how were not all born with the same opportunities, I don't know what is.
I mean, with all respect to that man, I literally don't even know anyone who's never seen an oven before, it never even entered my mind how disadvantaged some are. I'm not pretending for a moment I have the solution, but I hope this is a start.
When will the full be released? :)
Thanks Filip for asking. We are aiming towards around the spring of 2022 or so, but everything depends on how the pandemic evolves. Watch this space!
@@starkjo Thanks for the answer! hope it will work out smoothly for you guys! Can´t wait too see it :)
@@filipringnell4083 Same here :) We are working on a video about stuff that's been happening inside of SCI Chester during the pandemic. Still unclear about when we can publish it, but once again, watch this space :)
I love that the Norwegian system benefits both inmates as well as the correctional staff. If the American public can't bring themselves to change their mentality with regards to the purpose of a prison (which shouldn't operate on the basis of getting a revenge) then perhaps they could think of the impact current prison system has on the mental health of the prison employees.
Fantastic, imagine how the global standard will increase when the prisoners in the US give their prisoners better living conditions. However, I still noticed some aspects with the american prisons from the youtube movie;
1) Bars, metals, and corridors are still arent worth storing animals in, let alone humans. A nice paintjob will probably make a difference, but marginally when compared to the system the building architecture and layout conveys.
2) Clothes of the inmates - They are still differentiated and treated like non-humans. As soon as you remove humanity from them, you give them a reason to stop acting like humans.
Good job USA, you will get there!
Sincerely,
A Swede
So when is the full version coming out?
We're aiming toward a release during 2021 - very much depending on how the pandemic develops though.
West Virginia's Lakin Correctional has a min security set up that is similar to this. How you are treated in prison has nothing to do with how your treated when you get out. Not in the U.S. I was treated like a person when I was in prison, was never lacking employment, access to social construct, etc. However, when I was released, I was treated like dirt by society and basically brick walled when it comes to employment. So having a different prison environment is only a very small part. The whole system has to change. We have to change the minds of people who never been to prison! They are the ones who make sure people recividate by not letting them prosper in society once they are released. The society as a whole has to change. These changes inside the prison are nice but have nothing to do with recidivism.