Engelsk titel: Substance treatment units in Norwegian prisons - humane and exceptional?
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Författare:
Helgesen, Janne Henriette Ingarsdotter
Email: janhel@phs.no
Språk: Nor
Antal referenser: 48
Dokumenttyp:
Artikel
UI-nummer: 16013900
Sammanfattning
BACKGROUND - The treatment of prison inmates in the Nordic countries has been described as
humane and welfare-oriented - often referred to as ‘Nordic exceptionalism’ AIM - This study explores
how key actors working in 13 substance treatment units in Norwegian prisons assess the
responsibilities, working methods and goal attainment of these units, and how their descriptions fit
the idea of a Nordic exceptionalism. DATA AND METHOD - The data consists of qualitative interviews
with 23 strategically selected informants of the specialist health care services and the correctional
services. The interviews were analysed with the aid of systematic text condensation (STC). RESULTS
- The results show that ‘rehabilitation’, ‘substance use treatment’ and ‘dynamic control’ are key
topics for those who work in the substance treatment units. Overall, the informants describe the
rehabilitation programmes in the units as intensive and as aiming to improve the inmates’ living
conditions and social and cognitive skills, and to promote their reintegration into society. Moreover,
informants state that inmates in the substance treatment units receive treatment from specialist
health care services, and that the idea of therapy permeates many aspects of these units’ activities.
Informants also state that they prioritise less repressive forms of control in the relationship to the
inmates, and that these forms of control are favourable to rehabilitation.
CONCLUSIONS - The main pattern that emerges from this study supports that welfare orientation and
ideas about therapy and rehabilitation are priorities in work with imprisoned substance users in
substance treatment units. The control of inmates in these units is described as less repressive and
favourable to rehabilitation. This pattern is not unambiguous, however, and the findings in this study
may therefore help add nuances to the notion of Nordic exceptionalism