Reflection in Anticipation of Trip to Norway with Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy
This semester, I had the opportunity to take Education in U.S. Prisons, a course that examines the U.S. prison system in comparison to Norway’s approach to incarceration. The class, led by Professor Gerald Robinson from the Batten School of Public Policy and Leadership, also included Heather Downs, Director of Academic Programs at Batten. Through this course, I explored not only the structural and philosophical differences between these two systems but also broader questions about rehabilitation, punishment, and the role of research in prison settings.
At the same time, through my work with the Office of the Vice President for Research at UVA, I have been researching the ethical considerations surrounding prison research. My work has deepened my understanding of how incarcerated individuals are involved in research and the regulations in place to protect their rights.
A key concept we studied before traveling to Norway was the principle of normality. In the Norwegian prison system, incarceration is designed to mirror life in the broader community as much as possible. Rather than focusing on punitive measures or extended isolation, the system aims to restrict only an individual’s liberty, making reintegration into society a smoother process. This philosophy contrasts sharply with the punitive approach in many U.S. prisons, where conditions often emphasize punishment over rehabilitation.
Beyond prison conditions, I have been particularly interested in the involvement of prisoners in research. In the U.S., prisoner participation in research is highly regulated to protect their rights and well-being. Studies can only be conducted under strict conditions, such as researching the causes of incarceration, conditions affecting prisoners, or methods for improving their health. Additionally, an Institutional Review Board (IRB), which includes a prisoner representative, must approve the research to ensure ethical standards are met.
In contrast, research involving prisoners is far less common in Norway. While there is no explicit law prohibiting it, the focus on normality and rehabilitation reduces the need for such studies. The structure of the Norwegian system naturally limits research opportunities because prisoners experience fewer systemic challenges that require intervention.
Understanding these key differences provided an important foundation for our travels. As I prepared to visit Norway, I was eager to see how these principles played out in practice and how they compared to my experiences studying the U.S. system.
Background Here at UVA
Batten Professor Robinson Studies Global Prison Policy
UVA Students Visit Norway to Learn Better Approaches to Incarceration
Prisoners in Research Studies | Human Research Protection Program (HRPP)
Vulnerable Subjects - Prisoners | Human Research Protection Program (HRPP)
Context: Examples of Research Involving Prisoners in the U.S.
- Jessica Mitford, Experiments Behind Bars: Doctors, Drug Companies, and Prisoners
“Criminals in our penitentiaries are fine experimental material—and much cheaper than chimpanzees.” January 1, 1973
The National Institute on Drug Abuse funds a portfolio of research addressing drug abuse in the context of the justice system.
- Karystianis, G., Lukmanjaya, W., Buchan, I. et al. An analysis of published study designs in PubMed prisoner health abstracts from 1963 to 2023: a text mining study. BMC Med Res Methodol 24, 68 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-024-02186-6.
“Research conducted at the nexus between health sciences and criminology has emerged as a distinctive field often referred to as justice health research or epidemiological criminology.”
- “Reviewing The Flaws of U.S. Prisons and Jails’ Health Care System,” Emily Wang, MD, MAS, speaker at the University of Pennsylvania, Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics 2023 Samuel P. Martin, III, MD, Memorial Lecture on February 28, 2023.
“She explained that in many correctional systems, an inmate who wants to see the doctor must be seen by a correctional officer first. If that officer decides there is a medical necessity, the inmate gets to see a nurse and goes to an actual physician only after that. …“Technically, ‘care’ is there but to access it, you must go through a lot of different barriers that are relational and dependent on the hierarchy and structures of that prison,” said Wang.