What does the Norwegian study say about children in prison?

In a new research article, we describe the incarceration of all children and adolescents in Norway from 2000 to 2019.

Despite the ongoing debate on child and adolescent crime, little research has been conducted on the consequences of incarceration of children and adolescents in Norway. Research Articles We describe the incarceration of all children and adolescents in Norway over a 20-year period (2000–2019) and find several results that should be part of the debate on the incarceration of children and adolescents.

Often imprisoned again

Prisoners in Norwegian prisons are generally marginalized groups. But when we look at incarcerated children, we see that they are largely characterized by economic and social instability.

• Two-thirds lived below the poverty line in the year before incarceration.
• Two out of five children have moved three or more times.
• One-third had a parent who had been in prison during the same 20-year period.
• Two-thirds had approached justice authorities with charges but the cases were dismissed because they were under the age of criminal responsibility.
• Two-fifths have an immigrant background.

After release, children were more likely to be imprisoned and jailed for shorter periods of time than other age groups. One year after release, one in three children were back in prison for a new sentence. Five years later, two-thirds were back in prison.

In contrast, 37% of young people and 5-7% of adults were back in prison after 5 years.

Being first imprisoned at a younger age increases the risk of re-incarceration, even when we account for factors such as crime type, demographic and social background. We also find that new incarcerations involve more extensive and serious criminal behaviour than first incarcerations.

Vulnerable age

Based on our data, we draw three main conclusions.

1. Incarcerated children and youth often come into contact with the police and other welfare agencies at an early age. This means there are multiple areas for prevention efforts targeting vulnerable children and families. Strengthening prevention efforts, as well as general measures to reduce socioeconomic inequalities, could have a positive effect.

2. Incarcerated children and adolescents face many social and economic challenges in addition to being at a developmentally vulnerable age. Therefore, age-appropriate prisons are absolutely essential, with resources for rehabilitation and improved conditions for children and adolescents after their release. If children and adolescents are incarcerated, it is a social responsibility that their social, economic and health prospects after release are not worse than when they were incarcerated.

3. The fact that so many children and young people are released back into prison highlights the need for youth prisons to focus on the needs of children and young people. Specialized programs are needed to prevent problems such as violence and drug abuse. The focus must also be on strengthening the development and skills of children and young people.