It’s Like a Sentence Before the Sentence’—Exploring the Pains and Possibilities of Waiting for Imprisonment

Bibliographic Data

ID8403285
AuthorsJulie Laursen (0000-0003-4812-710X, University of Cambridge, corresponding author), Kristian Mjåland (0000-0002-3248-0606, University of Agder), Ben Crewe (0000-0002-5296-5475, University of Cambridge)
Year2019
Publication date2019-07-08
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe British Journal of Criminology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0007-0955 • E-ISSN: 1464-3529
PublisherOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/bjc/azz042
OpenAlexW2961535903
LanguageEN
Citations received9
References cited39

This article explores the implications of the ‘imprisonment queue’ in Norway. Based on interview data (N = 200), we show that while interviewees waiting to serve their sentences enjoy certain benefits such as being able to prepare for or negotiate the terms of their imprisonment, they also suffer from uncertainty and powerlessness. The suspension of their lives while they wait hinders them in pursuing their ground projects, things that really matter to them. This peculiar phenomenon has not received attention from prison scholars generally, as well as scholars writing on Nordic Exceptionalism specifically. This article addresses that gap and poses questions about the relative mildness of the short Norwegian sentences, and more broadly, about what constitutes punishment

Criminology · Imprisonment · Linguistics · Sentence · Computer Science · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Philosophy · Psychology · Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending · Torture, Ethics, and Law

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