Little Scandinavia Opens at Chester

SCI Chester held a ribbon cutting on May 5 to officially launch Little Scandinavia, a unit that will focus on rehabilitation and reintegration. The new unit at SCI Chester comes after a multiyear partnership with the Norwegian Correctional Service and the Swedish Prison and Probation Service. Three officers from the Norwegian Correctional Service were also in attendance. These three officers had been vital in the learning process each time DOC staff visited Sweden and Norway.

Little Scandinavia residents have access to a communal kitchen, green space, and redesigned cells, furniture and common areas. With the grant provided by Drexel University, data will be collected on prison climate, staff, disciplinary actions and the well-being of the people serving their sentences there.