Building Justice: A Journey to Finland

Overview

In 2023, the nonprofit Impact Justice led a diverse group of Americans on a journey to Finland to understand how Nordic countries have reduced their reliance on incarceration by relying on housing and social supports, and maintaining prisons that look very different from those in the United States. Often known as the "Nordic Model," these countries have created prison environments that are designed to nurture people’s growth and return home, rather than to punish and exclude them from society. As California begins to implement aspects of the Nordic Model in prisons like San Quentin, "Building Justice: A Journey to Finland" asks the question: What is possible here in the United States?