The jails where they do things differently

In 2019 a group of prison officers from Philadelphia in the US spent three weeks working in jails across Scandinavia - in order to see whether their more humane approach to custody could work back at home.

Five years on we visit SCI Chester’s ‘Little Scandinavia' to see whether the ‘homely’ environment - where prisoners can order groceries, cook their own meals and socialise with officers – leads to better behaviour.

We’ll also head to Panama, where an innovative recycling project is cleaning up a prison and providing inmates with skills they can use once back in the outside world.

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Presenter: Myra Anubi
Producer: Craig Langran
Reporters: Jane Chambers, Ben Wyatt
Editor: Jon Bithrey

(Image: Inmates playing chess at Chester jail, Pennsylvania, Getty Images)